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Our background and
philosophy.
The
Latonia opened in 1929 as a 1500 seat theatre with two
balconies. It was designed for both live theatrical
performance and movies. The original Wurlitzer organ was
restored by the Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry on
Seneca street in Oil City. A wonderful display there includes
the original theatre peacocks and a reproduction of the mural that
once hung above the stage. We are honored that this first
class museum features the Latonia! Please visit them. http://www.venangomuseum.org/
The Latonia was a furniture
store for several decades, then housed many businesses, several of
which remain at the building; The Latonia Barbershop, Butler's
Candy and First National Savings.
In April 2007, Latonia
Enterprises, LLC bought the building with a mission to
re-purpose and preserve this wonderful landmark of the Oil
Region. The second floor, now the Grand Ballroom, had not been
utilized for many years.
Latonia Enterprises, LLC is
owned by Roxanne Hitchcock and Linda Henderson. Roxanne has
long roots in Oil City, living in the home her great-grandparents
built in 1894. She is a nationally known oil historian,
owner/operator of Oil Region Books for many years, has participated
in many area preservation efforts and represented this area at
Congressional hearings to successfully designate this area as the
Oil Heritage Region. Rox is the driving force behind
preservation efforts at the Latonia and continues to deal in rare
books and collectibles, by appointment, at the Latonia.
Linda Henderson, a Franklin
native, has 30 years experience in media services and
marketing. She began her career in Armed Forces Radio and
Television serving in the Air Force in Greenland, Spain and at the
Survival School Headquarters in Spokane, WA. She earned a BA
in Communications from Slippery Rock University and moved to
Franklin County, PA where she worked as a freelance videographer and
marketed volunteerism for the county. Returning to NW PA, she
taught video and multimedia at the Kerr Skills Center in Titusville
and earned her Vocational Education Level I Certification from
Indiana University of PA. She is currently the video producer
at Joy Mining Machinery in Franklin. (A great place to work -
by the way!)
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