The Foellinger Theatre in Franke Park was constructed in 1949 as a gift to the community from Helene Foellinger in memory of her father, Oscar G. Foellinger, former publisher of the Fort Wayne News Sentinel. The Theatre was to provide a unique type of entertainment space - an informal, open-air community gathering and performing area, molded into a grassy hillside in the park. For many years, the Foellinger Theatre provided a large performance stage in Fort Wayne, while most of the central city movie houses (former Vaudeville theatres) fell victim to the growing acceptance of television.