In 1923, a woman with a compelling desire to be an actress, and the drive and determination of an entrepreneur, set into motion a series of events that made the Columbus Center for the Performing Arts dream a reality. Agnes Jeffrey Shedd gathered five of her most influential friends at a "ladies tea" at the Lazarus store on High Street where they formed “Players Club”, a place where members would produce one act plays for the entertainment of other members. The Players Club’s first home was the Joyce Barn, at 470 Capital Street. After outgrowing the building in 1927, the club purchased the home at 547 Franklin Avenue and built the Shedd Theatre from free bricks they obtained from the Central High School demolition site. In October 1957, the house next door at 549 Franklin Avenue was purchased and the two buildings were joined to build the Van Fleet Theatre. In the early 80s, Players Club became Players Theatre, the city's oldest non-profit arts institution in continuous operation.
After Players Theatre moved out in 1989, the City of Columbus used it to house the Davis Performing Arts Programs for Youth which had existed since 1970 as the Park Playhouse Teen Community Theatre. Today, these historic theatres – now called the Columbus Performing Arts Center – provide classes and performance opportunities for young people. The entire building underwent major renovations in 2005, and when not in use by the Davis Programs, the spaces are available for rent.
549 Franklin Ave, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Franklin County
Please note: The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) does not own or manage any public art. For the purposes of this database many pieces were entered by the Arts Council while we continue to search for the appropriate owner/manager of the work and other information to complete the entry. The Arts Council has tried to gather all available information about the works in this database, however, we acknowledge there may be missing or inaccurate information. If you can help us correct any inaccuracies, or provide more complete information, we would be grateful. Please use “Something missing? Please send us a note” above.
Taking images of public art works and sharing your experiences is one of the most fun reasons to engage with public art. As a community, we care deeply about the artists who have contributed the artworks we enjoy every day. Please be sure to credit artists when you share your photos. If you have an interest in using public artwork present in this database for commercial purposes, please contact Jami Goldstein at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Taking your own images of public artwork does not release you from the responsibility of artist credit and/or compensation.
This site is produced and managed by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and supported by the Ohio Arts Council and public art collections across the state. Contributors to the databases to date include collections held by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, City of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dublin Arts Council, City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Department, City of Kettering, Downtown Mansfield Inc., Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Licking County Foundation, Ohio Arts Council’s Percent for Art program, Short North Arts District and the City of Sandusky. The database was funded in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Research and development support is provided by Designing Local, OSA Technology Partners and Columbus artist Stephanie Rond. The Columbus Makes Art campaign is a citywide, collaborative marketing effort designed to highlight the incredible talent of central Ohio artists. The Greater Columbus Arts Council is supported by the City of Columbus and the Ohio Arts Council.
To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
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