Logan Theater reopens after 30 years, betting on community in the streaming era
By: Viviana Frazini
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Across the country, movie theaters have struggled to fill seats in the age of streaming services, larger multiplexes and at-home entertainment. Many historic theaters have gone dark, leaving behind empty buildings and fading memories.
But in downtown Logan, one theater is getting a second chance.
After sitting closed for more than 30 years, the Logan Theater is preparing to welcome audiences back through its doors. For organizers, the reopening is about more than showing movies, it is about restoring a landmark that generations of residents once considered part of everyday life.
Standing outside the theater, the restoration is impossible to miss. The bright marquee shines over Main Street. Inside, new carpet stretches through the lobby, renovated seating fills the auditorium, and nearly every visible surface has been updated.
For Sadie Burger, executive director of the Logan Theater Co., preserving the building’s place in the community was a major reason behind the project.
“The Logan Theater is a pillar of downtown,” Burger said. “Besides just being one of the cornerstone businesses, we’re also the tallest building in Hocking County. But it’s about memories.”
She said many residents remember spending weekends at the theater, watching films with family members or even working there as projectionists and ticket booth attendants.
The challenge, however, is convincing people that a single-screen theater can succeed at a time when many theaters nationwide continue to face declining attendance.
Burger believes the Logan Theater’s approach sets it apart.
Rather than competing directly with larger cinemas, the theater will focus on second-run films and beloved classics that audiences may never have experienced on a big screen. The programming will extend beyond movies as well, with concerts, comedy performances, dance productions and community events planned throughout the year.
“We’ve got nostalgia on our side,” Burger said.
The building’s second floor is also being converted into a community arts center, expanding the venue’s role beyond entertainment.
The theater originally closed during a period when multiplex cinemas were becoming more common and smaller theaters were struggling financially.
“It went through several different ownerships,” Burger said. “The big cinemas started going in, and a small-scale, single-screen theater just wasn’t able to cut it financially.”
Now, organizers are hoping the same qualities that once made the theater a gathering place can help it succeed again.
The first films shown in the restored auditorium will be “Back to the Future” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” selected through a community vote. Future programming will include family favorites, classic holiday films, and older movies that continue to hold a special place in audiences’ memories.
While the film lineup may focus on the past, organizers say the goal is firmly focused on the future.
“We genuinely want to be a gathering space for the community,” Burger said. “Our goal is to just be the hub for gathering, for community, for a joint space, for people to come together and enjoy a moment in time as a group.”