Detroit's Theatre Architect C. Howard Crane

[56packman]

I would completely agree with Krawlspace re: the Royal Oak. It is probably the only true "Art Deco" [[to use the 1968-invented term) theatre in the area. The geometric flowers cast into the side "boxes", the stenciling, and the original light fixtures [[long gone) are absolutely from the 1925 Paris exhibit book.
There was a phase of neighborhood movie theatre building in 1936-'41, as Gistok mentioned. The Beverly, the Varsity, the Victory, the Royal, the Mercury, the Harper, The Norwest, The Nortown--these all could be described as "Art Moderne" , "Streamline Moderne" or "Depression Moderne". Most all of them are demolished now. It is important to remember that the depression ended the building blitz in large movie palaces, most of which were styled after some old European or Oriental convention, a "cheap American knock-off" if you will. About the time the very modern ideas from the 1925 Paris "L'Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes" trickled down to this country the build-boom was off. It is interesting that the movie business continued at such a pace that the above mentioned neighborhood houses were built as the depression eased.