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Feb 2, 2011 · But today, here is a nice visual break from the blog's recent emphasis on letters and reading and writing - a tribute to the downtown Chicago movie theaters of my youth. The McVickers is where I saw The Jerry Gross Organization's presentation of "I Spit On Your Grave" during its downbeat grindhouse days.
- Working at The Theater
- Three of A Kind
- Porn, Bargain Hunting and Falling Bricks
- A Brush with Death
- Changing Hands, Unchanging Condition
Crane designed the theater and adjoining office building in the Spanish Gothic and Art Deco styles in 1927, though the office building opened Jan. 28, 1928, and the theater followed a few days later. The 18-story, 200,000-square-foot office tower was built in case the theater became unprofitable and originally housed furriers, tailors, beauty salon...
That theater was the building's main attraction. The UA was the baby of Detroit's movie palaces, as it was the smallest of the giants. The UA was built exclusively for films -- a rarity at the time -- and showed mostly United Artists films. The movie studio was founded in 1919 by actors Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and director...
By 1969, as the city bled residents and businesses following the racial unrest of 1967, the United Artists' business had dropped dramatically. A roadshow production of “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” opened Nov. 9, 1969, for a long holiday run but closed early because of poor attendance. Without the money or top first-run movies, the writing was on the wall. ...
The UA hit the auction block in New York on Sept. 22, 1989, fetching a mere $460,000; it was expected to go for up to $1 million. The winning bidder was New York investor David Grossman bought the United Artists complex with the intent of restoring it and developing the office tower into lofts. He began restoring the lobby and turned the old Nation...
Today, the theater still stands, and Ilitch's companies have not made public any plans to redevelop the property. Perhaps because he planned to have the building meet the wrecking ball, the UA was left to sit and rot, demolished by neglect and at times left wide open to trespass. The interior has been stripped of most of its decor and has been expo...
Oct 21, 2019 · Today, the United Artists Theatre in downtown Detroit is vacant, crumbling, its future uncertain, but on opening night in 1928, it was packed with “lots of high hats, plenty of low gowns...
Feb 6, 2014 · Designed by noted theater architect C. Howard Crane and commissioned by United Artists, the film industry powerhouse founded by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and DW...
In the 1920's the actors Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin as well as director D.W. Griffith founded the United Artists nationwide chain of theaters. They decided to put their 17th theater in Detroit and hired the renowned theater architect C. Howard Crane to design it.
Dec 6, 2015 · Downtown Detroit between Campus Martius and Randolph was home to 11 theaters in the 1910s, and many more in the 1920s as movie palaces sprouted.
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Jul 16, 2024 · 1. Music Box Theatre. Movie theaters. Independent. Wrigleyville. Photograph: Max Herman. For movie lovers who aren’t out to see the latest Hollywood blockbusters, there's no better theater...
