The U.P.'s Theaters, Part One

I don't want to overrun this blog with imagery of Michigan's beautiful movie theaters, but I do feel that they are an important aspect of our state's architecture. Often overlooked are the theaters in the Upper Peninsula. Though they are much smaller and less ornate than the theaters in our state's south, those found here are quite beautiful.

The very historic Calumet Theatre was built in 1885 and is one of the oldest theaters in Michigan. Its architect was C. K. Shand. Constructed far before the invention of moving pictures, its original purpose was to show live productions. Its architecture has a classical flavor to it, showcasing Romanesque arches, a pediment, and even a clocktower.

Escanaba's former Delft Theatre is now being used as a dance club. Its architecture has a very ornate Dutch influence, with ornamented stepped gables and a steeply pitched roof.

Escanaba's other theater is the Michigan. Its simple façade showcases the skyscraper-styled Art Deco motif. Though until very recently the building served as a church, it is now being renovated and restored, to return to functioning as its proper purpose: a theater! Such happy endings aren't very common these days, so it's good to know that this theater will once again be showing movies.

The Crystal Theatre in downtown Crystal Falls is truly a gem. Built in 1927, it is a tiny and unassuming building, but the inside is surprisingly ornate. It was recently restored by the owners to its original Art Deco styling. It has one screen and even has its own, original organ.

The Vista Theatre in Negaunee is an unexpected sight in such a tiny town. It was opened in 1926 and today shows the odd live show every once in a while, its most notable production being the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Krappy Architecture

Well, the Ann Arbor Area Krappy Kamera Club is currently having a show at Gallery 4 in Ann Arbor's beautiful Nickels Arcade. To keep with the spirit of toy camera photography, I'll feature several architecturally-themed cheap shots, courtesy of the Holga and Diana.



Ann Arbor's doomed Anberay Apartments. I was lucky to catch this complex earlier this month -- I don't know how much longer they'll be lasting. A high-rise condominium will be replacing the apartments in the near future. In related news, demolition has begun on the Frieze Building.



The side entrance to the Marquette County Courthouse. This is the entrance in which you see the characters enter and exit the building in the film Anatomy of a Murder. This small portico, with its graceful ionic columns, carved from red sandstone, is quite different than the front entrance of the courthouse, which is guarded by gargantuan granite doric columns.



The Old Marquette City Hall -- still one of my favorite buildings in Marquette. It's amazing how the well the detailed carving in the sandstone came out, even though the photograph was taken through the plastic lens of a Holga.



A small architectural detail on what I think was a bank, in Kalamazoo.



How could I exclude Northern Michigan University's iconic Superior Dome (more commonly referred to as simply "The Dome")? This structure holds the title as the largest wooden dome in the world, just narrowly beating out a similar building in Japan.

A benefit of using toy cameras to photograph familiar architecture is that everything is seen through an entirely different lens. When I think of how many shots I've taken of the Old City Hall, the courthouse, and the Dome with the run-of-the-mill camera, I think I prefer the non-conventional ones taken with the toy cameras.

The Human Form

First Methodist Church, Ann Arbor. The structure dates from the 1930s; this image of Christ is angular in form and is representative of the art deco style.



The figure of a goddess, in Kalamazoo. Represented in an Americanized classical form, she holds an hourglass and a scroll, and stands atop a book press.



Parducci relief, Lansing.



The caricature of Erastus Otis Haven, an early president of the University of Michigan. U of M Law Quad, Ann Arbor.



The Artisic Muse, as seen on the University of Michigan's Angell Hall in Ann Arbor. Note the Venus De Milo in the upper lefthand corner.



Montgomery Ward's Spirit of Progress, as seen on a former store in Three Rivers.

Windows and Such

Masonic Hall, Homer



Second Empire-styled buildings in downtown Three Rivers



Simple case moldings, 1877, Three Rivers



Fancy case molding, Kalamazoo



Bud's Restaurant, 1873, Mendon

I apologize for the extended hiatus; life and college and such have been complicated for me for the past few months. Updates will probably be slow until I am out of school for the semester, but when spring comes, believe me, I will be out photographing everywhere.

Different Fates

Didn't explore the Law Quad this time, but there have been some recent developments in the way of Ann Arbor's threatened historic buildings.





Ann Arbor's old St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, long threatened to be torn down and developed for other uses, has been saved.





Meanwhile, the Frieze Building still sits, sadly awaiting its demise. It is scheduled to be torn down this summer to make way for new University of Michigan dormitories. The design, however, incorporates a part of the Frieze Building's façade and the result is actually quite appealing.

Tonight I have read that the historic 1920s-era Anberay Apartments, located on East University, have been bought by a developer from Chicago. The company would demolish the once-protected apartment buildings to make way for a ten-story, $20 million apartment building. If this project is passed by the city, Ann Arbor will lose one of the last things that makes it truly unique.

The Law Quad

The University of Michigan Law Quadrangle was built between 1924 and 1933. It is arguably the most beautiful set of buildings on the U of M campus.

I hope to explore the inside of the Law Quad in the coming week, so check back for photographs of that adventure.

The American Foursquare

The American Foursquare house, as featured on Marquette's Champion Street.

This housing style was popular from the mid-1890s on until around 1940. It is typified by a boxy design, a front-facing dormer window, and a hipped roof (in the Upper Peninsula, the roof is pitched much more steeply due to the snowy climate). The square design maximizes the use of a small city lot.

Many of these houses could be ordered by mail from catalogues such as Sears and Roebucks. They were delivered by train and came ready to build, for a cheap price.

The New Stuff

I'm not a huge fan of modern architecture. Anything built after World War II -- or, in architectural terms, after the Art Moderne style -- is generally quite ugly and bland. From time to time, something will stand out to me, but the architecture of the modern era is usually something I can pass by without looking twice.

This is why I rarely photograph "the new stuff." However, here is a blog entry devoted solely to Michigan's architecture of today. Enjoy it -- or not -- though when I photograph modern architecture, I try to make it look as appealing as possible, even when the actual structures stand out like a sore thumb in their surroundings. I will not express my displeasure or approval of the following five buildings -- that is for the reader. It is your duty to weigh these new structures against historic architecture, and draw your own conclusions.



The Radisson Hotel in Kalamazoo.



The planetarium, owned by Delta College, in Bay City.



An office building in Lansing.



Huron High School in Ann Arbor, built in the late 1960s.



The University of Michigan's School of Dentistry building in Ann Arbor.

St. Peter's Cathedral

Marquette is home to the beautiful and historic St. Peter's Cathedral. This church, with its twin domed steeples, sits upon one of the highest points in downtown Marquette and can be seen from afar. The building is lovely both inside and out, and is built from area sandstone.



The inside of the cathedral, looking toward the altar.



Looking toward the choir loft and the organ. The floor is made from beautiful tiles.



The steeples are adorned with colorful terra cotta tiling and stylized angels.



The cornerstone was laid in 1881 following a blaze that destroyed the first cathedral on the spot. A second blaze gutted the cathedral in 1935, but restoration started the following year. The domes were added to the top of the steeples at this time, hence the reason why the figures are depicted in an Art Deco style.

To read a full history of St. Peter's Cathedral, visit this site.