🎭 Little Italy’s Century Old Theater Returns

Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: After 129 years, one of Cleveland’s German bar gems is calling it a night. That’s a lot of beers, birthdays and stories 🍺🇩🇪🕰️

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John Petkovic & Jude Perez

Pillar of the neighborhood. Cultural hub. Movie theater… Then left for dead.

The Mayfield Theater has held a prominent place in Little Italy over so many chapters in a story that spans a century — even as it sat empty for 40 years.

Terry Tarantino is writing the next act with a grand renovation to bring it back to life.

“I’m calling it Cinema Paradiso,” says the owner of La Dolce Vita, as he walks through the dark, dusty theater in a two-story brick building on Mayfield Road.

“You know, after the Italian film about a theater that burns down and is brought back to life to bring joy to a town.”

Tarantino will focus on opera, jazz and Italo disco nights along with events.

He marveled at the old stage, chandeliers and columns and imagined a new balcony as walked through the space.

He also acknowledged the long road it has been for a building he bought in 2025.

Opened in 1923, it hosted movies, plays, events and meetings.

It closed when owner Michele Mastandrea died in 1955. 

It reopened four years later for a short run as the Mayfield Art Theater — the first in a series of starts and stops.

“The last time it opened was in 1975, as the New Mayfield. It closed a decade later, because owner Sheldon Wigod couldn’t afford to do it anymore,” says Tarantino, referring to the noted film activist,

The first movie screened was “La Dolce Vita” — the Fellini film that inspired Tarantino’s eatery.

He also named his former East Fourth spot after Fellini’s “La Strada — so don’t be surprised if there’s a cinematic component of to the theater.

“I like to try new ideas, which has a lot of people excited about it,” says Tarantino. 

“It’s ’Cinema Paradiso” — something that comes back and brings joy… Just like a movie, right?”

If you’re big on bathrooms, retail and dining at the airport, you’re nodding in agreement with a JD Power’s 2026 Airport Satisfaction Study.

It ranks Hopkins dead last in the medium category, with 597 out of 1,000 points. Charleston International was first with 712 points.

So, what’s 115 points when jet fuel prices have risen more than 100% in the last year due?

The Iran war has forced airlines to cut routes and raise prices 39% in the last year.

It also played a role in the shuttering of Spirit Airlines, a major carrier at Hopkins. 

United stepped in to expand Cleveland service at prices 50–150% higher than Spirit’s. 

American Airlines temporarily suspended nonstop Los Angeles-Cleveland service from August 5 to October 5, 2026.

But things could be worse — and it puts the JD Power study in perspective. 

Frontier, a major carrier for Cleveland travelers, cut dozens of flights and abandoned six mid-tier airports around the country. Ditto for JetBlue.

Hopkins has so far avoided that fate — and that’s more important than a rating. 

Every trend sparks a response. First, it bubbles under the surface, and then it’s mainstream. 

We see it now with the ‘analog life’ and ‘slow living’ movements — the search for authenticity (bookstores, vinyl and CDs, organic food, crafts, vintage things) in response to algorithms and AI slop. 

Call Andrew Wyeth a forefather of the movements. 

He’s the subject of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s much-anticipated, just-opened “Andrew Wyeth and the Modern American Watercolor.”

The show features 75 works that document people and places in rural Pennsylvania and Maine by one of America’s most important realist painters. 

Wyeth, who launched his career in 1937 and died in 2009, was criticized by some for being nostalgic and out of step. 

But his works have been re-appraised, and he’s a pioneer in a popular counter-trend. 

His attention to patience, life, solitude and observation align with a return ‘slow living’ — where the authentic emotional experience defines life.

He’s the anti-algorithm. The show runs through Jan. 18. Info.

Lakewood Park: The Solstice Steps were designed for sunset viewing. But the park is also fine for dog-walking, downtown views, volleyball, skating and a stroll.

Merwin's Wharf: Sprawling patio along the Cuyahoga amid a unique mix of industry, nature, bridges and greenery.

Wendy Park: Tucked-away outpost offers serene, less crowded vistas — and there are 100s of monarch butterflies fresh from Canada.

Shooters: The West Bank institution captures the joy of summer on the river.

Huntington Beach: More peaceful alternative to the crowded spots.  Bonus: Sandy shores and multiple piers.

Collision Bend: Located in the 19th-century building that once housed the storied Watermark. Timeless views of the Flats.

Edgewater Park: Check out the beach, pier, and dogs bathing in Lake Erie.

Euclid Beach Park: This historic spot carries layers of memory and wide lake views.

👉 View Listing on Zillow

It’s been a center of German cultural life since 1897 — where Saxons from Transylvania came to dance, sing and, yes, down steins of bier. 

More recently — as in, the last 50 years — Sachsenheim Hall on Cleveland’s West Side mixed Germans with bar hounds and diners of all walks for German-style Taco nights, paprikash and fish fries. 

Sadly, those days are coming to an end. 

After 129 years, Sachsenheim will close on Sunday. 

Rising utility costs paired with a roof in need of repair have created an untenable burden on the bar and hall. 

It will host a big polka blow-out on Wednesday, as part of its final week.

In memory of summer, it’s 1987 and the partyers are soaking in the sun at Shooter’s, 1987.

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65 °F 🌡️ 57 °F | ☁️ (Mostly Cloudy) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 19 mph ENE (≈ 17 knots)

63 °F 🌡️ 57 °F | ☁️ (Cloudy) | 50% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 17 mph ENE (≈ 15 knots)

61 °F 🌡️ 55 °F | 🌧️ (Showers) | 50% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 14 mph E (≈ 12 knots)

_{Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.}

Away vs. Red Sox, 6:45 PM September 22 (Tuesday)

Away vs. Red Sox, 7:10 PM September 23 (Wednesday)

Away vs. Red Sox, 6:45 PM September 24 (Thursday)

Away vs. Royals, 7:40 PM September 25 (Friday)

Away vs. Royals, 7:10 PM September 26 (Saturday)

Away vs. Royals, 3:10 PM September 27 (Sunday)

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