Schine Holland Theatre

The Holland Theater, also known as the Schine Holland Theatre, is a historic theater in Bellefontaine, Ohio. It opened on February 12, 1931, as a combined vaudeville house and movie palace operated by Schine Circuit Theatres, a regional theater chain that owned 185 venues across six states. The building was conceived for both live performance and cinema, reflecting the hybrid programming common to American theaters of the early sound-film era. The theater is distinguished by an unusually strong Dutch architectural theme. Its exterior uses a Flemish-style stepped-gable facade and Dutch cross-bond brickwork. Inside, the lobby features a beamed ceiling, slate floors, and textured walls, while the auditorium is decorated with a large atmospheric Dutch landscape. Painted scenes, including windmills modeled after Arnhem in the Netherlands, extend along the sidewalls. The design was created by Peter Hulsken, a Dutch immigrant who had settled in Lima, Ohio. Construction was carried out by the Hossler Brothers of Tiffin, Ohio, at a reported cost of $150,000. The Holland is described in reference material as the only atmospheric theater in the United States built primarily in a Dutch architectural style. Like many traditional single-screen theaters, the Holland faced pressure from newer cinemas with greater technical capacity and more screens. After the building changed hands in 1977, it was converted into a five-screen multiplex. The main auditorium retained the principal screen in front of the former stage, the balcony was divided to create two additional screens, and two more screens were installed at the rear where the stage had originally been. This conversion allowed the venue to continue functioning as a commercial cinema, but it altered the original stage-centered layout. The multiplex closed in 1998. Its future was subsequently supported by local preservation efforts, including an awareness and fundraising project undertaken by a sixth-grade class. Bellefontaine businessman Richard Knowlton later purchased the theater and donated it to Logan County Landmark Preservation. Under preservation-group stewardship, the building continued to host selected fine-arts events while restoration planning and fundraising proceeded. Public and institutional support helped the restoration advance. A grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission in 2010 supported improvements including a new lighting system. Additional grant support was obtained in 2015 and 2019. Renovation work was completed in October 2019, when singer Judy Collins opened the restored venue. By 2019, the Holland had returned to full operation as a performing-arts venue capable of presenting stage performances and feature films. Today, the Holland’s identity is based less on commercial cinema-chain operations than on historic preservation, architectural interpretation, live performance, and community cultural programming. Its Schine-era origin remains central to its history, while its current role is that of a restored local landmark serving Bellefontaine and the surrounding Logan County community.

The Holland Theater was built in Bellefontaine, Ohio, and opened on February 12, 1931. It was commissioned, owned, and operated by Schine Circuit Theatres, a regional chain that controlled 185 theaters in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The venue was designed by Peter Hulsken, a Dutch immigrant based in Lima, Ohio, and built by the Hossler Brothers of Tiffin. Construction reportedly cost $150,000. The building was planned as a combined vaudeville and motion-picture theater. Its architecture made it particularly distinctive: the exterior incorporated a Flemish stepped-gable treatment and Dutch cross-bond brick, while the interior used atmospheric design to create the impression of a Dutch landscape. The lobby included a beamed ceiling, slate flooring, and rough-finished walls. The auditorium’s painted sidewall scenes included windmills modeled on Arnhem, associated with Hulsken’s Dutch background. The theater has been characterized as the only atmospheric theater in the United States built primarily in a Dutch architectural style. The original building supported both stage shows and films, but its configuration changed after a 1977 sale. The theater was converted into a five-screen multiplex. The principal screen remained in the auditorium in front of the stage, the balcony was divided into two screening rooms, and two additional screens were built at the back of the cinema in the area formerly occupied by the stage. This adaptation reflected the competitive pressure placed on older movie palaces by newer multiplexes. The multiplex closed in 1998. A sixth-grade class subsequently used the building as a class project, helping raise public awareness of its historic and cultural value. Richard Knowlton, a Bellefontaine businessman, purchased the theater and later donated it to Logan County Landmark Preservation. The preservation organization undertook efforts to restore the building, while fine-arts events continued to take place there during the restoration period. Public funding contributed to the rehabilitation. In 2010, the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission awarded a grant that supported improvements including installation of a new lighting system. Further grant funding was obtained in 2015 and 2019. Renovation was completed in October 2019, and singer Judy Collins opened the restored venue. The theater then resumed full operation as a venue for stage performances and feature films. The Holland’s modern significance comes from the combination of architectural rarity, local preservation activism, and renewed cultural use. Although its commercial multiplex phase ended in the late twentieth century, the building remains active as a historic theater and community performing-arts venue.

• 2019

  Renovation completed and venue reopens

  [1]Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Renovation concludes in October, with Judy Collins opening the restored theater for renewed stage and film use.

• 2015

  Additional restoration funding acquired

  [1]Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The theater secures further grant support for its continuing restoration.

• 2010

  Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission grant supports improvements

  [1]Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Grant funding helps the preservation effort install a new lighting system and advance rehabilitation work.

• 1998

  Multiplex operation closes

  [1]Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The Holland ceases operation as a multiplex.

• 1977

  Building converted into a five-screen multiplex

  [1]Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org

  After a change in ownership, the original auditorium, balcony, and stage areas are adapted to create a five-screen cinema.

• 1931

  Holland Theater opens

  [1]Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The theater opens in Bellefontaine on February 12 as a Schine Circuit venue for vaudeville and motion pictures.

A community-oriented historic theater and performing-arts venue whose distinctive Dutch atmospheric design and restored 1931 interiors provide an alternative to modern multiplex cinema.

• Cinema · 1931

  Feature-film presentations

  Motion-picture exhibition was part of the Holland Theater’s original purpose and remains part of its current programming after restoration. The venue began as a movie palace, later operated as a five-screen multiplex, and returned to presenting feature films alongside live events after the 2019 renovation.

• Performing arts · 1931

  Stage performances

  The building was designed to accommodate live theater and vaudeville as well as film. Following preservation, stage use again became central to the venue’s identity, with the restored auditorium serving performances and other fine-arts events.

• Live entertainment · 2019

  Live music and cultural events

  The restored theater hosts cultural and fine-arts programming in a historic auditorium. Judy Collins’ appearance at the 2019 reopening illustrates the venue’s use for concert and artist-led events, although a complete current event catalogue is not available in the supplied sources.

• 1998Sixth-grade Holland Theater awareness project

  Bellefontaine · Logan County, Ohio

  After the multiplex closed, a sixth-grade class adopted the theater as a class project and helped raise awareness of the building’s historic importance.

  Outcome. The project contributed to local attention and preservation momentum, although the supplied sources do not quantify funds raised or specify the complete campaign structure.

  Source

• 2019

  Return to combined performing-arts and film useStrategy

  Background

  Following years of preservation work and multiple rounds of grant support, the theater was positioned for renewed community cultural use.

  Action taken

  Renovations were completed and the venue resumed operation for stage performances and feature films.

  Aftermath

  The Holland re-emerged as an active historic performing-arts venue, with Judy Collins opening the renovated facility.

  Source

• 1977

  Conversion from historic theater layout to multiplexStrategy

  Background

  The venue faced the competitive requirements of modern cinema exhibition and was adapted after a change in ownership.

  Action taken

  The auditorium, balcony, and former stage area were reconfigured to create five screens.

  Aftermath

  The building continued operating as a cinema until the multiplex closed in 1998, but the conversion altered its original stage-centered configuration.

  Source

1. 1Holland Theateren.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Holland Theatre official websitethehollandtheatre.org