A Second Act

With its striking Venetian-Gothic architecture modeled after a 15th-century Italian palace, the historic Burt’s Theater building has stood as a centerpiece of downtown Toledo for over a century.

Yet, for more than a decade, the landmark at 725 Jefferson Avenue sat vacant, its ornate facade masking severe structural decay. Today, thanks to the efforts of Gary and Joe Marck, the building has just finished a stunning multi-million-dollar transformation into modern apartments and bustling commercial space.

Built in 1898 as a vaudeville playhouse, the venue evolved through many lives, including a stint as the Peppermint Lounge before becoming The Country Palace in the 1960s and 70s. It was during this country-western era that the building secured an indelible spot in American pop culture history.

As local legend goes, a traveling songwriter was waiting for a bus at the Greyhound station across the street when he wandered into the bar for a drink. While sitting inside the venue, he overheard a heart-wrenching conversation from a distraught farmer whose wife had walked out on him. That exact exchange inspired the lyrics to Kenny Rogers’ massive 1977 hit, "Lucille," which famously opens with the line: "In a bar in Toledo across from the depot…"

The building's connection to Rogers didn't stop there. During a later tour stop at the nearby Masonic Temple, the bar's owner invited the country star down to place his feet in fresh concrete out front, mimicking Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Unfortunately, the concrete had cured too quickly, and Rogers’ boots became hopelessly trapped. Rather than miss his curtain call, the superstar had to abandon his footwear, rushing to a local clothing shop to buy a replacement pair just to take the stage.

By 2010, however, the music had stopped. Operating as Caesar’s Showbar, the building was closed after the death of the owner, Joe Wicks. Recognizing its immense historical value, the Land Bank stepped in to acquire the tax-delinquent property, actively seeking an adaptive reuse partner who could rescue the shell before it faced the wrecking ball.

Enter IBC Corporation, a Toledo-based property firm owned by the Marck family.

"We started as an industrial warehousing company, converting the former DeVilbiss building into the I-75 Business Center, which is where our name came from," said Gary Marck. "But 14 years ago, when Joe joined the company, he came with a passion and vision for downtown, and starting acquiring buildings like this one for redevelopment."

IBC purchased Burt's Theater from the Land Bank in 2013, taking on a massive stabilization project. "The building was collapsing when we acquired it," the team recalled. "We fixed the immediate structural issues to preserve it, then put a game plan together."

The path to completion required immense patience. IBC spent years mothballing the property while honing their skills on smaller downtown projects, eventually leveraging highly competitive Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to offset skyrocketing post-pandemic construction costs.

"For the majority of the time we owned this building, there wasn't a lot of development happening nearby. But recent investments gave us even more confidence to finish the job," said Joe Marck.

Now, the wait is over. The meticulous renovation has successfully preserved the building’s iconic historic charm while creating 15 pristine upper-floor residential apartments, six of which are already occupied.

Thanks to the intervention of the Land Bank and the commitment of the Marcks, decades after its legendary country music heyday, Burt’s Theater is ready for its second act.