Bad Axe Theatre
309 E. Huron Avenue,
Bad Axe,
MI
48413
309 E. Huron Avenue,
Bad Axe,
MI
48413
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Related Websites
Bad Axe Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Schulte's Theatres
Firms: Johnson Construction Co.
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Knights of Columbus Theatre
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This classic small town movie theatre in Bad Axe, Michigan opened on February 21, 1916 with 500 seats. It was built for the Knights of Columbus and served as their meeting hall, a venue for social events and a silent movie theatre.
In recent years, the balcony was enclosed to create a second auditorium with seating as Cinema 1: 300 seats, Cinema 2: 70 seats. It was closed in late-2026 to be upgraded.
Contributed by
G Flinn
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Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
Did I say Illinois? All of those theaters are in Michigan. Sorry about that.
Here is a 1985 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/d7m32o
Whats in a name,pretty cool looking place.
I see Clint Eastwood is playing there in “FIREFOX”
Both 1982 pictures are from the same day different position on the street.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s theater job slides include one shot taken in September 1948. It shows four red art moderne style entrance doors with half-octagonal glass. Al was said to have held a patent on these “Johnson doors” and they were a feature of several of his Michigan theater jobs. These doors, or identical replacements, are seen in a 2020 view of the theater.
My uncle (Albert S. Johnson Jr.) compiled a list of Johnson Construction Co. theater projects and it shows two Bad Axe Theatre remodeling projects - in 1935 and 1947.
All but one of Michigan Schulte Circuit theaters listed in Ken C McIntyre’s 2007 post were built or remodeled by my grandfather’s company: the Main in Coldwater, the Oakdale in Hazel Park, the Howell in Howell, the Mariner in Marine City, the Romeo in Romeo, the Strand in Tecumseh and the Ryan in Warren. he built or remodeled a total of sixty-four Michigan theaters and drive-ins between the 1930s and 1950s.
Odd name for the theatre and town!!
The city was supposedly named by an Army surveyor who found an old rusted axe at an abandoned campsite at the junction of 2 trails.
Huron Daily Tribune article and link with a Go Fund Me page for restoration of the Bad Axe marquee. (Direct link below that.) Courtesy Save the Signs on Facebook.
https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/GoFundMe-raising-money-to-restore-Bad-Axe-16992137.php?fbclid=IwAR3W2w-Oaiimcde39P8XhEfWQczK4KqsE2BBx1s3tRPYWoWf5DXJMxa9xJ4
https://www.gofundme.com/f/bad-axe-theatre-marquee-restoration-fund
Facebook says that it is now closed.
“As the curtains close on the Bad Axe Theater, my heart is filled with gratitude. Thank you to everyone who walked through those doors…”
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063787950827