Wakefield Theater

To honor the youth who were summoned to World War I in early-1917, the City of Wakefield, Michigan unanimously decided to do something after the war that ‘would keep fresh in the minds of the younger generations and others to follow the deeds of valor on the battlefields of France’. It was agreed that some kind of lasting memorial should be established to honor those sacrifices that were made in order for democracy and free government to survive on this earth. The people of Wakefield considered that the beautiful tribute to those who served during the Great War was typical of the spirit of patriotism and progress that the town possessed in abundance at that time.

It was decided that a memorial building was the best tribute, but not just any building voiced the community - it was to be ‘the best that could be built.

The 52,000 sq. ft. Wakefield Memorial Building was completed in a town with a population of 4,152. With a price tag of $400,000.00, construction of the building entailed an enormous amount of effort and sacrifice by the citizens of Wakefield. What Wakefield lacked in size it more than compensated for in determination and ambition. Like other towns at that time, Wakefield gave until it hurt during the war and now that it was over, they continued to do so. It was a common saying in Wakefield at that time that perhaps it was ‘the smallest city in the United States with the largest memorial building.

The Memorial Building housed a large theater with balcony which opened on April 5, 1923 with the play “The Glorious Girl”. It was closed as a movie theatre in 1978. For a while, live productions were staged, but eventually these ceased and the theatre fell into a state of neglect. It was demolished in 2010.

The Wakefield Memorial Building, one of Wakefield’s most important assets, will be re-born. After the building suffered years of neglect, Mr. Marvin Suomi, a graduate of Wakefield High School, will construct a new building better suited for the community of Wakefield today. The current building is structurally unsound and in a serious state of disrepair. Estimates to restore the current building exceed $10 Million. A new, smaller building will serve as an architectural landmark and gathering place for the community of Wakefield. It will house the City offices, the City library, multi-purpose event space, a pool, a sauna, and possibly an indoor theatre and incubator space for new industry.

In August 2008 the O'Brien Stained Glass Co. (Rollingston, MN) removed what remains of the 12 stained glass windows in the theatre auditorium of the Memorial Building. The windows will be sent to O'Brien’s shop for restoration and will be incorporated in the new building in some way. Among the windows were four "figural panels" depicting the military during World War I. The remaining eight windows included patriotic and American Legion logos, but lack human figures.

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

Robert Cox on August 7, 2009 at 2:22 am

The building is still there awaiting renovation. It’s located on M-28 (Lake Shore Drive) on the North and West, Kuivinen Street to the South and Smith Street to the East.

The theater seated 1100, not 1200. I started going to the theater in the 1960s to watch movies. I remember seeing Fred MacMurray in ‘The Absent Minded Professor’. The last movie I saw there was in the late 70s; we went nearly ever Friday. Our senior class High School play, ‘Prime Time Crime’ directed by Mrs. Grace Graves was performed on stage there in 1979.

dallasmovietheaters on June 8, 2022 at 1:19 am

The Theater at the Wakefield Memorial Building launched on April 5, 1923 with a live play, “The Glorious Girl.” The venue may be best remembered for a variety of community events. But for nearly 50 years, the venue was also very well known for commercial, first-run movie presentations through a variety of subleasing agreements over the years. In its silent era, the venue became known as the Memorial Community Theatre. In 1929/1930, the Wakefield Community Theatre installed sound to remain viable.

The Strand in downtown Wakefield would close as Alex L. “Pick” Picker Improved audio and projection at the Memorial Building which led to a grand re-opening under its new name as the Wakefield Theater on October 16, 1932. A 1948 makeover brought new seating to the venue. On October 15, 1954, the Wakefield celebrated its first use of its widescreen equipment to present CinemaScope titles beginning with “The Robe.”

Peter J. Napel ran the theatre from 1951 to 1970. He was not only instrumental in its transition to widescreen but was also a major factor in the building’s final attempt to remain viable. In 1965, the building received a major overhaul when an entry was added to the building’s left side with the interior space converted to a 21-unit hotel called the Wakefield Motor Lodge. The movie house was then renamed as the Wakefield Motor Lodge Theater. If each motel room had 50 guests in it per night, the small town theater could accommodate all of the guests as the balcony stayed in use until the theater’s discontinuation still having a capacity of 1,200. Most impressive for a town with fewer than 3,000 residents.

The WML Theatre may have closed for regular film screenings in 1978 as ads are discontinued at that time; although there were still live events at the venue for a brief time thereafter. Those events run under the Wakefield Theatre nameplate. The entire property then went into disuse and disrepair as attempts to revive the venue were dashed as the theater suffered a partial roof collapse. The City of Wakefield wrote for permission to raze the landmark which was approved for demolition in 2010 ending any glimmer of hope for a renovation.

Also known as Theater at Wakefield Memorial Building; Wakefield Community Theatre; and the Wakefield Motor Lodge Theatre.

dallasmovietheaters on July 1, 2022 at 10:23 pm

Also known as Theater at Wakefield Memorial Building; Wakefield Community Theatre; and the Wakefield Motor Lodge Theatre.