Rapids Theatre
451 N. Shore Drive,
Eaton Rapids,
MI
48827
451 N. Shore Drive,
Eaton Rapids,
MI
48827
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If the Eaton Theater in Charlotte was saved, something could - and should - have been done with the Rapids. On the occasions I drive through Eaton Rapids, I would drive by where the theater was and can only imagine if it were still open today; most likely as two screens, like the Eaton, but the Rapids could have possibly shown what the Eaton couldn’t get, if it was still here!
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson, referenced above as the “theatre consultant” was also the general contractor for the construction of the Rapids Theatre. His Johnson Construction Company built at least sixty-four Michigan theaters and drive-ins between the 1930s and 1950s.
I’ve uploaded six Kodachrome slides that Al shot of the Rapids Theatre in 1950. In two of them you can see the free-hand drawings or murals referenced in the above overview.
This former theater site is now used for a bank and a furniture store.
Here is a 1983 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dn2ttd