Royal Art Theatre (#2)

The second Royal Art Theatre was a throw back to the very first era of store-show movie houses hastily placed in a retail storefront and showing films in a substandard setting. This second Royal Art Theatre operated six years and four months from 1973 to 1979 - about six years and three months longer than most of its neighbors wanted. The Royal Art 2 represents an era in cinema during which downtown flight occurred with vacant storefronts becoming abundant in the 1970’s as central business district retailers headed for suburban strip shopping centers and malls. Aging theatres were closed and torn down - the fate of the original Royal Art Theatre.

The original Royal Art Theatre was housed in a fading Charles H. Agree-designed - once mainstream - Art Deco style movie theatre. It had evolved from live vaudeville (Savoy Theatre), to upper tier movie house (New Savoy Theatre) before its descent to second tier movie house (Rialto Theatre), to bottom tier movie house, to porno chic / art house (Theatre Royal), to straight porn theater (Royal Art Theatre). In the throes of urban renewal, the Royal Art Theatre was evicted on April 20, 1973 with Candy Samples in “Mrs. Harris Cavity” and Lloyd Kaufman’s “The New Comers” ending the ride… but only for a few hours.

The Royal Art Theatre picked up the projectors and moved less than a block away here to 224 S. Saginaw opening up the very next day also as the Royal Art Theatre with John Holmes in “3 Came Running” and Dalana Bissonnett in “Initiation (Night)”. It lasted until August 19, 1979 going out in porno chic style with Linda Lovelace in “Deep Throat” and John Holmes in “The Jade Pussycat". As John might have said, it doesn’t get any bigger than that. The second Royal Art Theatre was demolished in 1979 for the Hyatt Hotel project.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.