Thom Greene-Michigan Theatre Collection

Description:

Architectural designer Thom Greene lived in Lansing while he was a graduate student at the Lawrence Institute of Technology (Detroit), because the topic of his thesis was Lansing's Michigan Theatre. He was involved in a campaign in the early 1980s to prevent demolition of and revitalize the theatre, which was partially successful. Hobbs and Black & Associates transformed it into a mixed use office and retail complex known as the Atrium Center; the front section and the balcony seating area were preserved while the auditorium was not saved. The theatre, which began life in 1921 as the Strand Theatre, had an ornate terra cotta facade and was used initially for vaudeville shows. It eventually became a movie house, and was renamed the Michigan Theatre in 1941. It closed in 1980 and sat vacant until the revitalization in 1984. This collection includes Greene's thesis, a longitudinal drawing, pen and ink drawings, approximately 500 photographic slides of Lansing properties, files related to the theatre, and pen and ink drawings by Greene's business partner Rick Proppe of Cooley Law School, the Ingham County Courthouse, and the American Lung Association offices in Lansing.

Date Created:

[1975 TO 2012]

Data Provider:

Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives

Collection:

Thom Greene-Michigan Theatre Collection

Subject Topic:

Lansing (Mich.), Theaters, Restoration, Architects, and Drawings

Language:

English

Rights:

Copyright Not Evaluated

URL:

http://cadl.pastperfectonline.com/archive/54DBA907-7A33-47D7-ADDA-142527440792