I thought it would be fun to devote several posts to some of the Midwest’s grand old historic theatres you can still visit. This is the fourth of a five-part series (originally published on October 10, 2009).
Although I made brief mention of Kalamazoo’s own State in an earlier post, this series on grand old theatres would be oddly incomplete if we didn’t visit again, if only briefly. Here’s a little history from the State’s website:
“The State Theatre has been a fixture in downtown Kalamazoo since 1927. The original founder of the theatre was Colonel William Butterfield. John Eberson was the renowned architect who designed the theatre.
“In line with theatre design conventions of the era, the idea was to create a unique atmospheric effect. The early roots of the theatre were found in the Vaudevillian tradition of performance. Many acts that frequented the State Theatre included opera, dramas, big bands, ballet, dance reviews, stage shows and movies.”
Years do take their toll, though, and by the mid 1960s the State was ripe for renovation. As part of the 1964 facelift, the original signage, ravaged by decades of exposure, came down.
The new marquee went up over what was the original box office. Although purists might argue that the changes did too much to “modernize” the State’s appearance, the overhaul did give it a new lease on life.
That lease ran out in 1982, the same year Butterfield closed its doors. The shuttering of such a Kalamazoo icon acted as a catalyst for local movers and shakers, and before long they had mounted a “Save the State” campaign.
In 1985 the Hinman Company bought the theatre, completed additional renovation work and secured the survival of the downtown landmark. Today, the State hosts live concerts and other events. As has happened with so many of its sister theatres, the state has found new life by reinventing itself.
Architect John Eberson was probably the most prolific proponent of the quaint “atmospheric” theatre. During his career he designed 124 such movie houses.
Although many have closed and demolished, there are still original Eberson-designed movie palaces open or under active renovation in 42 cities at this writing. Eberson also designed atmospherics in other parts of the world, and a mere handful of these still survive.
Although the 42 surviving theatres represent 17 states, most of the old theatres still alive and well are in New York. It has a total of 12 open or under renovation. Texas has six.
A few other states have more than one representative, but most have just a single survivor. Here’s the tally for the Midwest: Nebraska (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (3), Kansas (1), Ohio (5), Michigan (1) and Missouri (1). If you’re interested in visiting, here are the actual cities:
There’s a wonderful website called Cinema Treasures that lists all of these theatres. You can see photos of many of them as well and get up-to-date information about their status. You can also search for theatres by architect. Check it out.
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