File:Theater building at Olentangy Park, photograph - DPLA - c49acd4f59aa2cb1d0283d824c4fd3f8.jpg

Olentangy Park Theater opened May 26, 1899 and seated 2,248 persons. The last part of the theater burned November 10, 1939. The Olentangy Picnic Grounds were developed by Robert Turner in 1880 on the land adjacent to the Olentangy River by the old mill. He built a tavern on the site in 1881 and named the area “The Villa”. By 1883 diving & swimming exhibitions, and scull races were being held here. The Columbus Railway, Power & Light Company purchased “The Villa”, which now lay just outside of the Columbus City limits, on January 20, 1896 and opened a small amusement park on the property on June 12, 1896. The Dusenbury brothers acquired the park in 1899 then added a theater, boating facilities and other attractions. The early decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid expansion for the amusement grounds. In 1905 the Dusenbury’s added "Fair Japan," an entire Japanese village previously exhibited at the St. Louis Exposition. By 1909 daring individuals could ride the Red Devil roller coaster, the Whirlwind, the Old Mill, Loop-the-Loop, Crazy House, and the towering Shoot-the-Chutes. The Parks’ crowds grew, sometimes attracting 40,000 visitors in a single day. With 100 acres featuring picnic areas, outdoor amphitheater, zoo, playgrounds, ballroom, and a swimming pool (part of the pool still serves Olentangy Village residents), the amusement company could easily accommodate the teeming multitudes. Olentangy Park remained a popular attraction well into the 20th century, but the Great Depression of the 1930s brought an end to the merriment. In 1937 Leslie L. LeVeque purchased the site and cleared it for construction. LeVeque opened Olentangy Village March 26, 1939 and rented the spacious apartments for $30 to $50 a month.