Michigan Theatre
South Haven, MI Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The Michigan Theatre gives downtown South Haven the kind of movie-house welcome that's worth stopping to admire. Its marquee reaches over the sidewalk on Center Street, inviting another generation inside for a show. Fortunately, this is still a place where you can buy a ticket instead of simply photographing an empty entrance. 12-08
The Michigan opened July 2, 1947, replacing the earlier Centre Theatre lost to fire. Built for the Butterfield circuit, it arrived during the postwar years when a trip downtown often included dinner, shopping, and whatever Hollywood had sent to the local screen. The nearby Model Theatre opened in 1938, which sometimes leads to confusion over the Michigan's age.
What began as a single auditorium eventually became a triplex, with two screening rooms downstairs and another in the former balcony. The arrangement gave moviegoers more choices while keeping the familiar downtown entrance in use. It's an interesting example of an older theater adapting without abandoning the neighborhood that supported it.
Michigan Theatre
South Haven, MI Photo courtesy Alan Culley
UPDATE: The Michigan continues showing current movies as South Haven's hometown cinema. For summer visitors, it's another attraction near the downtown shops; for local audiences, it's a familiar alternative when Lake Michigan weather doesn't cooperate. Fortunately, the marquee still advertises an evening's entertainment rather than simply marking where a theater used to be. 07-26
Penn Theatre
Plymouth, MI Photos courtesy Mark Comstock
The Penn Theatre looks right at home across from Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth. Its marquee and setting on Penniman Avenue create the kind of scene that makes you slow down, take a photograph, and consider staying for the show. This corner has welcomed generations of moviegoers. 12-08
Designed by Ted Rogvoy, the Penn opened December 4, 1941, with Week-End in Havana, starring John Payne and Carmen Miranda. The theater took its name from the street outside. A closure in 2004 threatened its future, but local investors purchased the property in 2006 and leased it to the nonprofit Friends of the Penn for a dollar a year.
Movies returned in September 2006, followed by years of improvements. Projects included roof repairs, updated building systems, and a replacement marquee installed in 2009 that retained the familiar appearance. By February 2025, Friends of the Penn reported more than 779,000 admissions since reopening and over $1 million invested in renovations from donated funds.
Penn Theatre
Plymouth, MI Photos courtesy Mark Comstock
UPDATE: Friends of the Penn purchased the building outright on December 30, 2021, securing a permanent home for its preservation work and film programs. The single-screen theater continues presenting recent releases, classics, and special screenings. Fortunately, Plymouth kept both a downtown landmark and a reason to gather beneath its marquee for another evening at the movies. 07-26
Grand Theatre
Frankfort, KY Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The Grand Theatre was getting a long-awaited second chance when this view was taken in downtown Frankfort. After decades without regular shows, restoration was bringing fresh attention to the old building on St. Clair Street. Fortunately, someone saw another opening night behind that quiet entrance. 12-08
Opened in 1911 as a 135-seat vaudeville house, the Grand expanded as entertainment shifted to silent pictures and talkies. It closed in 1966, beginning a lengthy intermission. Of five historic theaters that once operated downtown, it's the only one surviving with its theater arrangement intact.
UPDATE: The restored Grand reopened in 2009 as a 428-seat performing and visual arts venue. Concerts, movies, and Metropolitan Opera broadcasts now bring audiences downtown again. That's quite a change from its modest vaudeville beginnings and a welcome outcome for a theater that spent more than forty years waiting for its next show. 07-26
Damm Theatre
Osgood, IN Photo courtesy Alan Culley
Here's the Damm Theatre in Osgood—and there's nothing wrong with that name. Its marquee marks a movie house tucked into the Buckeye Street business block, where the storefront gives little hint of the auditorium inside. Restoration had been underway when this view was taken, but movies hadn't yet returned. 12-08
Opened in 1921 as the Columbia, it was purchased by Louis Damm and reopened under his name on February 22, 1922. Damm had already operated a smaller theater beside his bakery since 1914. During the silent-film years, the newer theater featured a Wurlitzer player organ, although it was repossessed during the Depression.
UPDATE: Movies returned following restoration on December 29, 2008. The Damm continues showing current films at 117 Buckeye Street, keeping a hometown cinema operating in this small Indiana community. Fortunately, the closed doors in this view marked an intermission rather than the end of the picture. 07-26
Apollo Theater
Oberlin, OH Photo courtesy Bob Cutlip
The Apollo Theatre gives downtown Oberlin a proper movie-house welcome. Its triangular marquee reaches over East College Street, while the dark glass storefront supplies a familiar mid-century look. It's worth checking what's playing, even if you only stopped for a photograph. 12-08
Dating to 1913, the Apollo was purchased by Jerry Steel in 1928. His family operated it until an Oberlin College subsidiary bought the property in 2009. The familiar exterior largely reflects a 1950s remodeling.
A major restoration brought the theater back in September 2012, preserving its character while updating the facilities. The project also added space for the college's cinema program, letting students work on productions upstairs while audiences enjoy films below.
Apollo Theater
Oberlin, OH Photo courtesy Bob Cutlip
UPDATE: The Apollo is shutting down sometime in July 2009 for renovations. The Oberlin College is overseeing the work to ensure that the work will go well. Much of the interior of the theatre is original and the marquee is a great sight to see at night. The Apollo Theater originally opened in 1913 and the Oberlin College took over ownership after the single-screener had been family owned for 85 years. More information can be found at The Morning Journal. Many thanks to Bob Cutlip for info. 07-09
UPDATE: The Apollo continues showing movies under Cleveland Cinemas management while supporting Oberlin's Cinema and Media program. Fortunately, the college's involvement kept this downtown landmark working as a theater, with its distinctive marquee still inviting another audience inside. 07-26
Michigan Theatre
Michigan Theatre
Penn Theatre
Penn Theatre
Grand Theatre
Damm Theatre
Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
