Howell Theatre
315 E. Grand River Avenue,
Howell,
MI
48843
315 E. Grand River Avenue,
Howell,
MI
48843
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The Howell Theatre appears to have been operated under lease by the Schulte Theatre Circuit from the time of its opening, as the announcement of the recent opening of the house in Film Daily of January 5, 1929 noted “Schulte Amuse. Co.” as operators.
It appears that my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson remodeled the Howell Theater, which first opened in 1928, in 1938. His theater job slides include one image of the theater taken in June 1948 with “Sun Mon Robert Young in Sitting Pretty” shown on the marquee. I’ve uploaded a copy to this page.
In this image, the theater is bracketed by a sandwich shop on the left and a bus station on the right, and its exterior is similar to other Johnson theater projects. The marquee and vertical sign are consistent with a late 1930’s style, and the front doors have full glass panes. The blackened areas of brickwork on the second story, which at first glance appear to be smoke damage, can also be seen in a photo apparently taken in 1956 on the WaterWinterWonderland.com site, so it’s not clear what caused this discoloration.
The Howell Theatre is one of just eleven of the more than sixty Michigan theaters that my grandfather’s Johnson Construction Company built or remodeled that is still open today (April 2021).
This opened on December 11th, 1928. Grand opening ad posted.
Curious as to what Mr. DePerro paid when he ‘bought’ the theater??
The Howell is re-opening! Kickstarter project by new owner Tyler DePerro here: http://kck.st/1kJADut
thehowelltheater.com site states: The theater is closed; however, check back for updates on the Root Restaurant coming soon!
Well … sadly, the 86 year-old Howell appears to be permanently darkened, according to my exhibitor partner and current Howell, MI resident, Miss Barbara Jean Babbs. Miss Babbs interviewed a Howell Theater employee last month and learned that the venue had been sold and is slated to become an ‘expensive restaurant.’ As a life-long picture show aficianado, I find atrocities like this to be extremely disheartening. Trendy eateries have a reputation to come and go. It is our hope that the lion’s share of the moviehouse is left intact, so that the possibility of the Howell Theater being re-opened one day remains. These old theaters tended to be the heart and soul of the local communities they served … a gala gathering place. Nothing gold can stay. Dave Lounder (DaveLounderEnterprises.com), CT
Reopened, website at http://www.thehowelltheater.com/