A noteworthy history of Cleveland's showcase for touring shows

Built by Daniel R. Hanna as a tribute to his theater-loving father, Marcus Hanna, the Hanna Theatre opened its doors on March 28, 1921, with an adaptation of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper starring William Faversham. Billed as a "Broadway-style theater," the Hanna was located not on Euclid Avenue but around the corner on the side street of East 14th. Its interior decor was opulent, finished in what was described as a combination of Italian Renaissance and Pompeian style, and the stage was...

2011 Bronze Medal - Independent Publisher Book Awards/Great Lakes Region A walk down memory lane In the summers of 1936 and 1937 the Great Lakes Exposition was presented in Cleveland, Ohio, along the Lake Erie shore just north of the downtown business area. At the time, Cleveland was America's sixth largest city. The Exposition was scheduled to commemorate the centennial of Cleveland's incorporation and was conceived as a way to energize a city hit hard by the Great Depression. In its first summer the Exposition drew four million visitors and three million more during its second and final...