WMMS Average White Band concert - 1980 print ad

The Front Row Theater was a 3,200-seat performance space in Highland Heights,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, which operated from 1974 to 1993.

Construction and opening

The Front Row was located in

Highland Heights, Ohio Highland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, Highland Heights is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 8,719. History Highland Heights was originall ...

, in suburban

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, on Wilson Mills Road just west of

Interstate 271 Interstate 271 (I-271) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron in the US state of Ohio. The highway is officially designated the Outerbelt East Freeway but is rarely referred to by that name by locals, in ...

. Its construction was completed in 1974, at a cost of $3 million (). Its architect was Richard R. Jencen. The Front Row was a theater-in-the-round, with the stage rotating during each performance, and absence of pillars that ensured clear views. Its capacity was 3,200. Nate Dolin, a former vice president of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

, was a leader of the partnership that founded and ran the theater. The Front Row opened July 5, 1974, with a performance by Sammy Davis, Jr.

Performances

The Front Row was primarily a music venue. Musicians and comedians advertised or reported as performing there included (in rough order of their first performance there): Sammy Davis, Jr., the

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. The Front Row also hosted lectures by luminaries including former President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

, as well as wrestling matches. Many local high schools held their graduations at the Front Row. The

Michael Stanley Band Michael Stanley (born Michael Stanley Gee; March 25, 1948 – March 5, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio and television personality. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), his brand of heartland r ...

ended its 13-year career with a sold-out run of 12 performances at the Front Row between December 16, 1986, and January 3, 1987. Roy Orbison performed his last concert at the Front Row on December 4, 1988, two days before his death.

Closing

The Front Row closed in 1993, when it merged with the Playhouse Square Foundation, which operates the then-recently renovated and revitalized

Playhouse Square Playhouse Square is a theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the largest performing arts center in the US outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger). Constructed in a span of 19 months in the early 1920s, ...

theaters in downtown Cleveland. Luther Vandross closed down the venue with a pair of sold-out concerts on June 22 and 23 of that year. Acts that would have played the Front Row now perform at the Playhouse Square theaters. The building was torn down in 1995. A

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is now on its site.

References

External links

1993 local TV news story of Front Row's closing announcement

Partial list of Front Row performances (Google doc)
{{coord missing, Ohio Theatres in Ohio Performing arts centers in Ohio Buildings and structures in Cuyahoga County, Ohio Theatres completed in 1974 Buildings and structures demolished in 1995 Demolished buildings and structures in Ohio