Then and Now #22 - Ritz Theater

📍The Ritz Theater 🎭 , once standing at 500 Washington Street, was originally constructed in 1895 🏛️ as a Masonic Temple. Previously the site had been home to a church built in the 1850s 📜. The church ⛪ and property were sold in the 1890s 💰 and changed hands several times 🔄, housing various businesses 🏪, before eventually ending up with the local Masons ⚒️. After the new building was constructed, the Masons continued to lease space within it to businesses 🧾. The Ritz Theater 🎬 moved in during the 1930s until the 1950s 🕰️. Between the 1950s–70s the building sat vacant 🕸️, and throughout the ’80s and early ’90s it was occasionally occupied 🧍‍♂️ but struggled to attract a permanent business 📉. In 1996, the now dilapidated building was demolished 💥. The lot has since become a small pocket park 🌿 with a stone commemorating the buildings formerly on the site 🪨.

Historic Photo from Livingston County Library archives via Downtown Chillicothe Historic Tour website. Current picture courtesy of J.T. Baysinger June 18, 2025.