GC4QT87 (MCH) The Dearborn Theatre (Traditional Cache) in Michigan, United States created by RayQix

GC4QT87 ▼

A cache by RayQix Message this owner

Hidden : 12/1/2013

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Geocache Description:

The Michigan Cinema History (MCH)
caches are dedicated to the local creation,
viewing, or enjoyment of cinema-related
items in the local area.

This can include, and is not limited to, people, places, and things
relating to Cinema or both past-and-present.

This series is a companion to
the Detroit Cinema History (DCH) and
the Ontario Cinema History (OCH) series.

Michigan Cinema History:
The Dearborn Theatre
later known as Showcase Cinemas Dearborn (1992-2006)

24105 Michigan Ave - Dearborn, MI

OPEN: 1941 | CLOSED: 2006 | SEATS: 1200

Front of the theatre - 1941

Opened in 1941 as the Dearborn Theatre, this Charles N. Agree-designed movie house could originally seat 1,498, all on a single sloping floor.

Close-up view of the Marquee and front of the Dearborn

The Dearborn Theatre was a smaller version (around 1,000 less seats) of Agree’s Royal Theatre, which opened in Detroit less than half a year earlier.

1980 view of the Dearborn

Both were designed in bold Streamline Moderne style, and like the Royal Theatre, the Dearborn Theatre contained a small stage, but had no dressing rooms or orchestra pit. The Dearborn Theatre was run by the Wisper and Wetsman circuit from the time it opened, until 1973, when it was acquired by the Wayne Amusement Company.

In the late-1960’s, a small 300-seat auditorium was added to the theater, called the Dearborn Living Room.

2002 view as Showcase Cinemas

In the 1970’s, a third screen was added to the Dearborn. By this time, it was now called the Dearborn Entertainment Center. It was also one of the first theaters in the state of Michigan to serve alcohol, along with Wayne Amusement’s Quo Vadis.

Projector room

In the 1980’s, the original nearly 1,500-seat auditorium was carved into four smaller auditoriums, and in 1986, the complex was sold to National Amusements. During its six-year operation of the Dearborn, National Amusements added yet another three screens.

Auditorium Seat Count would end up totalling out at:
1: 205, 2: 212, 3: 285, 4: 304
5: 367, 6: 306, 7: 307, 8: 306

The marquee that was seen from Telegraph Road on-ramp

In 1992, Showcase Cinemas took over the Dearborn, and it was renamed Showcase Cinemas Dearborn. Though a bit frayed around the edges, the Dearborn remained a popular venue for seeing the latest first-run films.

View of the interior during demolition (2010)

It was closed September 4, 2006 and was demolished in spring of 2010.

As time went on and the public entertainment sources changed, many of the theatres that dotted the landscape of the area would decline in business and eventually close, later being demolished or remodeled into something else.

...almost gone (2010)

This location was demolished and an empty field now occupies the land where the theatre once stood.

Those that remember this classic theatre do so with warm
memories and fondness that will live-on for a long time to come.

This theatre was a wonderful part of
Metro Detroit...and was a beautiful
sight to behold in its day.

This is what makes it part of
Michigan Cinema History.

IF you have any more information or
details on this theatre, please email me
and i will include it in the description.

Thank you.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

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Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)