Daily Pulse

Cleveland Preservationist Dies

Ray Shepardson, 70, a preservationist who is credited with saving Cleveland’s  theaters as well as Sioux City’s  in Iowa, died April 14 in Wheaton, Ill. 

Photo: AP Photo / Cleveland Plain Dealer
photo reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Shepardson reportedly got involved in preservation while searching for a space to hold meetings as an employee of the Cleveland Board of Education.

He came across the shuttered theaters and the rest is history.

He also found success as a consultant on projects across the country, helping to restore and reuse movie palaces for live music and Broadway shows in cities including Los Angeles, Detroit, Dallas and Minneapolis, among others.

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