Orpheum Theatre

The Orpheum Theatre was a 430-seat Streamline Moderne style, sound era theater which was housed in an 1843-built structure in downtown Battle Creek at 37 E. Main Street (turned E. Michigan Avenue in 1928). The building’s most well known occupants were the International Order of Odd Fellows - Lodge 29 and a 19th and 20th Century furniture and casket store, Farley Furniture.

This theater’s roots, however, were directly across the street. The area was better known as Battle Creek’s “Hotel Row” with some long-lasting 19th Century hotels. The neighboring buildings were the Williams Hotel turned Clifton turned Milner Hotel before being fused together as one with the LaVerne Hotel. Because of the foot traffic, it was a perfect spot for a new nickelodeon… or two. And on June 7, 1907, the 38 E. Main Street building was home to a nickelodeon, the Vaudette Theatre. Its near neighbor at 14 E. Main was another nickelodeon, the Queen City Theatre, with the same management, H.B. Knapp.

Lipp & Lathrop took on the Vaudette Theatre venue on December 11, 1908 renaming it as the Dreamland Theatre, which would last some 17 years. Local theatre magnate Glenn A. Cross took over the Queen City Theatre shortening it to the Queen Theatre. Cross then purchased the Dreamland Theatre and closed the Queen Theatre in September of 1909. He also served double duty as the baritone vocalist in illustrated songs between short films and often played the piano accompaniment to the silent films.

In 1919, Glenn Cross and Harvey Lipp formed the Legitimate Theatre Corporation Circuit - but dropped the Dreamland Theatre and would later sell all of their theatres to the W.S. Butterfield Circuit in 1928. In 1920, under new operator L.M. Looney, the Dreamland Theatre was redecorated with new seats, now 250, and a large ventilating fan. In 1923, Vogel Vasileff took on the Dreamland Theatre and would became the first Creekite female owned theatre when Ann Theodore - Vogel’s niece - took on the venue.

In December of 1925, the Dreamland Theatre closed and its space was remodeled into a furniture store for Anway Peerless. Theodore picked up the seats and other contents from the Dreamland Theatre and moved across the street remodeling the Farley Furniture Store at 37 E. Michigan Avenue into a theatre. She rechristened it as the Elite Theatre at its grand opening on December 19, 1925. She was pleased to increase from 250 seats to 430 seats (although that change was not captured by the trade press of the day).

The Elite Theatre did get a street name change. On February 27, 1928, the City of Battle Creek forwarded a proposition to change Marshall and Main Street to Michigan Avenue. That was voted upon and passed by voters on March 31, 1928. On April 28, 1929, the Elite Theatre installed Vocalphone sound to present Movietone sound films. This left the Majestic Theatre as the only movie theater without sound and it would survive to the end of 1930 playing silent films.

In 1937, the Elite Theatre name ended on May 29, 1937 screening Ted Scott in “Melody of the Plains". The venue got new ownership in Ross Theatre Circuit of Lansing. After a lightning quick Streamline Moderne style refresh with new signage, it relaunched as the Orpheum Theatre on June 12, 1937. It opened with William Powell in “After the Thin Man".

The Orpheum Theatre’s last presentation was a double-feature of “Blondie in Society” starring Penny Singleton and “Prisoner of Japan” starring Alan Baxter on March 21, 1943. Fire took out the theatre, the USO Club in the building, and the 95 year old building was no more. Ross Theatres announced a new 800-seat replacement to go up on the site. But War shortages and denial by the War Production Board to create that space stalled that plan until 1946 when the building’s remains were removed for the new theatre building.

In the process of excavating the land for the new Eastown Theatre building, a tombstone of Philetus H. Borthwick, age 2, with an engraving of a willow tree with date of death noted as January 2, 1852 was found in the excavation process. This obviously led to a slow down and a mystery to solve which included architect Lewis J. Sarvis. Fortunately, no graveyard / burial site was found and inspection by those in the know concluded that the tombstone was never actually used. The Philetus H. Borthwick tombstone mystery went unsolved with two possibilities proffered in 1947 but going unproven.

After the hubbub, the Eastown Theatre, on the planning table since March of 1943, finally opened on September 5, 1947. It has its own Cinema Treasures page.

And this entry ends there… except those who might be curious about the tombstone. You may want to read on because this mystery is likely now “solved” here in the 21st Century…….In the local newspaper, two hypotheses were proposed to explain the presence of the unused Philetus H. Borthwick tombstone. The first, offered in 1947, suggested that the stone was produced by Shafer Brothers Marble Works, which operated in downtown Battle Creek. This would account for the tombstone’s proximity to the former Orpheum Theatre site. However, Shafer Marble Works was located across the street and down the block, raising even more unanswered questions: how did a single tombstone end up buried beneath the site, and why was it the only one found? For these reasons, this explanation was considered unconvincing in 1947 and remains so today.

The second hypothesis held that it was common practice to use scrap materials -possibly including tombstones — as fill for building foundations. This idea was tied to the depression created by the Battle Creek River within downtown, which necessitated gravel, dirt, and stone fill during the construction of Main Street buildings. Although the structure in question dates to 1843, and such a practice is not impossible, several problems remain with the second hypothesis.

How could a tombstone have been used as fill without sustaining scratches or other significant surface damage? Why would only a single tombstone be used in that fill mix? Moreover, most of the fill for buildings in and around the IOOF / Orpheum building would have been in place prior to 1862. This hypothesis was not well regarded in 1947 and has certainly not aged well.

A more plausible explanation emerges when considering the building’s earlier tenant: Ranger & Farley, which occupied the structure beginning in 1882. Messrs. Ranger & Farley were undertakers in Albion, Michigan, who transitioned into furniture retail when they bought the Gilbert Furniture store housed here at 37 E. Main Street. They would immediately create a three-level furniture store, with a basement floor devoted to a “funeral furnishing department.” Their advertisements even mention engraving services which was probably in their Albion funeral planning background, as well.

Additional context comes from “The Borthwick Family: A History and Genealogy of the Family of Borthwick, chiefly in Scotland and America (1936)” by Halsey M. Borthwick, which places father William Borthwick in Michigan, with other sources situating him specifically in the Albion area. Taken together, this suggests that Ranger & Farley may have used the Borthwick tombstone as a sample in their basement funeral furnishings department— it, unused, perhaps because of an error, imperfection, or even nonpayment.

An 1882 article notes that Ranger & Farley had moved some of their goods into the former Gilbert Store. Later reports of the Orpheum Theatre fire indicate that while the upper portions of the building were gutted, the basement and walls remained intact. From 1925 to 1943, this basement would likely not have been used by the theater. During demolition, the sample tombstone — stored or forgotten in the former store basement — was likely displaced in the process and ultimately discovered by the excavation crew.

In light of the historical record, this explanation stands as the only credible interpretation, fully accounting for the tombstone’s condition, location, and preservation; it therefore resolves the Philetus H. Borthwick tombstone mystery hopefully once and for all. A photo of the tombstone is included in photos with the architect of the Eastown Theatre included for posterity if not evidence.

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