C. Howard Crane
Classic movie theaters designed by C. Howard Crane
Adams Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 3 screens ~ 1770 seats
Opened in 1917 inside the Fine Arts Building, the Adams Theater was designed, like so many other Detroit theaters, by C. Howard Crane for the Kunsky circuit. It was a vaudeville house for a… more Admiral Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1322 seats
Opened as the Harmony Theatre on December 12, 1921, this theater was completely remodeled in 1941 by C. Howard Crane in Art Moderne style. It not only received a new look, but a new name… more Alhambra Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1475 seats
The Alhambra, which opened in 1915, was an early design by C. Howard Crane, for the affluent neighborhood of Boston-Edison. It could seat about 1475 and was originally operated by the… more Allen Theatre (Cleveland, OH) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 2800 seats
The Allen opened in 1921, designed by C. Howard Crane, and could seat around 3000, making it Cleveland's largest movie theater at that time. For several decades, the Allen served as one of… more Beach Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1537 seats
Originally a part of the Allen Theatres circuit, the Beach Theatre was a rather large house that opened on December 15, 1919.
It was closed in 1970, and was gutted to become a retail… more Beacon Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1325 seats
One of C. Howard Crane's earlier Detroit theater designs, the Ferry Field opened in 1916 and sat 1325. In 1934, it was renamed the Beacon, but only operated three more years before closing… more Beechwood Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 391 seats
Four years after it opened in 1915, C. Howard Crane was hired to work his magic on this quite small theater (seating just under 400). It was located not far from the Granada, and despite… more Bonstelle Theatre (Detroit, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1200 seats
What is now known as the Bonstelle Theatre has had a long and varied life.
It was first built in 1902, as Temple Beth-El, whose congregation moved from their previous long-time location… more Boulevard Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 400 seats
The C. Howard Crane-designed Boulevard opened in 1913, on Gratiot Avenue near Warren Avenue. This 400-seat theater was relatively short-lived, closing in 1939. It has since been torn down… more Capitol Theatre (Edmonton, Alberta) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1300 seats
Opened as the Allen Theatre on December 2, 1918, by 1929 this house had been acquired by Famous Players and been renamed the Capitol Theatre. Following a major remodeling in 1938, the… more Capitol Theatre (London, Ontario) Closed/Demolished ~ 2 screens ~ 1304 seats
The Allen Theatre opened on February 23, 1920. All seating was on a single floor. In 1924 it was renamed Capitol Theatre and was twinned in 1979 with seating reduced to 905.
Famous… more Capitol Theatre (St. Catharines, Ontario) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1180 seats
The Allen Theatre was opened on April 26, 1920. It was designed in an Adam style by architect Howard C. Crane, with the local firm Kiehler & Schley, for the Allen Theatres chain.
Taken… more Carver Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 2 screens ~ 360 seats
The Catherine, designed by C. Howard Crane, opened in 1913. Its address was listed variously as 1540 or 1700 Chene Street. Three years later, in a very early example of twinning a theater… more Chopin Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 400 seats
This 400-seat theater was located on Michigan Avenue, and opened in 1922. It was designed by C. Howard Crane. It lasted into the 40s before closing… more Cinestage Theatre (Chicago, IL) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 500 seats
The Selwyn Theatre was designed in 1922 by C. Howard Crane (who also designed the adjacent Harris Theatre) for theatrical producers Sam Harris and Edgar Selwyn. It was done in English… more College Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1588 seats
The College Theatre was opened by the Allen Theatres chain on May 24, 1920. All seating was on a single floor. It holds an imposing position on the corner of College Street and Dovercourt… more Colonial Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1566 seats
The Colonial Theatre, which was, like so many other Detroit theaters, a work of C. Howard Crane, was opened on October 8, 1917, and originally could seat 1,566 in its auditorium.
The… more Columbia Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1006 seats
Opened by John Kunsky in 1911 as his first true movie house in Detroit, after several earlier nickelodeons, including the nearby Bijou (opened as the Cent Odeon), the C. Howard Crane… more Danforth Music Hall Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1363 seats
Originally opened as the Allen Theatre on August 18, 1919 with Madge Kennedy in "Through the Wrong Door". It was later known as the Century Theatre and was remodeled in 1934 by the… more Detroit Opera House (Detroit, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 2700 seats
The Capitol was considered Detroit's first official movie palace, and when it opened in 1922, it sat about 3500, the fifth largest ever built in the US at the time.
Its architect, C… more Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall (Detroit, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 2064 seats
The Orchestra Hall opened on October 23 1919, and designed by the prodigious architect C. Howard Crane, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall took just a little over four months to complete… more Emerald Theatre (Mount Clemens, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1500 seats
The Mount Clemens-Macomb opened in 1921 as a legitimate theater, and was converted into movies in the 1930s. The theater closed in the 1980s.
The theater then hosted live productions under… more Empire Capitol 7 (Kingston, Ontario) Open ~ 7 screens ~ 1316 seats
Located in the heart of historic downtown Kingston, the Allen Theatre was opened by the Allen Theatres chain on December 30, 1920. It had a 1,207 seating capacity. Later taken over by… more Esquire Theatre (Grosse Pointe Park, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 4 screens ~ 992 seats
The Esquire Theatre, a large Art Deco style neighborhood house built for the Wisper & Wetsman chain in 1938, it was designed by C. Howard Crane';s firm.
The Esquire Theatre served as… more Farmington Civic Theatre (Farmington, MI) Open ~ 2 screens ~ 750 seats
A late C. Howard Crane design in Art Moderne style, opening in late 1940, the Farmington Civic sat about 550 on the main floor and about 200 in the balcony.
The theater has an elegant… more Fillmore , The (Detroit, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 2200 seats
Now one of the best theaters in Detroit for concerts, the former State Theatre (originally the Palms Theatre) still pays tribute to its glorious movie palace past by showing classic films… more Fine Arts Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 582 seats
When it opened, the Addison was a legitimate theater, which was designed by C. Howard Crane in 1913. It could seat 582 and opened in early 1914.
Less than a year later, however, it changed… more Forest Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 600 seats
The Forest opened in 1914, and was designed by architect Fuller Claflin. The theater sat 600 and stood on Woodward Avenue at Forest Avenue, not far from Wayne State University. In 1935, the… more Fox Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 4088 seats
The Fox Theater was once a centerpiece of "Downtown Brooklyn". It opened on August 31, 1928. In the early-1960's, it became a popular concert venue for rock 'n' roll shows emceed by Murray… more Fox Theatre (Detroit, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 5045 seats
The Fox Theatre seats over 5,000 people and is Detroit's largest movie palace. In 1988, the Fox underwent an $8.1-million restoration. Since the restoration, the Fox has become one of the… more Fox Theatre (St. Louis, MO) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 4500 seats
Opened in 1929, the St Louis Fox Theatre and its twin in Detroit were intended to be the Fox studio's flagship Midwest theatres. Built in an exotic Siamese-Byzantine style, the St. Louis… more Frauenthal Center for the Perfoming Arts (Muskegon, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1748 seats
The Michigan Theater opened on Sept. 17, 1930. Built during the Depression, by Schlossman Theatre Inc., and designed by famed theater architect C. Howard Crane, descriptions of the theater… more Garden Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 903 seats
The Garden Theatre, one of C. Howard Crane's earliest neighborhood theaters in Detroit, opened in 1912, and could seat a little over 900. It was one of the largest theaters built outside… more Garden Theatre (Second) (Flint, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1342 seats
The Garden Theatre was built on the side of the old Garden Theatre (nee Bijou) and operated by Butterfield Theatres. It closed in 1957 becasue of the rise of television and the popularity… more Globe Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 856 seats
Built as a vaudeville house in 1912 by the firm of Harley & Atchison seating around 650, the Globe was operated by United Amusements. By the time it was remodeled in 1915 by C. Howard… more Granada Greenwich (Greenwich, London, England) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1924 seats
The Greenwich Granada was one of the plainest of the purpose built Granada chain, quite probably due to its awkward site size;long and narrow. It is situated on Trafalgar Road at the corner… more Granada Slough (Slough, Berkshire, England) Closed/Demolished ~ 3 screens ~ 1710 seats
American architect C. Howard Crane designed this Granada Theatre (his second design for the circuit-after his Granada Greenwich opened a year earlier). The plans were revised by Cecil Masey… more Iris Theatre (Chicago, IL) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1019 seats
The Iris Theatre is located in Chicago's Austin neighborhood which borders the suburb of Oak Park, stood on Chicago Avenue between Massasoit and Waller Avenues. The Iris was opened on… more Kramer Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1706 seats
A large, ornate, neighborhood theater, seating over 1700, the Kramer was designed by the prolific C. Howard Crane. It was opened in 1920.
The theater remained in operation into the early… more L'Olympia (Montreal, Quebec) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1280 seats
Built in 1925 as the Amherst Theatre, it opened on February 7, 1926, as a movie palace. It had 1,697 seats, and was designed by architects C.D. Goodman and C. Howard Crane. Emmanuel… more Loew's Broad (Columbus, OH) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 2800 seats
Located across the street from the RKO Palace in downtown Columbus. An office building now is on the site.
Any additional information would be appreciated… more Madison Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1806 seats
When the Madison opened in 1917, its $500,000 cost was one of the heftiest yet for a theater in downtown Detroit. Built for the Kunsky circuit by C. Howard Crane in an elegant, understated… more Majestic Theater (Detroit, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1260 seats
The Majestic Theater was built in 1915 as a legitimate playhouse, but by the late-1920's had switched to films. It was designed by C. Howard Crane.
An interesting early feature of the… more Metropolitan Theatre (Winnipeg, Manitoba) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1983 seats
The Metropolitan Theatre opened as the Allen Theatre on January 2, 1920 with Mable Norman in "Upstairs". The name changed to the Metropolitan Theatre and had its grand re-opening in 1923… more Michael Todd Theatre (Chicago, IL) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 600 seats
Located next door to the Cinestage (the former Selwyn Theatre) on Dearborn Street, the Michael Todd Theatre was the second Todd-AO 70mm roadshow theater, and was originally known as the… more Nortown Theater (Flint, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen
The Nortown Theater opened in 1940 and closed in 1966. It was designed by C. Howard Crane… more Oakman Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1213 seats
The Oakman opened in 1919, designed by C. Howard Crane and seating over 1200. It was located on Woodrow Wilson Street near Leslie Street. The theater closed in 1937, but reopened for a… more Odeon Holloway (Holloway, London, England) Open ~ 8 screens ~ 1599 seats
Originally intended to be a sister theater to the Gaumont State Theatre, Kilburn, London (England's largest purpose built cinema with 4,004 seats), the 3,006 seat Holloway Gaumont was… more Omaha Theater (Omaha, NE) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 2500 seats
Opened in 1922, the World Theater was one of Omaha's finest examples of Beaux-Arts, and was reputed to have the most beautiful exterior of any of the theaters designed by Crane.
The main… more Palace Theatre (Calgary, Alberta) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1875 seats
A beautiful, wonderous former movie theater that is now home to a nightclub.
Allen's Palace Theatre opened on October 25, 1921. It was the last of the Allen Theatres chain to be… more Palace Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1349 seats
The Palace Theatre opened on February 16, 1914 as a vaudeville theatre. During its years of operation it screened silent movies as part of the programme.
The Palace Theatre was closed in… more Palace Theatre (Montreal, Quebec) Closed ~ 6 screens ~ 2700 seats
This major movie palace in the center of Montreal opened on May 14, 1921 as the Palace Theatre. It was renamed Allen Theatre in 1922.
In 1980, the theatre was closed, gutted, and… more Paramount Theater (Youngstown, OH) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1506 seats
Opened as the Liberty in 1918, this small, yet elegant building was clad in white terra cotta, and ornamented with swags and fluted pilasters.
It became known as the Paramount in the late… more Park Theatre (Lincoln Park, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 600 seats
Built in 1925, and designed by C. Howard Crane, as the Lincoln Park, this 600 seat theater was remodeled in the early 40s in Art Moderne style by another prolific Detroit-area theater… more Parkdale Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1548 seats
The Parkdale Theatre opened on April 5, 1920. It was operated by the Allen Theatres chain and seating was all on one level.
It closed in 1970 as part of the Famous Players circuit… more Pines Theatre (Houghton Lake, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 450 seats
This 450-seat Log Cabin Chalet style movie theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane to look like a hunter's cabin.
Originally opened in 1941 by W.J. Olson, who owned many theaters in… more Rainbo Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 262 seats
A late C. Howard Crane design, the Rainbo opened in 1939, and sat just 260. It was situated across the street from the far larger Grand Riviera and not far from the Riviera's Annex. The… more Ready Theatre (Niles, MI) Closed/Renovating ~ 1 screen ~ 1144 seats
Opened in 1927, the Ready Theatre is listed in the Film Daily Yearbook, 1941 edition, with a seating capacity of 1,000.
In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. the seating capacity is given as… more Rialto Theater (Grayling, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 500 seats
The Rialto Theater first opened around 1915. That theater was destroyed by fire in 1930 and the current theater was built immediately to replace the first theater. This theater remains open… more Rialto Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1350 seats
This C. Howard Crane-designed theater opened in 1917, and featured an early form of stadium-style seating, with a steeply sloping auditorium floor. Therefore, there was no need for a… more Robins Theatre (Warren, OH) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1500 seats
The Robins Theatre in Warren, Ohio opened its doors on January 9, 1923. Designed by C. Howard Crane and I.J. Goldston and constructed by Charles Shutrump and Sons. Co of Youngstown… more Roosevelt Theater (Chicago, IL) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1535 seats
The Roosevelt Theater opened in 1921 on State Street and its main entrance was directly across from the main entrance of the famed Marshall Field's department store.
It was designed for… more Russell Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1406 seats
Another one of the multitude of Detroit-area theaters designed by C. Howard Crane, the Russell Theatre opened in 1917 for both vaudeville and motion pictures, and its auditorium could seat… more State Theatre (Ann Arbor, MI) Open ~ 2 screens ~ 600 seats
Opened in 1942, the State Theatre has had a tough time staying open over the years. It seems to have finally found its groove now as a twinned art house theater for the college community of… more State Theatre (Bay City, MI) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 600 seats
Built as the Bijou Theatre in 1908, this former vaudeville palace added movies to its programming and by 1921 it had been renamed the Orpheum Theatre.
In 1930, C. Howard Crane was hired… more Strand Theater (Flint, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1100 seats
The Strand Theater in Flint was built on the site of a short lived nickelodeon called the Electric Theater. The Strand opened in 1915 and closed in 1958. It was demolished around 1961… more Strand Theater (Vancouver, British Columbia) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1946 seats
Opened on August 16, 1920 as the Allen Theater, one of the first super deluxe movie houses in Canada. It was promoted as the finest and modern theaters in the country. It cost $300,000 to… more Strand Theatre (Detroit, MI) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1384 seats
The Strand was another work of C. Howard Crane, opening in 1915. The theater was originally part of the Kunsky circuit, and sat nearly 1400.
In the 10s and 20s, several Hollywood stars… more Strand Theatre (Pontiac, MI) Closed/Renovating/Restoring ~ 1 screen ~ 1200 seats
Opened in 1921, the Strand closed in the mid-1980s and was reopened briefly in the 1990s by a theater troupe before it closed again.
The theater is now on its way back to life thanks to a… more Tivoli Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1433 seats
Opened as the Allen's Downtown Theatre on November 10, 1917, it became the Tivoli Theatre in 1923. This was the first theatre in Toronto to show a talking picture (1928). It was operated by… more Tivoli Theatre (Windsor, Ontario) Closed/Renovating ~ 1 screen ~ 1205 seats
The Walkerville was designed by C. Howard Crane in 1918, and built in 1920. At that time, it sat on the border between the town of Walkerville and the city of Windsor, of which Walkerville… more United Artists Theater (Detroit, MI) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 2070 seats
The United Artists Theater in Detroit was the third U.A. Theatre designed by C. Howard Crane. It was built in 1928, after the Los Angeles and Chicago United Artist Theatre's.
All three… more United Artists Theatre (Chicago, IL) Closed/Demolished ~ 1 screen ~ 1703 seats
The Apollo Theatre was opened in 1921 as a legitimate playhouse in the neo-classical style by Chicago architectural firm of Holibard and Roche, better known for their office buildings (they… more United Artists Theatre (Los Angeles, CA) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 2141 seats
The downtown United Artists Theatre was opened in 1927 by its founders Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford; who needed the massive Spanish Gothic style movie palace as a… more Virginia Theatre (Champaign, IL) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1819 seats
The Virginia Theater opened in 1921, designed by noted theater architect C. Howard Crane, for local businessman A. W. Stoolman. The theater was named after Stoolman's daughter.
Built in… more Warner Theatre (Pittsburgh, PA) Closed ~ 1 screen ~ 1980 seats
This beautiful movie palace was a major theater in Pittsburgh. It showed many of the reserved seat engagements during the 1960's, such as "Ben-Hur," "The Alamo,"… more Warner Theatre (Washington, DC) Open ~ 1 screen ~ 1850 seats
A grand movie palace in the nation's capital, the Warner Theatre currently houses concerts, stage shows and more. Following a $10 million renovation in 1992, its grand lobby, balconies and… more
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