Additions: Some additional information about the Holland’s original architect, builders, and owners have been included below.
The Holland Theatre marked its 95th anniversary, Wednesday, Feb. 12, not simply by looking back, but by doing what it has done best for nearly a century — bringing people together.
Before the evening’s feature film, Holland Theatre Executive Director Lance Schmidt addressed a packed house, reflecting on the venue’s long and often winding journey since opening in 1931 as a mixed-use movie palace with the largest screen in Ohio.
Over the decades, Schmidt noted, the Holland hosted all manner of films, traveling stars, graduations and weddings, becoming woven into the fabric of community life.
The theatre evolved with the times, including its multiplex era around 1980 — a period many in attendance remembered fondly, complete with playing Space Invaders in the lobby after a movie. But by the 1990s, fortunes had shifted, and by 1998 the building was largely left for dead.
Schmidt spoke candidly about those lean years and the slow, deliberate work that followed. He recalled being inside the Holland in 2000 when the roof leaked and the building lacked power and air conditioning, hosting a film festival in 2010 using a borrowed projector from the local library, and filming a short documentary with longtime advocate Kris Swisher at a time when the auditorium had no seats.
Through it all, Schmidt said, there remained a shared belief among volunteers and donors that the space could be returned to its former glory and serve future generations.
That belief, he told the crowd, has been realized.
Schmidt shared the pride he felt returning to the Holland in 2023 to watch his children perform in The Jungle Book, and pointed to recent rehearsals and productions — including The Little Mermaid — as signs that the theatre is once again a place where core memories are being formed for young people.
“So here we are,” Schmidt said. “Ninety-five years in, and we’re more than 400 strong, watching a classic movie on a 4K projector.”
He thanked the many volunteers, donors, sponsors and supporters — including those who helped simply by spreading the word — for sustaining the momentum that has carried the Holland forward.
“Thank you for being part of something truly special,” Schmidt said, closing with a simple tribute: “Here’s to 95 years of the Holland Theatre. Happy birthday.”
The Holland’s opening in 1931 was treated with similar significance. The Daily Examiner devoted much of its Feb. 11, 1931 edition to the theatre’s debut the following day, detailing its Dutch atmospheric design, fireproof construction, advanced sound system and modern heating and ventilation. The coverage emphasized that the theatre was not merely new, but fully operational — a place already open, active and ready to serve the community.
Similar to the theatre’s more recent monumental restoration effort was the one required to initially build it.
According to 1931 Examiner coverage, the Holland Theatre rose in a record four months—an ambitious timeline even by modern standards and all the more remarkable given the economic uncertainty of the era.
Built at a cost of approximately $300,000 – equivalent to about $6.4 million in 2026 dollars—the fireproof structure measured 64 by 229 feet, placing it among the larger motion-picture houses built in the region at the time. The project was developed as part of the expanding Schine Theatres circuit, which would later become one of the most influential theatre chains in the country.
The Holland was designed by Peter M. Hulsken, a Dutch-born architect based in Lima, whose vision departed from prevailing theatre styles of the day. Drawing inspiration from the architecture of old Holland, Hulsken conceived the building as an immersive experience that began at the façade and continued throughout the interior.
Construction was completed by the Troy-based Hossler Brothers, who delivered the building on schedule during the Great Depression, producing a theatre that combined speed of construction with a scale and durability intended to last for generations.
The grand opening event was chronicled in the Feb. 13, 1931 edition by a then-young Examiner reporter, Tom Hubbard, who later became the paper’s longtime owner and publisher.
Hubbard’s account focused on the theatre’s readiness and scale, reporting that motion pictures were being shown under ideal conditions, with sound reaching every seat and via the largest screen in state at the time — 40 feet wide — drawing favorable comments.
Following Schmidt’s remarks, the modern audience was shown a historic outdoor photograph from the Holland’s early years, dating to the 1930s, projected onto the big screen.
Attendess also wacthed The Princess Bride. The 1987 movie blends fairy-tale adventure, comedy and romance, framed as a story read by a grandfather to his grandson. The film, directed by the late Rob Reiner from a screenplay by William Goldman, was initially a modest hit at the box office. It has since become a generational favorite, known for its humor, quotable lines and enduring appeal.
After a long-sustained community revitalization effort, the Holland, at 95, appears to have returned to the role the Examiner first described nearly a century ago: a ready-to-use, fully functioning civic landmark.
