Every wedding venue has details that make guests stop and stare. At The Woodward Theater, one of those details lives just beyond the main event space. Tucked into the stairwell, the gallery wall tells the history of the building through vintage photos, framed artwork, and pieces of Cincinnati history… and we thought it was time to tell its story.
Guests naturally wander through the space between cocktail and dance floor moments. It transforms a traditionally passed through space into an iconic part of hosting a wedding at The Woodward.
To tell the story properly, we asked Jake Gerth, the owner of the Cincinnati-based Frameshop, and the creator behind the gallery wall, to share more about the inspiration and process behind the installation.
Hi, I'm Jake, the owner of Frameshop, a Cincinnati based art and framing company. I founded the business just a block south of the Woodward Theater almost 15 years ago.
I call The Woodward Theater simply “Woodward” because it's had so many uses over the years.
As a purpose-built theater, it hosted many movies during its first decades. The following years brought a diverse bouquet of businesses that called the theater home. The modern use, with its beautiful stage, continues to be a home for wide applications including concerts and some of the most beautiful weddings in Cincinnati.
We wanted to compile the theater's storied history in a unique way and location.
Our conclusion was to cram as much art, relics, and photography into the front stairwell so the viewing experience feels immersive but also a bit hidden, allowing the venue itself to fully transform for whatever event is taking place.
Hanging so close that some pieces are touching, each framed item holds a morsel of the past, but together they create one larger moment.
Some standout pieces for me include the shadow-boxed Kroger coffee bean bag. It's weird to think the theater was once a grocery store, but it was. Kroger was on its way to becoming a powerhouse retailer, as you can tell by the branded coffee beans that were sold during the same era Woodward operated as a Kroger. A fun side note: I know one of the owners of The Woodward really well from years of frequenting the same coffee shop. Coffee binds us.
Another amazing story tied to the theater's history is the mysterious Wanda Bear’s. Virtually vacant in documented history, Wanda Bear’s was a bar that occupied the space in the 1970s. Frameshop reimagined a backlit sign as if it were part of this mysterious bar. We wanted to represent the establishment even though no photos of its existence remain. A purple and pink glowing logo simply felt like Wanda Bear’s energy.
Not all the art on the wall is large. You have to stop and explore to absorb it all. One notable tiny framed piece is the Chris Sabo baseball card when he played for minor league team the Nashville Sounds. Sabo is a local baseball legend taking the Reds to the World Series in 1990.
Sabo's teammate on the Sounds and then the Reds, Rob Dibble's card is also featured on the wall. It's always interesting seeing superstars before they are born. These cards represent that!
The best thing about history is that it never stops. You never know what's going to be important, stand out, stick, make it, last or be loved.
Looking back it's easy to see the things that were important but it's always harder building this energy into the future. The Woodward Theater's front stairwell is meant to be a reminder of everything that existed previously, but more importantly, a reminder to continue building meaningful moments.
Even if Woodward gets an elevator in the future, we will always appreciate the steps.
The gallery wall has become one of the most photographed hidden gems inside of The Woodward. Photographers use the stairwell for portraits, candid moments, and late-night flash photography during receptions. When you walk through the stairwell, you are not just walking to another floor of the venue… You are walking through decades of stories collected and preserved inside one of Cincinnati’s most iconic event spaces.
Interested in seeing it for yourself? Reach out here to schedule a tour of the Woodward! We promise, the gallery wall will never disappoint.
A huge thank you to Jake Gerth for co-writing this blog. Check out his work here!
