Friday, December 08, 2006

Ann Arbor Theaters



Ann Arbor preserves two really retro theaters. The State Theater now shows movies only in what was formerly the balcony of a large campus-area theater, and has lost much of its original size and style to the redo. The sightlines are terrible: every seat has an awkward view.

The Michigan Theater, in contrast, represents years of preservation efforts, including repainting the overwrought ornateness of gold decor and installing all-new plush velvet seats. The Michigan shows not only first-run films, but also is home to concerts, film festivals, and other civic events. Its theater organ still rises from inside the floor at full theater-organ volume.

Thus, as in these photos, from the corner of State and Liberty one can see two theater marquees of the most impressively antique variety.

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