Page 3 - Wayne Dispatch Pages

Now, Watch This!

State Wayne Theater celebrates 75th anniversary

By Courtney Conover provements, among them was a
Let’s rewind and go back in $75,000-upgrade, which replaced
time… carpeting, seats, and upholstery in
Back when a brand-new men’s tie 1964. And what would become one
sold for next to nothing (just over a of the theater’s most unique fea-
buck); meanwhile, the bikini made tures—the Dragon Murals painted
its debut in Paris, France… by Dutch artist Anton Mom—arrived
Back when both Dean Martin's on the scene as well.
and B.B. King's musical careers But by the time the 1970s rolled
began, and Freddie Mercury, Dolly around, the State Wayne had hit a
Parton, Steven Spielberg were born… rough patch: the advent of other
Back when average wages were movie houses—enter the term multi-
$2,500 per year, monthly rent would plexes—meant more competition
set you back about 60 dollars per from surrounding suburbs.
month, and with donuts costing 15 The theater closed in 1977. The
cents per dozen and eggs costing a Michigan Opry then leased the venue,
mere 64 cents per dozen, feeding a which brought live country music
small army breakfast on the cheap shows to the theater.
wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. That plan lasted a few years, and
Oh, and then there’s this nugget: what followed in 1980 was a span of
Tupperware began selling in depart- time Wayne residents—and residents
ment and hardware stores. (The of nearby communities—may re-
company’s home parties wouldn’t member quite fondly: 99-cent movie
begin until 1948, though.) Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Phillips with Santa in the early 1990’s. Photo provided by the Wayne His- tickets.
All these aforementioned cultural torical Museum Ah, yes. Those were the days.
milestones happened quite a while landscape. Shafers had decided that it would be But after decades of a solid run,
ago—1946 to be exact—and that was “Given the context of how many the perfect site for the new theater, the Shafer family decided to sell the
also the year Wayne’s historic State historic buildings Wayne has lost, which was initially intended to re- theater to National Amusements in
Wayne Theater opened for business. the saving of that building—and its place the Wayne Theater. 1986. And the theater closed…again.
Currently known as the Phoenix restoration and reopening—was re- And a name had been picked out, The re-opening in 1991, which
State Wayne Theater, this movie ally one of the highlights of historic too. was spearheaded by the City of
house possesses a rich history that’s preservation in Wayne,” says Moll. “It was supposed to be called The Wayne, brings us to the modern era
as storied as many of the movies that “If you walked out into the middle Academy,” says Moll. of State Wayne Theater, which, much
have been shown inside it. And the of Michigan Avenue—assuming there Land was purchased and plans like the previous years, has also seen
latest chapter is a celebratory one, in- were no cars—and you looked in were drawn up. its fair share of changes.
deed: this month—December 31 to both directions as far as the eyes Then World War II happened. With the assistance of over
be exact— the Phoenix State Wayne could see, I think you’d have a really And that put a proverbial monkey $500,000 in Downtown Develop-
Theater turns 75. hard time finding another building wrench in everything. ment Authority (DDA) funds, the city
“What I really like about the State or business that’s been open for 75 But after the project’s pause, con- purchased and completely over-
Wayne is that it’s generational,” says years. In the same place, looking to struction commenced and the cinder hauled the State Wayne, which in-
Cory Jacobson, owner of Phoenix the outside world much the same as block and fireproof brick 1,500-seat cluded replacing the two existing
Theaters. “During a showing of the it did 75 years ago,” says Jacobson, auditorium with a single screen storefronts with restrooms. The the-
last Rocky film, Creed II, a man whose passion and enthusiasm for opened for business in 1946. It was ater was also divided into three
came in with his elderly father, who the theater is palpable. called The State Theater because screens and a live stage.
was well into his nineties. They came And justifiably so: 75 years in sometime between 1940 and 1946, Then, several years later, the the-
out of the theater and the father said business is nothing to sneeze at. Es- the name The Academy had gone out ater’s famed—and immensely per-
that they’ve watched every Rocky pecially these days. the window. However, to distinguish sonal—mural, called "Wayne History
film here since 1976. And when you More on that in a minute. But, the theater from nearby competi- Mural," was created by David Fichter
think about that kind of history, first, let’s explore how the theater got tors—both the cities of Ann Arbor and Joshua Winer with assistance
where someone can go back over here. and Pontiac had movie theaters from Anthony Ivezaj. The hand-
forty years, and they’ve followed a The concept of bringing a new called State Theater—local newspa- painted work of art, which is ar-
film series at that particular theater, theater to the City of Wayne was the pers referred to Wayne’s new movie guably now as well-known as the
I think that in itself is really an ex- brainchild of Walter Shafer. The year house as State-Wayne in movie list- building’s original marquee, covers
traordinary thing.” was 1940, and Shafer and his family ings. the vast majority of the theater’s east
According to Tyler Moll, manager had already owned the Wayne The- The name stuck. exterior wall. The eye-catching art-
of the Wayne Historical Museum, the ater, which was also on Michigan Av- During the years that followed, deco painting style (called “Trompe
Phoenix State Wayne Theater holds enue. A functioning lumberyard the State Wayne would undergo a
a unique spot in this city’s overall existed a stone’s throw away, and the wide spectrum of alterations and im- See State Wayne, page 4

The Wayne Dispatch · December 2021 · 3