Art 1 & 2 Theatres
31 N. Washington Street,
Ypsilanti,
MI
48197
31 N. Washington Street,
Ypsilanti,
MI
48197
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: W.S. Butterfield Theaters Inc.
Functions: Live Performances, Nightclub
Styles: Colonial Revival
Previous Names: Martha Washington Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Martha Washington Theatre was opened on October 21, 1915 with Edith Storey in “The Island of Regeneration”. It was built for Florence Wilson Signor. In a style befitting its name, the theatre was designed in a Colonial-Revival style, and sat between 1,000 and 1,700.
In April 1925 the theatre was sold to Butterfield Theatres, who continued to operate the theatre until 1971. That year, the theatre’s new owners twinned the auditorium, and began screening adult fare under the name Art 1 & 2. The theatre was still operating as an adult film house when it finally closed.
Since 1982 it has been home to the Deja Vu adult nightclub. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when the theatre was closed, it suffered damage from a fire. Repairs were carried out and the Deja Vu adult nightclub reopened.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft, Gary Flinn
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Today it’s a Deja Vu adults only nightclub.
Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dzhztw
The Art/M Washington is still there in all of its finite glory. Ypsilanti has some definite potential but lacks the cosmopolitan flavour of its neighbor Ann Arbor. Yet another pick (this one circa 2010) of the former theatre: flickr
Has the inside been hacked up or are films still an option? Any intrerior pic’s
Minor correction on the original owners/builders name. Should be Florence Wilson Signor, but not Singer. I know this since she was my great grandmother. It was quite a nice theater during the 50’s & 60’s. Had a lot of great childhood memories when it was the Martha Washington.
This venue might be going out of existence. Story here: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/11/ypsilanti-v-deja-vu-a-timeline-of-the-citys-dueling-legal-battles-with-downtown-strip-club.html?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_source=facebook
Wikipedia has an article on the Mattha Washington Theatre which says the house opened on October 21, 1915, and the first movie shown was Vitagraph’s “The Island of Regeneration” starring Edith Storey. Florence Signor sold the house to Butterfield Theatres in April, 1925.
The Deja Vu strip club, first opened in 1982, was forced to close during the COVID-19 Pandemic, in March, 2000. While closed, the building suffered a major fire that June. Lawsuits were filed by both the city and the club, and the settlement reached in 2022 allowed the club to reopen after certain conditions were met, including returning part of the building to retail use, and the reconstruction of the lost theater marquee. The club reopened on March 1, 2024 and continues in operation today.
The November 13, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World carried a short item about the opening of the house: “THE MARTHA WASHINGTON AT YPSILANTI OPENS.
“The Martha Washington theater, Colonial in design, has been opened at Ypsilanti by Mrs. Florence Wilson Signor. The stucco work is designed after the time of Martha Washington, many of the details and enrichments of the plastic relief are fac-similes taken from her home in Mt. Vernon. The borders, especially those on the ceiling, are taken from some of the ceilings in the White House at Washington, D. C., and other Colonial homes in the East. Bas relief portraits of Martha Washington enhance the two side panels of the proscenium arch. The antique gold frame which surmounts these portraits is an exact fac-simile of the portrait of Martha Washington which enriches the walls at Mt. Vernon. The general color scheme of the entire house is in subdued tones of old rose, French greys and antique ivory. The main panel of the ceiling is in mellow sky effect, containing pearl greys and ivory tints.”
Butterfield’s takeover of the house from Mrs. Signor, who at the time had been the last woman theater operator in the state, was noted in the May 2, 1925 issue of Motion Picture Herald.