Detroit's Theatre Architect C. Howard Crane

[p69rrh51]

Gistok I wanted to mark the date without having to post in Non-Detroit. Without the Lumiere brothers we possibly do not have the need for Movie Palaces and possibly no need for Crane.

[Gistok]

Gistok I wanted to mark the date without having to post in Non-Detroit. Without the Lumiere brothers we possibly do not have the need for Movie Palaces and possibly no need for Crane.

Thanks p69... what threw me for a loop was the non-working links as part of each title. Were they just there as a title disguised as a link?

[p69rrh51]

Its been awhile but I found these images of the United Artists Theatre in Los Angles. Gistok I thought you would like them plus look in the Detroit Bowling Alleys Thread you might get a chuckle out of it.

[Honky Tonk]

Its been awhile but I found these images of the United Artists Theatre in Los Angles. Gistok I thought you would like them plus look in the Detroit Bowling Alleys Thread you might get a chuckle out of it.

Absolutely Magnificent. The detail is unbelievable.

[gnome]

Too much wedding cake and my teeth hurt. Too much Howard Crane and my teeth fall out.

I know he is loved and admired by most folk, but his stuff is so dripping in excess I find it off putting.

[Gistok]

Too much wedding cake and my teeth hurt. Too much Howard Crane and my teeth fall out.

I know he is loved and admired by most folk, but his stuff is so dripping in excess I find it off putting.

Well Gnome... sometimes all of the Movie Palace architects let their more garish impulses loose... and Rapp & Rapp, John Eberson, and Thomas Lamb as well as C. Howard Crane are guilty of that.

Although Crane's LA United Artists is a little too much "Stalagtite Cave Gothic" in appearance... his Detroit United Artists is much more architecturally pleasing to look at, with crisper less busy finishes.

Now granted you might get a full blown tooth ache with the Detroit Fox... but I like one young lady visitors comments about the Siamese-Byzantine style lobby and auditorium... she mentioned "bringing along your cigarettes... because the grand lobby is like foreplay... and the auditorium will definitely bring on an architecturally induced orgasm... and you'll need that smoke afterwards"....

[56packman]

It was a different time, Theatres were selling fantasy to other lands to the common man. They were selling the embodiment of what the movies represented [[escape) in their buildings. The public auditoriums and movie theaters that were built after WWII had cinderblock walls and plain ceilings, and were usually acoustical deathtraps.

A lot of people who grew up with the postwar style find the 20's fantasy styles "too much" , others, like myself like it. It represents a window of time in American history, and these theaters have great acoustics and are built in a robust manner unknown after the war.

[Gistok]

Well ya learn something new every day..

The Detroit Opera House, formerly the 1922 C. Howard Crane built 3,384 seat Capitol Theatre, just gave up another of its' secrets. Crane often visited Europe to get his inspirations for his early tamer American movie palaces. So his classical designs were never in doubt. It appears that the inspiration for his Capitol design was directly from Rome.

Overlooking the Eternal City on a hillside is the Villa Madama, an Italian Renaissance palazzo that today is used by the Italian government to have conferences for foreign dignitaries. It is not now open to the public.

Interestingly enough, the Villa Madama is famous as the artist Raphael's largest architectural commission. It was built starting in 1518, and since Raphael died young in 1520, and the patron Cardinal who commissioned it died in 1523, it was never finished.

However its' triple arched windowed loggia was the masterpiece of the palazzo. In the early 20th century Crane most certainly visited here, because the loggia was the inspiration for the auditorium of the Capitol Theatre, mostly the procenium arch and sounding board.

Here is a closeup image of the Raphael inspired Detroit Opera House vaults, and the Villa Madama loggia....

[renf]

Thanks for posting. It is marvelous to learn about how the Detroit Opera House is linked to Villa Modama in Rome.

[A2Mike]

Well ya learn something new every day..

The Detroit Opera House, formerly the 1922 C. Howard Crane built 3,384 seat Capitol Theatre, just gave up another of its' secrets. Crane often visited Europe to get his inspirations for his early tamer American movie palaces. So his classical designs were never in doubt. It appears that the inspiration for his Capitol design was directly from Rome.

Overlooking the Eternal City on a hillside is the Villa Madama, an Italian Renaissance palazzo that today is used by the Italian government to have conferences for foreign dignitaries. It is not now open to the public.

Interestingly enough, the Villa Madama is famous as the artist Raphael's largest architectural commission. It was built starting in 1518, and since Raphael died young in 1520, and the patron Cardinal who commissioned it died in 1523, it was never finished.

However its' triple arched windowed loggia was the masterpiece of the palazzo. In the early 20th century Crane most certainly visited here, because the loggia was the inspiration for the auditorium of the Capitol Theatre, mostly the procenium arch and sounding board.

Here is a closeup image of the Raphael inspired Detroit Opera House vaults, and the Villa Madama loggia....

One can see how the polygonal panels in Raphael's vaulting and dome may have inspired the quotations in Crane's Capitol Theater vaulting. Architects of his era routinely visited Europe and returned to add fresh variations to the classical idioms they observed.
Crane's notable rivals, the Rapp brothers, must have made similar, productive explorations of France's architectural treasures. Here are pictures of the chapel at Versailles and the lobby of the NY Paramount Theater. Detroit's only Rapp and Rapp palace, the Michigan, is sorely missed.

[Gistok]

Yes... Rapp & Rapp spread the glory of Royal France across the USA from Seattle to New England. Their style became known as "Rapp & Rapp Versailles".

Although the NYC Paramount was their richest lobby [[material wise), their closest to the original was the Chicago Tivoli Theatre [[razed) on Chicago's troubled south side.

And the NYC Paramount, located in the "Wedding Cake" Paramount office building on Times Square, suffered a fate worse than the Michigan Theatre. The theatre was totally gutted... completely removed from the office tower and replaced by offices back in 1963.

But the Chapel Royale style for lobbies was common among Rapp & Rapp theatres.

[Gistok]

Rapp & Rapp had many similarities that made their theatres easy enough to identify as their product. However, there was no such thing as a "C. Howard Crane style". A large collection of other theatre architects theatres in one location might make for a monotonous group.

But C. Howard Crane's dominance of downtown Detroit theatres made for quite a varied group. Most visitors are astonished to learn that Crane designed the Fox, State [[Fillmore), Capitol [[DOH), Orchestra Hall and United Artists... a quite dissimilar assortment of venues... with no two being even remotely similar.

[Gistok]

One of the craziest theatre renovations took place in Brooklyn NY. The 4000 seat Brooklyn Paramount [[a Rapp & Rapp design) and attached office building, was purchased by Long Island University in 1951. It had one of the most absurd ransformations on record, although the former theatre space is well maintained.

The university converted the auditorium into a basketball court for university games, and converted the lobby into a cafeteria. There was some loss of ornate plasterwork, but nothing that cannot be reversed in the future, should a return to a performing arts space become necessary. It's just such a jarring place for a basketball game!!

[A2Mike]

Rapp & Rapp had many similarities that made their theatres easy enough to identify as their product. However, there was no such thing as a "C. Howard Crane style". A large collection of other theatre architects theatres in one location might make for a monotonous group.

But C. Howard Crane's dominance of downtown Detroit theatres made for quite a varied group. Most visitors are astonished to learn that Crane designed the Fox, State [[Fillmore), Capitol [[DOH), Orchestra Hall and United Artists... a quite dissimilar assortment of venues... with no two being even remotely similar.

Crane's Detroit theaters all really did have personalities of their own, both architecturally and in their programming. I always associate the United Artists with the big "road show" films it specialized in, while the DOH [[Capitol) evokes the sci-fi and adventure films of the 50's and 60's. The Madison also had many big event films like "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Sound of Music", and the Adams and Palms clicked with major drama films like "Elmer Gantry" and "North by Northwest". The Fox must surely have been built in anticipation of Cinemascope - no wide-screen film looked better anywhere than at the Fox. I remember our teen-age trips downtown on Saturdays starting at Hudson's and progressing up Woodward to Grinnell's and the Fox, with a stop before or after at the pizza place across the street. On a frigid Detroit day walking into the Fox was like entering an exotic world far removed from the ice and snow, while going to the Michigan on a muggy August afternoon rewarded one with refreshing crystal, marble and bronze, all making a coolly classical contrast to the wilting world outside.

[Gistok]

10 Steps For Restoring Historic Theatres....

http://blog.preservationnation.org/2.../#.UuG8ktIo7Mp

[56packman]

10 Steps For Restoring Historic Theatres....

http://blog.preservationnation.org/2.../#.UuG8ktIo7Mp

Interesting article. We broke most of those rules in saving and restoring the Redford theatre, doing it our own way, one paycheck at a time. Many of their recommendations are going to saddle the operation with a fat front office, and spend a lot of money with consultants, who will be only too happy to help you spend that cash. Some places may be that clueless and need those consultants, and in those instances that money will be well spent.

[A2Mike]

For all of Detroit's rich movie theater heritage, as well as Crane's own talents, what is conspicuously missing is a significant Art Deco theater, ironic in view of how well represented here the Art Deco style is in other building types. Even the iconic Fisher Building's theater was an exotic Mayan design. There were, and still remain, some of the more modest "streamlined moderne" designs, especially in the later theaters, but no all-out Art Deco palaces like the Hollywood Pantages or the Oakland Paramount in the state that I know of. Even Erie, PA, has the fine Warner Theater. Does anyone know of a major Art Deco theater in Michigan?

[DetroitPlanner]

I do recall seeing one in the center of Midland about 20 years ago. It got torn down for a drugstore with a drive thru.
http://waterwinterwonderland.com/mov...30&LocTypeID=5

[Gistok]

Ironically Art Deco was never very popular for major movie palaces. Now granted neighborhoods across American are well represented with Moderne theatres, but those are almost always tame low budget middling theatres.

Art Deco as a movie palace type was rather late in getting started, and unlike skyscrapers, which had been produced in ever greater numbers since the 1925 Paris Exhibition... very few of the 1920s theatres were produced in that style.

This is also partly due to the very successful advent of the exotic "Temple style" theatres in the late 1920s, such as the Detroit Fox and old Fisher Theatres. By the time the Temple style had run its' course, the Great Depression was on... and all building styles had to cut corners.

So Art Deco in its' richer flavors, such as Radio City Music Hall, the Oakland Paramount, the LA Wiltern and the Aurora [[IL) Paramount were the exception rather than the rule.

But there are a lot of tamer streamlined theatres out there. Unfortunately most of those in Detroit, neighborhood theatres, have been destroyed. One low budget exception is the former Harper Theatre [[now HARPO'S) on Harper Ave. at Chalmers on the east side.

[A2Mike]

Ironically Art Deco was never very popular for major movie palaces. Now granted neighborhoods across American are well represented with Moderne theatres, but those are almost always tame low budget middling theatres.

Art Deco as a movie palace type was rather late in getting started, and unlike skyscrapers, which had been produced in ever greater numbers since the 1925 Paris Exhibition... very few of the 1920s theatres were produced in that style.

This is also partly due to the very successful advent of the exotic "Temple style" theatres in the late 1920s, such as the Detroit Fox and old Fisher Theatres. By the time the Temple style had run its' course, the Great Depression was on... and all building styles had to cut corners.

So Art Deco in its' richer flavors, such as Radio City Music Hall, the Oakland Paramount, the LA Wiltern and the Aurora [[IL) Paramount were the exception rather than the rule.

But there are a lot of tamer streamlined theatres out there. Unfortunately most of those in Detroit, neighborhood theatres, have been destroyed. One low budget exception is the former Harper Theatre [[now HARPO'S) on Harper Ave. at Chalmers on the east side.

That's a good explanation. Still, I'd be awestruck to walk into the Fisher Building, enter the theater, and find a twin to the Hollywood Pantages!

[Krawlspace]

For all of Detroit's rich movie theater heritage, as well as Crane's own talents, what is conspicuously missing is a significant Art Deco theater, ironic in view of how well represented here the Art Deco style is in other building types. Even the iconic Fisher Building's theater was an exotic Mayan design. There were, and still remain, some of the more modest "streamlined moderne" designs, especially in the later theaters, but no all-out Art Deco palaces like the Hollywood Pantages or the Oakland Paramount in the state that I know of. Even Erie, PA, has the fine Warner Theater. Does anyone know of a major Art Deco theater in Michigan?

Rapp & Rapp's 1928 Royal Oak Theater for the Kunsky circuit is probably a contender for this description. It's one of the pre-depression Deco designs that are indeed the exception rather than the rule. The lobby had the original Deco stenciling restored in the 1990's. The stencils were prepared for the auditorium at the same time but funding was not available to do the painting at the time. Sadly in the waning days of the night club era there these were lost or destroyed. If you held a flashlight just right in the balcony you could still make out the sun ray design on the underside of the cove which was painted a lovely shade of pink during the Miami Vice craze. Recently the pink was covered with a room matching bronze color. The original organ lofts were faced with a rosette plaster lattice, pieces of which I was fortunate enough to be able to rescue during my tenure there.

Interestingly I also just recently found out that Crane designed John Kunsky's home from a rotogravure section of an architectural digest. It's probably common knowledge but I had been unaware until recently.

[Gistok]

Yes... John Kusky's home on Wellesley in Palmer Woods was designed by C. Howard Crane, who also designed the exotic Lawrence Fisher [[Hare Krishna) mansion on the east riverfront.

One of the nicest of all drive-in theatres in the country is the Ford-Wyoming Drive-in [[now known as the Ford Drive-in). Although it only dates to 1950, the late streamlined Art Deco look of the original screen enclosure is a very satisfying example of that genre

[downtownguy]

Ironically Art Deco was never very popular for major movie palaces. Now granted neighborhoods across American are well represented with Moderne theatres, but those are almost always tame low budget middling theatres.

The Telenews Theatre on Woodward [[now Bleu) albeit on a small scale shows some Art Moderne chops.

[Gistok]

Yes the Telenews opened in 1942 in a nice Moderne style. Unfortunately it got a badly performed cleaning of the facade in the 1990s, which damaged the terra cotta.

The glass flat globe above the entrance is long gone... sadly...

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2372

[downtownguy]

Yes the Telenews opened in 1942 in a nice Moderne style. Unfortunately it got a badly performed cleaning of the facade in the 1990s, which damaged the terra cotta.

The cleaning happened pre-1987. It appeared to be sandblasted which ruined the glaze on the terra-cotta. Sometime after 1979 and before 1982, it was painted a bright blue. I'm guessing the "cleaning" occurred sometime during those years in preparation for the blue paint job. In about 2000, along came Bleu with the silver paint job. Bleh!