Oaks Theatre
206 N. Main Street,
Olivet,
MI
49076
206 N. Main Street,
Olivet,
MI
49076
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Additional Info
Functions: Church
Previous Names: State Theatre
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
Opened as the State Theatre prior to 1937. It was still operating as a movie theatre in 1957. Strangely, the State Theatre doesn’t appear in listings in the Film Daily Yearbook until 1956 & 1957 when it’s address is given as 408 Cottage Street and no seating capacity. Purchased by Olivet College and converted into Oaks Theatre for live stage plays. Possibly sold by the college to a church circa 2014.
Contributed by
David Zornig
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
UPDATE: Address is 206 N. Main Street. Building is still standing and is City On A Hill Community Church today. The facade has been redone and the art deco doors have been replaced. The doors could still be seen in the 2008 video link below, from the Water Winter Wonderland link below. Also below is the church’s Facebook page which has current interior photos of the auditorium. The Google Street View shows the 2009 Oaks Theatre facade with the art deco doors still in place. If you pan right from there, it will revert to the 2015 street view with the new facade seen from the corner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFRccu0sSc
http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/movietheaters.aspx?id=1837&LocTypeID=5
https://www.facebook.com/pg/cityonahillolivet/photos/?ref=page_internal
Mr. and Mrs. Earl A. London announced the building of Olivet’s first theatre since the silent era in 1945. The 400-seat house stalled with Wartime shortages finally opening on May 27, 1946 with “Along Came Jones” as the first film shown. The streamline moderne house had era-appropriate features including wide aisles, cry room for parents with babies, listening devices and hat / coat check room.
Mr. and Mrs. C.T. Pier bought the venue from the Londons in July of 1955 converting it to widescreen projection to present CinemaScope titles. That began September 4, 1955. The films proved too wide for Olivet audiences with the Piers closing on December 2, 1955. The Chamber of Commerce decided to reopen the venue on a twice a week basis at month’s end. Charging 10 to 25 cents, older family film presentations were instituted that continued through the end of 1960. It was relit in 1962 for an eclectic, non-profit operation. In 1967, it was staging mostly live plays as the Oaks Theatre.