Akron Civic Theatre

The Akron Civic Theatre opened on April 20, 1929, as Loew's Akron, a palatial movie house designed by the legendary Austrian-born architect John Eberson. Built at a cost of $2 million for entertainment mogul Marcus Loew, who had purchased the site at a sheriff's auction in 1925 for $143,000, the theater was fashioned in Eberson's signature atmospheric style to resemble a Moorish castle courtyard. The auditorium ceiling mimics a twilight sky with twinkling stars and drifting clouds, while the four-story lobby features Mediterranean decor, Italian alabaster sculptures, and medieval carvings. It was reportedly the first building in Akron to have air conditioning. The theater sits along the route of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which fueled Akron's growth after opening in 1827 and functioned until the Great Flood of 1913, when city workers dynamited the locks to prevent catastrophic flooding downtown.

According to local legend, the theater is home to at least three spirits. The most well-known is a custodian often called "Fred," though some accounts identify him as Paul Steeg, who reportedly helped open the theater in 1929 and worked there until his death on the premises in 1972. By all accounts, Fred never stopped working. Staff and visitors report encountering his presence throughout the building, particularly in the restrooms, where he is said to become agitated when people are disrespectful or make messes. According to several witnesses, Fred has been known to chase vandals and disruptive individuals, with some claiming he has physically confronted those attempting to damage the theater he spent his life maintaining.

The second spirit is that of a young woman associated with the canal. According to the legend, she took her own life by drowning in the Erie Canal behind the theater. Witnesses report seeing a sorrowful figure walking along the edge of the water near what is now the Lock 3 area, weeping uncontrollably. When spotted, she reportedly vanishes into the tunnel that runs beneath the Civic Theatre. Her haunting may predate the theater itself, as the canal was operational decades before the building was constructed.

The third ghost is described as a well-dressed man in formal black attire, sometimes said to be wearing coattails or a tuxedo. He appears seated alone in the balcony during performances, and some accounts say he has caused disruptions during shows. His identity remains unknown, though he is believed to have been either a devoted patron or an actor who performed on the stage.

Michael Carmany, who worked as an electrician and set builder for the Akron Junior Chamber of Commerce's haunted house in the late 1970s, reported seeing the balcony patron multiple times while working alone in hidden areas of the theater. Carmany also described hearing what sounded like screams coming from the direction of the canal, though he initially attributed them to the sound of water. He later identified himself as "a believer." Over the years, the Akron Beacon Journal has covered the theater's ghostly reputation and even sent psychics to investigate the building's paranormal claims.

The Akron Civic Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1973. After decades of declining attendance nearly forced its closure in 1965, a community campaign led by the Akron Civic Theatre Women's Guild and the Jaycee Foundation saved the building. A $22 million restoration completed in 2002 brought the theater up to modern standards, and an additional $9 million renovation in 2021 added new performance venues. Today, the theater hosts over 500 events annually and remains one of only five surviving Eberson-designed atmospheric theaters in the country. Ghost tours of the building and surrounding downtown Akron are offered by multiple companies, including US Ghost Adventures and Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours.