OPEN: August 27, 1927 | CLOSED: 1951
CAPACITY: 1500 (when built)
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1927 photo of the Wayne (just prior to it's Grand Opening)
**The Beginning**
The idea of a theatre and hotel in Wayne was first mentioned while in camp during the Deer Season of 1925 by a man named George M. Stellwagon. Mr. Stellwagon, C. K. Miller, R. W. Reiser, and John Hawthorne were in the group, and these four individuals later became the principals who succeeded in stirring up enough enthusiasm to propose such a project to folks that could assist both financially and in contruction of such a project. WIth little to do in the long evenings while at camp, they had nothing else to do but plan such a venture and see if they could make it work later on.
Management of the construction work and outlining the plans and specifications for Wayne's new hotel and theatre building was entirely in line with the earlier experiences of C. K. Miller, who had done this type of work before. Miller had previously come to Wayne as an efficiency engineer for Harround Motors Company (an automobile manufacturer) in the spring of 1917. He had been associated with several prominent automobile and building projects, and was able to prepare plans and details to present to investors, at little cost to the project.
Organization of the Wayne Theatre Corporation was completed in the summer of 1926, following an informal gathering of local business men who had become interested in the project. R. W. Reiser was named president of the company; Harry Goodman, vice-president; George Gerbstad, secretary; and John Truesdell, treasurer. These men, with Charles A. Handeyside, comprised the board of directors.
Auditorium of the Wayne
Other stockholders of the corporation were William Meyers, T. A. Jamieson, John E. Hawthorne, C. C. Maben, William F. Hoffman, A. S. Poole, Elizabeth Stellwagon, Agness Stellwagon, Matthew H Tinkham, William E. Rice, Adolf Knorfske, Andrew Moore, Frank Bewernitz, George M. Stellwagon, and Charles K. Miller then later named general manager and had active charge of all details of construction.
Without exception these people were all residents of the community and all during the process of promotion and construction the idea had been the uppermost of making the theatre and hotel a proposition that would merit the pride of the territory in and around Wayne.
The same thought was given to the contracts for other parts to the building. In every case possible, the work was given to members, or companies, of the local community. Actual promotion of the theatre proposition was started in January 1926. The first work had begun on August 2, 1926 and the beginning of work above grade had its start December 3, 1926. During the construction period 28 days were lost because of weather conditions when the foundations were being made, and another 12 days after the building was ready to be enclosed.
Eastern Outside Wall of the Wayne
The theatre was constructed with safety of it's patrons being the first priority. The biggest concern was the risk of fire, as many previously-constructed theatre-houses were made mainly of wood and had burned, costing many lives in the process. This one was to be constructed of steel and cement, thereby lowering that risk to the people who would come to enjoy the many shows that were to be performed here.
The "mix" of steel and cement had been planned out and executed "in harmonious proportions" in the construction and the "most modern methods and materials" were used. The cement work, from the foundation to the roof (including the masonry work) performed by local contractors known as the Arrowsmith Brothers, Ernie & George. Their reputation for excellence in this work had been well established by this time in this part of the country. The first cement was poured in August 1926, and the last would be poured in July 1927.
A glimpse of the theatre in later years did not give proper homage to everything that had been done in creating this fine structure. The tastefully-decorated walls gave no indication to just how well-constructed everything had been.
Underneath all the beauty, lies a mass of concrete and steel that was used to insure the patrons safety at all times.
Inside the entrance to the theatre
The floors, dressing rooms, stage enclosures, projection room and all other parts where wood was not essential, were of reinforced concrete. In addition to the theatre's spacious stage, the stage was provided with a score of drops and scenery sufficient for vaudeville acts, still keeping with the design of the theatre and its grandeur.
Modern stage equipment had been installed, with dressing rooms and orchestra room underneath. There were 850 seats provided for the patrons with every seat in the theatre having an unobstructed view of the stage. An additional 100 seats could have been provided, if necessary.
The ladies lounge was located on the balcony floor and was reached from the foyer by an ornamental staircase.
At the time, there was even a smoking room located in the basement with an entrance to this room available from the foyer. The floors of the Wayne were heavily heavily carpeted with the furnishings in keeping with the general color scheme and the walls were furnished in antique plaster and delicately tinted. The theatre's wide entrance and exit aisles, handsome stairways to the balcony and magnificent electrical fixtures were also a sight to be seen.
The hotel part of the building had 21 rooms with a handsome lobby with all the rooms having running water and quality baths as part of their standard equipment. Five retail store spaces were built and had tenants before they were completed. These first two were "L. A. Tooley Confectionery Shop" and "Steins Flower Shop".
The basement held a a bowling alley for patrons to enjoy themselves, since even to this day, the Southeast Michigan area is one of the largest concentrations of bowling alleys, and bowlers, in the country.
The entire building was leased in early spring of 1926 to the Woodward Theatre Company of Detroit, even before the construction had begun. Henry S. Koppin, who operated a string of 26 theatres in and around the city of Detroit, was head of the leasing company. When they announced their operating policies for the Wayne, Mr. Koppin stated that "only the best in films would be sent to the local house". On Saturday and Sunday, vaudeville shows were added to the regular bill and the program would be continuous from 2:00pm until 11:00pm on these days.
The Wayne Theatre opened on August 27, 1927 to much fanfare and public adoration for such a fine work of architecture and design. Not only was it pleasing to the eye, but it also featured some technological enhancements that gave it excellent acoustics, a full orchestra pit, and a "fly loft" for stage curtains.
In theatrical terms a "Fly Loft" is home to all of the tools that support, surround and illuminate the actors on stage, helping to enhance the story, the characters and their journey throughout the performanc. Having a Fly Loft makes transitions easier and smoother as the action moves from scene to scene. A Fly Loft is all about possibility and potential and creating the best performance for the audience to enjoy and become a part of.
1940's front of the Wayne Theatre.
The Wayne Theatre, by all accounts, was one of the most beautiful ever built in a small town and with the seating capacity for around 850 patrons total. This would be split between 625 on the main floor, and 225 in the balcony. The Wayne was a versatile mix of entertainment, lodging, and retail spaces, all enclosed in one complex. All of these features gave way to Advertising that called the theatre "The Pride of Wayne" with the promises of "The Latest in Photo Plays" (what they called Motion Pictures back then).
There would later be special "Radio Nights" at the wayne that included broadcasts of boxing fights between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. Local Detroit Radio Station WJR-AM would regularly present normally-broadcast items, but in this forum, an entire audience could enjoy it *together* instead of separately elsewhere. Some of the biggest-name entertainment acts of the time including Al Jolson and Fred Astaire would come to play at the Wayne and fed the ever-growing entertainment needs of the public....at least for a time.
Things were going well for the business.....until the Stock Market Crash of 1929 caused Koppin to close his chain of theatres, including the Wayne. With the entire economy upset and chaotic, entertainment was far-less a priority to the public than being able to put food on the table at home. This closing of Koppin's theatres left the company and many employees with an uncertain future.
**The Shafer Years**
Walter Dennis Shafer from Indianapolis, Indiana where he had been a public stenographer joined the Fox organization and learned theatre management in New York and New Jersey. He met his wife Lillian in Elizabeth, New Jersey and in 1921, he became manager of the Fox Washington Theatre on Washington Boulevard in Downtown Detroit. Five years later he helped supervise the building of the present Fox Theatre on Woodward and was put in charge after it opened.
In 1927 Shafer left Fox and joined the Koppin vaudeville circuit as general manager of theatres in Detroit, Flint, Dearborn, and Wayne.
The Wayne had closed in 1930 under Koppin, but would reopen a year later in 1931 after Shafer reopened the Wayne Theatre with his sons, Charles and Martin. This was made possible after Shafer borrowed $500 from his mother, which was a very large sum at that time (especially during the Great Depression) and the Wayne became one of the first of many locations that would make up the chain of theatres called The Shafer Group.
Back of the theatre (1990's)
The goal of the Shafer's was to focus on films, rather than live shows. This focus would turn out to be a very profitable business-plan for many years to come after reopening the Wayne.
Around 1945, just after World War II ended, Walter Shafer, along with his sons Charles and Martin, decided to create a new theatre to eventually replace the "aging" Wayne. The original Wayne had only been built less than 20 years prior, but with the newer stylings of architecture at the time, the Shafers wanted to have a facility with a little more "modern" feel and atmosphere to it for people to enjoy a matinee or evening at the show.
Shafers ran the original Wayne as a movie house until 1951, when it was closed to focus on the "State Of The Art" State-Wayne. As with the Vaudeville acts that were once so popular, the Wayne Theatre also would soon become but a fond memory.
Front of the Wayne (1990's)
The lobby of the Wayne was converted into a music store and occasionally some of the local high schools used the stage for activities such as graduations or high-school-theatre productions. Eventually, the seats would be removed and the auditorium was partitioned into music and dance rehearsal rooms. It remained that way for over 40 years until April 1985, when a mysterious fire destroyed the lobby and the stores along Michigan Avenue. Fortunately, the theatre space itself sustained only minor smoke and water damage and the thought was at that time, that it could be salvaged and restored to it's former glory as an entertainment venue.
After the fire happened, it sat vacant and fenced-off for nearly two years while folks tried to raise some funding to begin restoration of the theatre. A group of theatre restoration enthusiasts would eventually form a non-profit corporation to attempt to restore the Wayne theatre to its magestic grandeur that it once had. This group was called "The Palace Theater Company" and was named after the Palace Opera House that had been built in Wayne in 1886.
Proposed concept design before the building was demolished
An open house was held at the Wayne Theatre on Thursday, August 27, 1987 (60 years after opening night) to announce restoration plans that would include rebuilding of the lobby, refurbishing the auditorium to its former splendor, and creating a performing arts center for the Western Wayne County area. The Wayne Theatre was one of the few remaining vaudeville houses in the State of Michigan and was considered by many a true historic treasure. The hope was to save it from the wrecking ball and preserve a part of the local heritage for future generations.
Unfortunately, the efforts of this group met with many forms of opposition from groups that viewed the Wayne as a crumbling eyesore that needed to be removed. There had been plans to renovate the space into a mix of Retail and Residential space, but the money needed was far beyond what anyone was willing to put into the building to make it happen.
Stage of the Wayne
There were many discussions of how to renovate, reuse, and repurpose the Wayne Theatre without demolishing it, but eventually all of the plans that had been viable at one time, seemed to just disappear.
There were City Council meetings about the future of the aging and crumbling building and in early 2008, the City of Wayne finally got the approval for the demolition process to begin. One of the first things that needed to be done was a process called "Asbestos Abatement" where the fire-retardant material that had made the Wayne Theatre safe for it's patrons, had been found to be unhealthy to people. Until the asbestos was removed, demolition could not begin. Even the abatement process was well underway, there were attempts to save many of the decorative elements that had adorned the theatre and had survived the various events that had taken place. These pieces were still very much beautiful works of art from when the theatre was first constructed in the 1920's and would have been just "one more thing" to add to the beauty of the facility. Instead, they were being saved by folks that wanted to keep at least part of the theatre alive.
2008, during demolition
In September 2008, the final blows of the wrecking ball made their way through the well-built concrete and steel structure of the Wayne Theatre Building....and with that, "The Pride Of Wayne" was gone.
Some folks said, it was "a sad day for a city that doesn’t have much history left to spare."
Whether that is true or not, the city does still have much rich history to show for itself and that history does live on to this day.