State Theatre

This John Eberson designed theater was originally operated by W.S. Butterfield Theatres.

Theatre still has its original Barton organ installation.

Wow, this atmospheric theatre is located on Burdick Street in Kalamazoo....that's my maiden name! And it still has its ORIGINAL Barton organ installation! Congratulations!

Opening day for the State Theater was July 14, 1927.

Wow, that is my birthday also! Coincidence?

I have not found any interior photos of this theatre.Can anyone help.

I am working on a history of the theater if anyone knows where I can find useful information I would appreciate it!

There are exterior photos of the State theater here:
http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/location.asp?ID=996&type=5

There is another photo with background info on the State here:
http://www.kpl.gov/collections/LocalHistory/AllAbout_StateTheatre.aspx

Too bad the fine folks of Kalamazoo who worked on their theatre can't head to Flint and work on that city's Eberson/atmospheric theatre, the Capitol!

lostmemory: Any inside photos that you could contribute?

With the recent comment function disabled, sometimes I miss theaters that I post in. I just read all the messages in here. Patsy, your birthday is July 14, 1927? I'm just kidding, I know that you mean July 14th.
Click on the Related Website link above, then click Tour. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Take the Flash Tour". There are some nice photos there.

lostmemory: Yes, July is the month and the 14th is the date, but NOT the year....would you believe 1946? Which 'related website link above' as I'm very anxious to "Take the Flash Tour"?

I might believe 1966. :) At the top of this page where the description is,
Related Websites
Kalamazoo State Theatre (Official)
Click on Kalamazoo State Theatre and another window should open on your screen. Then click tour, then take the flash tour.

Thanks as I'd take 1966, but the truth of the matter is that the numbers are 1.9.4.6. Will take the flash tour now!

What a wonderful atmospheric theatre in Kalamazoo MI so I sure hope the folks of Kalamazoo appreciate what they have there! I know I would be very appreciative! Wonder if they give tours? If not, they certainly should!

The original seating capacity of the State Theatre was 1,814. The architectural style of the theatre is Atmospheric, Spanish Colonial.

I have some interior and exterior pictures of the STATE. Ill dig them out and scan them in. They were taken in 1998.

Twistr54: Great!

I live in Kalamazoo, I have pics of most of the theatres around here. Got a couple drive ins also. ill get busy later today and start scanning.

Be Supreme >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks....start scanning!

This is a B/W photo of the State Theater.

A company called "Case Management of Michigan, Inc" claims that they are moving into this theater as of May 9, 2005. This is not an entertainment company so I assume that this theater will now be used for office or business purposes. This is the Case Management website which includes photos of the State Theater.

Maybe Case Management is going to use the upstairs portion of the building and not the entire building.

Thanks for the Case link, but it always disappoints me when I see the marquee changed over the years from the original one.

Also the top design that is now missing as this was an Eberson/atmospheric cinema in a rather small Michigan town.

The entire front facade seems to have been changed over the years and I wonder what happened to the Big STATE vertical sign?

The vertical marquee was replaced approx. 1964.
The theatre still has concerts going on, I have a ticket to Jim Brickman in Nov. I personally dont know anything about Case Mgt,. but the theatre has shows scheduled up thru next spring. And there is supposed to be a film in Dec.,(a special thing like Rocky Horror or such )
If I see anything in the paper Ill post it.
Support The State !!!!

In approx 1980, the fascade had some things removed, the scalloping off the roof etc., but that is the only change. Most of the emblishments were removed then.

Why were these lovely embellishments removed?

Butterfield had sold the theatre and the new owners 'cleaned it up' and started putting concerts in. They removed alot of the large vases and statues from inside, never to be seen again.(I was told most likely they were just thrown in the trash dumpster in the back and no one even gave it a thought.)They also destroyed the orchestra rail and pit, filled it in , the organ is still there , but not sure of the condition , I know the person who rebuilt it a few years ago, he is not sure of the current condition of it .(I have his name and email if you have questions about the State Barton organ)
When the theatre was reseated, I do not know when, they only did



the main floor, all the seats in the balcony were not changed, They definalty have wear, they are possibly the seats from the first reseat from the wooden seats to cushion seats, I have a picture of the balcony and yo can see the seats, the old velvet worn spots, rips tears, I had a seat for a concert in the balcony, and there was no seat, just the shell of it, I had to sit on the step. When this web site gets organized and allows downloads, Ill post my interior pictures of the State.

BoxOffice70MM: Thanks for the additional information.

This is a 2005 photo of the State theater in Kalamazoo.

This is a recent 2006 photo of the State Theater.

The original marquee and vertical STATE sign were most beautiful and better than the current look.

I have finally been able to get all my State photos uploaded to a Flickr web site, this link should take you to them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twistr54/sets/72057594087666632/

Twistr54: Thanks for the wonderful flickr.com site showcasing the State in Kalamazoo! If only the original vertical marquee were still in use!

Twistr54: I just viewed the many photos and didn't see any of the atmospheric auditorium. Perhaps I missed them.

There are only upper balcony pics inside the theatre, there was a function going on in the auditorium so I was only in the balcony.

When my wife and I were first married, we lived in Kalamazoo for a while. I saw two movies at the State. We went one night and seen what has become one of my favorite movies, Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford. The next time we went to the State, My wife brought it to my attention that there was another Robert Redford movie playing there and ask if I would like to go. I asked what the movie was about and she said "ahhh, it's just like that Jeremiah Johnson movie." It was "The Way We Were!" I was tricked into seeing that one!

State Theater ** (added 1983 - Building - #83004623)
404 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Vanderhorst,Henry, Eberson,John
Architectural Style: Mission/Spanish Revival
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Unknown

Here is another recent photo of the State Theater and this is a recent close-up.

Hey. Since some of you seem pretty interested... Actually, a lot of the cool stuff they moved/took down when they've "cleaned up" or changed things in the theatre is still there. It's either been put back up, or put somewhere else safe where it can still be seen, but not harmed. We have some in the box office in the entryway and in the office next door to the main entrance. And the fountain, cool spanish light fixtures are still working & there, and even the moving clouds & stars ceiling still works. It’s funny – the switches & everything you have to use to turn on the lights & all of that are so old. I feel like I’ve warped back in time every time I use them. Granted, there are some things that won't be coming back... The doors got changed in the 60's to an all-glass front & there used to be a big gorgeous fountain in the entry way, and where the bars are now used to be posh little seating areas with chairs/couches and terra cotta (sp?) pottery with big lush plants all around & whatnot. Sometimes I wish I were absolutely loaded so I could make that place look as lavish as it once did. Would be so cool.

The original marquee actually was so massive and heavy that the way it was put up on the corner of the building corroded things over the years and it eventually went crashing down, so the marquee you all see now was put there in its replacement. Some things have fallen down over the years, yes, such as little statues & whatnot. There are some things that fell or broke over time, but we’ve still got a lot of it. Tons of old posters, too, but we wish we could find some from its early days. This year’s the 80th anniversary!

There are pictures up on the website (www.kazoostate.com). If you guys were that interested, I’ve got a ton of pictures of old cool stuff we found cleaning out random little hidden storage rooms under the seating areas & whatnot. I could get them up somehow.

For those of you that are myspacers, check out www.myspace.com/kazoostate

Oh, yeah... PS...

The building the theatre is in is pretty huge, so there are other companies or offices that use office spaces upstairs. So companies like Case Management aren't actually part of the State Theatre, they're just located above it. The State Theatre's just the State Theatre!

Here is a 2007 photo of the State Theater.

Sarahbauman... sorry to move us off topic for a post... would you be so kind as to contact me regarding your theater. I'm working on an article about Ebersons Atmospheric designs and would enjoy being able to ask a few questions. Thank you.

Tim

venetianmilw@sbcblobal.net

This is an updated link for one that I posted back in January of 2005 which no longer works.

"When the State Theatre opened on the corner of S. Burdick and Lovell Streets in July 1927, it brought the "atmospheric" movie palace experience to Kalamazoo." All towns should be so lucky to have an "atmospheric" movie palace experience brought to their hometown!

Here is a recent close-up view of the State Theater.

I remember going to see the Butthole Surfers there in the 90s and people destroyed one of the statues down towards the stage. I look back at that and become really angry at the needless destruction of one of Kalamazoo's most historic buildings under such stupid circumstances.

This is just the marquee.

Haha - of course you get a picture of our marquee the day the wind knocked the letter N off... "REO TICKETS ON SALE OW" It wasn't even like that for very long. Sneaky, sneaky. You probably noticed the bit of white paneling behind the letters that's caved in a bit. That's getting fixed, thankfully.

Frank Caliendo is the guy that does the John Madden impressions on the football pregame show.

Thanks, Now I'll be able to sleep tonight.

Here is the State Theater marquee lit up and flashing.

Here is a photo taken in 2000:
http://tinyurl.com/7eoqfa

This is another 2008 photo.

A 2009 photo can be seen here.

An earlier entry reminds me of the Blizzard of 1967 when I resided there...it was a 28-inch snowfall...and paralyzed the town for days. There was a photo taken by the Gazette of a worker shovelling the snow in front of the State Theatre which the AP picked up for national distribution. The film on the marquee: "The Endless Summer."

1963 Photo

1980 Interior

Here is a nice photo.