State Theater (Ann Arbor)

The State Theatre is an operational former movie palace located at the intersection of State Street and Liberty Street in Ann Arbor, MI.

The theater's central location and distinctive green, yellow and red marquee have made it an icon of Ann Arbor's downtown.

The theater was designed by architect C. Howard Crane, who had also designed the Fox Theatre (Detroit), and was built in 1942. The theater was owned and operated by the Butterfield Theater Company until the 1985, when ownership was transferred to the George Kerasotes Corporation. In 1979, under Butterfield ownership, the original theater design (a single screen with a main floor and balcony) was "quaded," with the balcony made into its own separate floor and the screen divided in half to produce four individual screening spaces.

Ownership was transferred to local entrepreneur and Borders Group co-founder Tom Borders in 1987. Borders sold the two bottom screening rooms to the Urban Outfitters chain, who gutted the property and built a store in its place.

Relics of the theater's history can also be seen in its carpeting (which still bears the GKC logo) and in remnants of the original architecture visible in the Urban Outfitters store.

In 2016, restoration work began on the State Theatre's facade and the upstairs theater space to restore the original art deco decor.

The State Theatre is currently owned by a group of private investors, though booking and marketing is handled by the Michigan Theater, which is located just down the street and owns the non-retail space. Both theaters show independent fare, with the State often continuing the runs of films that debuted at the Michigan.

The theater has promoted an 'indie' aesthetic by showcasing ultra-low-budget films in very limited release, such as Who Killed the Electric Car? and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

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