Project to renovate historic Columbus theater awarded financial aid from state

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A historic Columbus theater once featured on a list of “endangered” buildings is headed toward a facelift after receiving financial assistance from the state. 

Ohio has agreed to award $814,000 in tax credits toward a project to renovate The Pythian Temple, which includes the James Pythian Theater, located at 867 Mt. Vernon Ave. in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood. 

The project was one of 37 approved across the state – totaling about $56.1 million in tax credits – as part of the Ohio Historic Tax Credit Program, which is aimed at supporting the rehabilitation of old buildings. The program is in partnership with the nonprofit Ohio History Connection. 

“Rehabilitation of historic buildings through the historic program and federal historic tax-credit programs revitalizes main streets, helps the environment by reusing a structure that is already built and creates jobs – with the added bonus of preserving local history,” said Mariangela Pfister, the Ohio History Connection’s department head of Technical Preservation Services.

The Pythian was named on a list of the “Most Endangered Sites” in the city in 2021, which consisted of buildings at risk of being demolished, redeveloped or left to deteriorate. The list is released annually by the nonprofit Columbus Landmarks. 

Maroon Arts Group, a Columbus nonprofit, bought the Pythian last year for $2.9 million. With the help of the tax credit, the group intends to renovate the building into a multi-use arts space which will be “home to arts and culture,” according to the governor’s office. The total cost of the proposed project is $6.6 million. 

The Pythian was built in 1926 by architect Samuel Plato, and was a hub for Black arts and culture, the governor's office said in a press release. The building houses a ballroom and a theater that screened movies until 1957, and once hosted entertainment icons such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. 

The state credits are awarded twice a year. The Pythian Temple was the only Columbus building to be awarded a tax credit in this round. Developers are only issued the tax credit once the project construction is complete and program requirements are verified.