Gorgeous Old Movie Theaters That Have Fallen Into disrepair.

**Whitehouse** · July-02-13, 06:03 PM

Link.

It's not difficult to guess which Detroit theaters feature in that link. The theaters shown are worldwide. Detroit is represented by the Michigan, the UA and Eastown. Great photos, but no new pics that I know of.

**Gistok** · July-02-13, 06:37 PM

Sad and depressing it is Whitehouse... the Loew's Kings Theatre in Brooklyn New York is indeed being restored... but at the whopping cost of $70 million. Barbra Streisand was once an usher at that theatre. It would likely cost $100 million to do any restoration of the Michigan, a staggering sum that will likely seal its' fate forever, even though 1/2 of the theatre [[much of the circulation space) still exists. The Detroit United Artists, for all of its' decrepit look... has been [[finally) mothballed from further damage with a new roof and a cleanout of the debris. The only saving grace to a possible restoration for it is the fact that it is rather small [[when it closed it was down to 1,488 seats), compared to other Detroit theatres... it was known as "the Jewel Box" in its' heyday.

**EastsideAl** · July-02-13, 07:53 PM

Detroit has done better than some cities though, including Manhattan, with the salvation of one of the greatest movie palaces in the U.S., the Fox, along with the State/Palms, the Capitol/Grand Circus [[Opera House), the Music Hall [[Wilson), and the cute little Gem. Not to mention Orchestra Hall [[which once showed movies as the Paradise), as well as the stellar work that the folks out at the Redford have done.

There have been some serious losses along the way, particularly the shameful gutting of the once-beautiful Michigan, but one of the things about a city with very little development pressure like Detroit is that older buildings are often left sitting around until someone finds a new use for them and renovates them.

Hopefully we can get the United Artists and the National, with its incredible exterior, repurposed and renovated sometime in the near future. This would actually leave Detroit with perhaps the greatest collection of old movie theaters in the country.

**Hypestyles** · July-02-13, 08:57 PM

if money wasn't an issue, what could be done with the Michigan? does Mike Ilitch own the UA? is that planned to be part of the redevelopments along with the new stadium?

**downtownguy** · July-02-13, 10:21 PM

I'm afraid the Michigan is probably beyond any chance of a comeback, even with an unlimited budget. And, yes, sadly Ilitch does own the UA. You can hope for it's revival, along with the recently re-publicized revival of the Detroit Life Building --- 25 years after Ilitch bought it.

**56packman** · July-03-13, 09:11 AM

THe Redford is set to re-open on July 12 with a weekend showing of "Mary Poppins" after a three month shut down to replace all of the balcony seats and replace all of the carpet in the theatre. This is all done with earned income from shows and rentals and donations. We are still seeking funds to offset the costs of these renovations, as well as the replacement of the 85 year old fire escapes. Donations can be made at: http://www.redfordtheatre.com/donate/

See our schedule and other information at http://www.redfordtheatre.com/

Come see the theatre looking as fresh and new [[circa 1928) as it has been since 1928.

**Gistok** · July-03-13, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by downtownguy

I'm afraid the Michigan is probably beyond any chance of a comeback, even with an unlimited budget. And, yes, sadly Ilitch does own the UA. You can hope for it's revival, along with the recently re-publicized revival of the Detroit Life Building --- 25 years after Ilitch bought it.

Not necessarily... the architects of the Michigan... C. W. & George L. Rapp [[known as Rapp & Rapp) had the French Renaissance style of architecture as their preferred movie palace treatment [[on over 100 theatres nationwide). The ornate plasterwork found in the Michigan Theatre was also used in different configurations in the Palace Theatre in Chicago, the Seattle and Portland Paramount Theatres, the Rialto Theatre in Joliet IL, the Ocean State Theatre in Providence RI, Powell Hall in St. Louis, and a dozen other theatres around the country. Plaster molds taken from those theatres could be made to restore the auditorium, foyer and lobby spaces whose plasterwork was destroyed. The big factor of course... is money... and the need to rebuild the grand staircase, the mezzanine and balcony seating levels... as well as their foyers [[although the mezzanine rotunda foyer and 2nd and 3rd balcony foyers are fully intact). The theatre offices, several lounge and the balcony staircases are also still intact... although without their railings. Also the basement lounges and the projection booth [[8 stories up) are still intact.

**Gistok** · July-03-13, 03:08 PM

Oh... I almost forgot... the biggest issue with any potential restoration of the former Michigan Theatre... is NEED... Would there be a need for a 3rd 4,000+ seat concert venue in Detroit?? I highly doubt so. The one thought I always had about a potential restoration of the Michigan... was that Detroit now no longer has a "Ford Center For The Performing Arts"... with NYC, Toronto, Vancouver and Chicago [[who's 3,000 seat former Oriental Theatre is now the flagship of the "Ford Center" performance spaces) all having Ford Centers. I always thought that the Michigan [[at 4,050 seats) would make for a spectacular flagship for the "Ford Center's", especially since it sits on "the Holiest of Holies" of Ford fame... where Henry Ford built his first car back in the mid 1890s. And I could picture an new entrance building [[with large foyer) facing the 100 ft. of empty parking lot along the Grand River side of the Michigan Building... with some display space by Ford about the history of the site... along with a performance venue for nearyby MGM Grand Detroit to use [[rather than the lame flat floored convention space that they embarrassingly call "performance space")... and I could see the Ford Foundation being a major contributor to such a spectacular rebirth... but then again... I'm still waiting for pigs to fly...

**p69rrh51** · July-04-13, 01:47 AM

I found these Bennett & Straight designed theatres in a 1941 issue of Michigan Architect and Engineer.

**p69rrh51** · July-05-13, 02:58 PM

A Charles Agree design.

**p69rrh51** · July-05-13, 03:00 PM

Another Agree design.

**p69rrh51** · July-05-13, 03:02 PM

One last Agree design. All the images are from a 1941 issue of Michigan Architect and Engineer.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · July-05-13, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Hopefully we can get the United Artists and the National, with its incredible exterior, repurposed and renovated sometime in the near future. This would actually leave Detroit with perhaps the greatest collection of old movie theaters in the country.

I have thought for ages about what I would do with the UA if I owned it. I would turn it into a performance space & bar focusing on jazz, blues & soul, and I would name it the Aretha Franklin Theater. I would book "name" acts with on the weekends, and charge for full concert prices for the seats. I'd let local performers play during the week with general admission, revenue split between the house and the act. Just a little dream. During the day, maybe it could show movies...

**old guy** · July-06-13, 02:27 AM

Great pictures p69.

**davewindsor** · July-06-13, 07:13 AM

I don't see much future for those old theaters. They've been in decline across North America. Below is the Walkerville Theater across the river--designed by C Howard Crane, who also designed the Fox, that wasn't in that link. It's for sale for a few hundred K and also been vacant for the past few years too.

from http://www.internationalmetropolis.c...-theatre-1920/

**subsidized** · July-06-13, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

I don't see much future for those old theaters. They've been in decline across North America. Below is the Walkerville Theater across the river--designed by C Howard Crane, who also designed the Fox, that wasn't in that link. It's for sale for a few hundred K and also been vacant for the past few years too.

from http://www.internationalmetropolis.c...-theatre-1920/

This theater was a cesspool, rivers of piss in the isle I tell ya. I think it should be torn down.

**davewindsor** · July-06-13, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by subsidized

This theater was a cesspool, rivers of piss in the isle I tell ya. I think it should be torn down.

The plaster and stage is there, but the chairs were taken out on the main floor years ago. The last use was as a gay bar. How did you know it was a cesspool? Are you saying that gays are pigs that turned it into a cesspool by peeing rivers in the isle?? Are you a homophobe making stuff up about a group of people or did you visit it regularly when it was a gay bar and are reflecting from personal experience?

**motz** · July-09-13, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

The plaster and stage is there, but the chairs were taken out on the main floor years ago. The last use was as a gay bar. How did you know it was a cesspool? Are you saying that gays are pigs that turned it into a cesspool by peeing rivers in the isle?? Are you a homophobe making stuff up about a group of people or did you visit it regularly when it was a gay bar and are reflecting from personal experience?

He could've possibly gone before it was a gay bar and the place was just a dump. Or maybe he was actually a Midtown theatre, given the rivers of piss and how terrible of a cesspool it supposedly is.