Keith's Theatre

Here are some old photos of the Empress/Keith's Theater.

Could this be an early Rapp and Rapp design? I have found the following article in the Rockford Morning Star for Sunday, February 31, 1915 which states the following in an article heralding the opening of the Palace Theatre in Rockford, Illinois: (note the end)

"...Messrs. George and C. L. Rapp have specialized in theater designing and among their latest masterpieces at the New Oprheum in Champaign, the Orpheum in Quincy, the Columbia in Davenport, Ia., the New Palace in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Hippodrome in Chicago, the Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wis., and the Palace in Rockford. They also have theaters under construction in Louisville, Ky. and Grand Rapids, Mich."

A Wurlitzer theater organ opus 1048 style "D" special was installed in the Empress Theater on 4/29/1925. Status: sold.

Prior to the Wurlitzer organ, a Kimball theater organ was installed in the Empress Theater in 1914.

There doesn't seem to be a CT listing for Grand Rapids's Savoy Theatre, perhaps due to lack of an accurate address. The 1955 Film Daily Year Book gives "80 Market NW," without specifying whether Market was a Street, Avenue, or whatever. A search today through MapQuest turns up a Market Avenue, but only with SW addresses (not NW). The Savoy opened as a cinema in 1930, converted from a vaudeville house that might have had a different name.

80 Market Avenue NW is the address given on other websites for the Savoy Theater. Google will also map that address as 80 Market Avenue SW. Here is some information that I found for the Savoy Theater:

The Savoy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had been built in the 1880s and went by the prior names of Columbia and Temple. While all seven downtown palaces closed during the 1970s, having been twinned and showing an interesting mix of ethnic and adult fare, the Savoy actually held out until 1980 when “downtown redevelopment” caught up with it too. Source.

There's a brief history of the Savoy Theatre, as well as a 1949 photo of the exterior, at www.waterwinterwonderland.com

RKO in 1914?

An item in the Variety of 11/28/1914 mentioned that the architects were to be Rapp & Rapp. Also, this would logically lead to an opening year of 1915.