AC/no AC

[Gistok]

Until air conditioning started becoming common in the 50s and 60s, lots of Detroiters spent sweltering summer nights camped out on Belle Isle.

But the favorite place for many to get away from the heat was by going to your downtown movie palaces. They were among the first buildings that were air conditioned. Prior to 1927 most movie palaces closed for the summer due the heat. Some theatres survived during the summer by having rooftop theatres, where better air circulation helped keep patrons cool.

1927 was the year that air conditioning started to become more common, and it became a useful marketing tool for selling theatre tickets. Many of the theatre advertisments mentioned "Air Conditioning" with icicle artwork around the words.

But because many of the downtown theatres had shows running nearly around the clock, some patrons camped out there for many hours to escape the summer heat.

By the 1930s neighborhood theatres also had air conditioning... although their theatre hours often weren't as extensive as the downtown theatres.