  Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5988 Registered: 08-2004 |
I was at a Christmas party downtown tonight, and a bar owner near the United Artists told me that there has been a nearly continuous cleaning out of debris at the United Artists Building for many weeks now... with construction workers there nearly every day. With last years putting a new roof on the United Artists Building and Theatre, and now the cleaning out of the interior.... Hmmm.... something's going on, and it's all very hush hush... | ||
Sparty06 Member Username: Sparty06 Post Number: 174 Registered: 03-2007 |
Quicken? | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 2056 Registered: 03-2006 |
it's been going on since last summer | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5989 Registered: 08-2004 |
Yes, there's been activity since the new roof was installed... but it has noticably increased as of late... | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 451 Registered: 09-2004 |
Keep us updated! | ||
Fredbearlives Member Username: Fredbearlives Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2008 |
Any chance that it is being restored to its former glory? Our theatre district is rivaled only by NYC...how great would it be to add the best designed of the United Artists theatres to our list of world class entertainment venues. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5994 Registered: 08-2004 |
Welcome to the forum Fredbearlives!! Many on his forum have mentioned that the theatre is beyond saving. And views of the inside of the theatre certainly show a very damaged interior. But much of that is ornamental plaster. And plaster casts can be made to recreate much of what has been damaged or gotten by scrappers. I'm not sure the Ilitch's want a 2000 seat theatre. They now control the 5,000 seat Fox, 4,404 seat Masonic Temple Theatre, 1,585 seat Masonic Scottish Rite Theatre and the 1,300 seat (guesstimate) MotorCity Casino Theatre. But their actions say otherwise. They did put a new roof onto both the theater and 19 story office tower. And they've been cleaning it up. So what could that mean? That maybe someone else is interested? I'm not going to speculate who... some say Quicken... but I don't know. What makes Quicken a likely possibility is that Atanis Ilitch (sometimes referred to as the "creative Ilitch") is good friends with Quicken owner Dan Gilbert. Gilbert possibly could want a performing arts component (with naming rights) to a downtown HQ move, and this would be the most likely location. And in such a scenario the Ilitch's would likely have the booking rights for another downtown venue. I just know that the Ilitch's wouldn't be going to all this expense if they had plans to tear it down. Another point you mentioned was that the Detroit United Artists Theatre was the best designed of the UA Theatres. Interesting point. There were 3 major flagship theatres built for the United Artists chain. The 2,202 seat 1927 Los Angeles United Artists:  The 1,739 seat 1927 Chicago United Artists (razed in 1990 for a never built office tower). This theatre was the smallest and least fancy of the 3 theatres. Unlike the other 2 which were built from the ground up... Detroit Architect C. Howard Crane had to redesign an existing earlier theatre, and had to work with the structure that was already there:  And then there's the 2,070 seat 1928 Detroit United Artists Theatre:  Between the Detroit and Los Angeles surviving UA Theatres, the LA UA has a "cave Gothic" appearance that looks like there are stalagtites and stalagmites hanging over the organ grilles and procenium arch. Some complain that the composition is much too busy to the eye. Also "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford (one of the 4 principal owners of the United Artists Studio Chain, the others being Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and silent film director D. W. Griffith's) had her hand in some "Hollywood touches" on the LA UA, including cinema murals on the theatre side walls. Some of these were not the finest, artistically speaking. But the Detroit UA had more pronounced detail to its "Spanish Gothic" and Art Deco design features. It was the most unique of the 3 theatre designs. It had that "Indiana Jones temple" look to it that gave off the appearance of some far off long forgotten Shangri-La. So yes, I agree Fredbearlives... the Detroit UA was the best designed of all of the United Artists theatres. To restore this one-of-a-kind theatre would really enhance Detroit's Theatre District. Detroit movie palace architect C. Howard Crane, who designed all three of the UA theatres, had his offices high up in the next door Michigan Theatre Building (ironically in a theatre/building that he didn't design). Perhaps he designed the Detroit theatre with special care and attention, since he would be seeing it every day! As a Free Press critic said of the Detroit UA on opening night on February 3, 1928... "the theatre gave off the air of some distant ancient Castilian courtyard at sunset..." Gistok... Preservation Wayne - Movie Palace Tour Guide. (Message edited by Gistok on December 20, 2008) | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 3938 Registered: 10-2003 |
Doesn't it seem more likely that if the theatre is being preserved, and it's being preserved for Gilbert, that it would be more likely for some other use? Is there really a demand for another theater of this size in downtown Detroit? | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 626 Registered: 10-2006 |
Detroit Needs more Movie Theatres, Besides the Riverfront 4 is there any big Movie Theater Complex within the city limits? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5995 Registered: 08-2004 |
Lmichigan... didn't someone on this forum mention that Gilbert likes to hold big pep rallies for his employees to get them fired up for more sales? If that's all that the theatre would be used for, then maybe a total restoral is not in the cards. Perhaps they'll just save what they can. But one thing that the Detroit United Artists has going its' favor for possible restoration is the spectacular acoustics. They're as good as Orchestra Hall or the Detroit Opera House... interestingly enough both of which are also C. Howard Crane designs. If (and that's a big if) it were Gilbert interested in the UA complex... he may just be happy with a modernization of the theatre space... or a partial restoration keeping mainly the ornate areas around the stage, or? | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 3753 Registered: 09-2007 |
quote: Phoenix Theatre Bel Air (Formerly AMC Theatre) It's relatively competitive with the suburban theatres. (Message edited by DetroitRise on December 20, 2008) | ||
Bearinabox Member Username: Bearinabox Post Number: 1088 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote:There is at least one other one. The UA wouldn't make a good "big movie theater complex," though. That's why all those old movie palaces were abandoned in the first place--they were only set up to show one movie at a time, and new theaters were designed with multiple screens. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1583 Registered: 11-2005 |
Plug: For history, pictures, etc. go here: http://buildingsofdetroit.com/ places/ua One of my favorite photos of the UA (pre-modernization on the storefronts): http://i215.photobucket.com/al bums/cc280/buildingsofdetroit/ Buildings/ua.jpg | ||
Wilus1mj Member Username: Wilus1mj Post Number: 281 Registered: 05-2005 |
Still need a major connected parking structure...if any potential project will move forward. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5998 Registered: 08-2004 |
Fortunately the Tuller/UA block is larger than the Statler block. And the UA complex sits on the southern corner of the penagonal shaped block, taking up only about 1/3 of the blocks' footprint. So there is room for a large parking structure on the block, preferably away from the GCP side. One plus of a west Foxtown Hockey Arena would be that a large parking structure on the NW portion of the Tuller/UA block could handle two functions... UA folks by day, and arena folks at night (depending on any plans for the theatre space). Thanks for the links Rhymeswithrawk! But that website needs to change the Gone With The Wind years from 1930 to 1939... the year the movie was released. Also, C. Howard Crane was not only a Detroit architect... but he owned his own firm under his name. He moved to the Michigan Building cica 1927, and then moved to London England in 1930, when USA theatre commissions dried up due to the Great Depression. He then designed many Art Deco cinemas in Britain, as well as London's famous Earls Court Convention Center (built above railroad tracks). He died in 1952 and is buried in London. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5999 Registered: 08-2004 |
Also, the new Arcadia book on Downtown Movie Palaces shows a lot of very nice photos of the Detroit UA Theatre, many of which I had never seen before. It really was a spectacular theatre, unlike any other. David Naylor, author of "American Picture Palaces" said: "C. Howard Crane's mastery of Gothic details in his movie palace designs was without precedent". One thing caught my eye... the long drapes that covered the fancy Gothic organ grilles on either side of the stage in a 1950's photo of the UA interior. They're still in place in current ruinous photos of the interior. It was one of those "look at the expense we went thru so that you won't have to look at all that old stuff anymore!" That was the mantra that was prevelent in the "less is more" age of the International Style of 1950's modernism. Putting drapery up inside the auditoriums of movie palaces to hide the ornate plasterwork was common in the 1950's. It was the cheapest and least intrusive way to modernize movie palace interiors... and a restoration/renovation blessing!  (Message edited by Gistok on December 22, 2008) | ||
Rsa Member Username: Rsa Post Number: 889 Registered: 10-2003 |
actually gistok, the reason why those curtains were put of was because they chopped the bottom protrusions off to install cinerama. the large screen needed for cinerama extended beyond the proscenium arch which required the removal of the lower protrusion of those areas. so they hung the curtains in front to hide the remaining exposed support structures, etc. this is also why there is a newer concrete block projection booth on the lower mezzanine sea. to reach the entire screen the original projection booth was too far away (light degredation) and the angle was too high (distortion). so the new one was built and the original one went unused for the rest of the theatre's life. pardon my scepticism gistok, but have you seen the new roof? i've seen recent pictures of the interior and it still seems as if there are gaping holes in it. those author's could have the dates wrong, so i'm just looking for confirmation. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6002 Registered: 08-2004 |
Rsa, where did you get the informaion that the Detroit UA was used for Cinerama? I cannot find any reference to it on either Preservation Wayne's tour guide notes, nor on the Theatre Historical Society's comments about the UA. Ditto for Cinema Treasures website. However, DYES poster Ryan Southen's great pis on the ruinous interior of the UA does show part of the proceium missing, and covered with some curtains. So what you say could be true. But the much larger organ grilles on either side of the stage were also covered up with drapes, and yet they appear to be intact: http://www.ryansouthenphotogra phy.exposuremanager.com/p/aban doned_detroit/sidebalc20 If Cinerama was used in the Detroit UA, it was likely for a short period of time (mid 50's-?). By 1961 when Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" had their World Premier at the Detroit UA, Cinerama was gone, but the drapes were still there. Throughout much of the 1960's the Detroit UA underwent a resurgence as a first run movie house with reserved seating (a feature that it was well suited for). Perhaps the reason for the drapes over the organ grilles was that it somehow caused problems with the image on the Cinerama screen, or as I had stated to merely cover up the ornate grille work. Music Hall, which had Cinerama for a very long time, painted their colorful stenciled beam ceiling black, because the colorful stencils detracted from the picture on the screen. As for the UA roof... folks working in the Michigan Building next door were watching the goings on from up in the Michigan Building, the best viewpoint available (at least for the theatre). They mentioned that the crane that was at the UA a while back was delivering roofing material. Next time I go downtown, I'll check it out for myself. (Message edited by Gistok on December 22, 2008) | ||
Big_baby_jebus Member Username: Big_baby_jebus Post Number: 23 Registered: 09-2008 |
Check out these photos of the U.A. from a couple summers ago. Workers had just started to secure the theater when these were taken. Water was leaking all over and most everything had been destroyed by vandals and the elements. http://onlyndetroit.com/html/d ecay/ond-0009unitedartists.htm | ||
Rsa Member Username: Rsa Post Number: 890 Registered: 10-2003 |
gistok; i think you're right, whereas it was never a "cinerama" theatre. but it was some sort of wide format presentation, 70mm maybe? [i'm pretty sure this was the theatre that showed ben hur in detroit.] it was installed to become more viable at the time. however, in addition to the curtains being installed to cover up removed portions of plasterwork, they were also operable to cover up portions of the screen not being used. so when a smaller format was being shown (say 35 mm), they were closed so that only a portion that was needed for the film was used. no portion of the actual grill was removed. what was removed was the decorative bottom portion that protruded past the grills. i can't find any picture that shows it well right now, but if you look closely you can notice rusts stains down the wall from the steel support structure was exposed in the removal of these portions. | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 1328 Registered: 03-2006 |
I was curious if there was any new info regarding the United Artist Theater. |
