State Representative Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) announced today that the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) has awarded a grant to the Colony Theater in downtown Marietta.

The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experience to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically. The OAC approved 80 grants totaling $394,501.

“I congratulate the Colony Theater for being awarded a grant from the Ohio Arts Council,” said Representative Thompson. “The Colony is an important fixture in Marietta and the surrounding area. I await its re-opening so a new generation can experience what it was once like to spend a night out at the Colony.”

The Colony Theater, known as the Hippodrome until 1949, opened its doors on May 18, 1911 and featured live acts, plays, and silent moving pictures. The German National Bank purchased the theater in 1918 and built the new Hippodrome Theater on the location on which it still stands today. Over the years, the theater has boasted guests ranging from Frank Sinatra to Tex Ritter. The Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theater Association is currently working on a complete restoration of the theater.