Garden Theatre
124-26 E. 1st Street,
Flint,
MI
48502
124-26 E. 1st Street,
Flint,
MI
48502
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: W.S. Butterfield Theaters Inc.
Architects: John Adolph Emil Eberson
Styles: Beaux-Arts
Previous Names: Bijou Theatre
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The Bijou Theatre was Flint’s first vaudeville house and was developed by Col. Walter S. Butterfield. Col. Butterfield converted two storefronts in March 1905 into a theatre. It was remodeled and/or renovated in 1909, 1910 and 1913. On September 18, 1915 following a remodeling also gave it a new name, the Garden Theatre, which added motion pictures to the program with William Farnum in “The Nigger”.
Its seating capacity was expanded to 1,080 in 1917 to the plans of architect John Eberson, and was converted to talkies with both Vitaphone and Movietone in 1929. The first talkie shown at the Garden Theatre was “The Wild Party” starring Clara Bow. It was closed on April 16, 1939 with Anna May Wong in “King of Chinatown”. It was torn down in 1939 to make way for the new Garden Theatre (which has its own page on Cinema Treasures).
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The July 14, 1917, issue of Motography had this item about the first Garden Theatre:
Circa 1912 postcard added courtesy Walter Jung.
September 28th, 1909
Reopened as Garden on September 18th, 1915, grand opening ad posted.
Perhaps this is a technicality but the local paper states that Jennie I. Cleveland created the Bijou Theatre space opening in March 1905. Col. Butterfield soon acquired the venue likely doubling it in size by taking over the neighboring storefront. He then sold it to Waterman & Bryce of Michigan Vaudeville late in 1908 who refreshed it for summer of 1909. Butterfield and Michigan V. feuded briefly over vaudeville bookings with Butterfield taking over as the head of Michigan Vaudeville and reacquiring the Bijou for good.
In March of 1915, Butterfield announced a larger vaudeville house and said that the Bijou would be transitioned to the top end movie house of “the garden type” with live acts interspersed. It was renamed the Garden at its September 18, 1915 reboot.
In 1937, a new streamlined Garden Theater is announced by Butterfield Circuit with plans originally by Perara & Perara of Chicago. Those plans are rejected and the Garden hangs on all the way to 1939. New plans - cheaper and faster ones - are accepted from Charles H. Crane - that allow the theater’s side walls to be retained in a sub-$100k New Garden Theater. The Garden’s closure occurred on April 16, 1939 with “King of Chinatown.” Dismantling work started the next day and was completed within six months.