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).
My uncle’s list of Johnson Construction Company theater jobs indicates two projects associated with the Oakdale Theatre in Hazel Park Michigan. The date of the first job was simply identified as “orig” and the second project was dated 1947, so it’s not clear whether my grandfather Al Johnson’s company built the theater originally or just remodeled it a couple of times.
The WaterWinterWonderland.com website describes: “…located on the northwest corner of 8 mile and Stephenson Hwy/Oakland Ave in Hazel Park, next to Oak gas station on the corner. There was also a dance hall located upstairs next to [a] Dr. office next to theater.”
The Oakdale theater and several businesses were housed in the Meinke Building. The doctor’s office described above was the Helene Meinke Hospital, named for Dr. Herman Meinke’s wife. Dr. Meinke delivered several members (and at least two generations) of our family. My grandfather Al Johnson, who founded the construction company, ultimately passed away in Meinke Hospital in 1958.
Al left behind two wonderfully colorful Kodachrome slides with street views of the theater taken in December 1949. I’ve uploaded these to this page.
The theater features three pairs of the patented red “Johnson doors,” an ornate marquee and a prominent vertical “Oakdale” sign. In both images you can also see several of the businesses adjacent to the theater, including a five & dime store, dance hall, department store and a barber/beauty salon.
The extensive write-up of the Ken Theatre in the “1947 theater catalog” on this site does not include the name of the general contractor. So we can’t be 100% sure who built the theater.
Beginning in 1948 my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson shot Kodachrome slides of most of the sixty-four Michigan theaters and drive-ins that his Johnson Construction Company built - including those that he’d built prior that year. His collection includes one exterior image of the Ken, taken in June 1948. The marquee says “Comedy Carnival Color Cartoons and Shorts.” I’ve uploaded the image to this page.
Although the “Quonset hut” architecture of the building is unique, the style of the entrance is similar to other theaters built by Johnson. Whether or not Al built the Ken, he left us with a nice image from 1948.
One more comment: the overview above says that after the Fowler Theatre closed, the theater’s seats were moved to the Howell Theatre. The Howell Theatre is another Michigan movie house that my grandfather Al Johnson remodeled - we think in 1938 according to family records - and it’s still open today.
My grandfather Al Johnson’s Kodachrome theater job slides, include two street views of the Orr Theatre in Fowlerville taken in June 1948. The theater is in what appears to be a late 1800’s/early 1900’s building. The signage, marquee and overall exterior appearance portray a very modest movie venue.
The Orr Theatre does not appear on A.S. Johnson Jr’s draft list of Al’s theater projects, so it is unclear whether Johnson Construction Co. worked on the theater, and if so, when.
Albert S. “Al” Johnson, my grandfather, built the Fowler Theatre in 1947. I’ve just uploaded several of Kodachrome slide images that he took in 1948 and 1949.
In an exterior view of the theater, taken in May 1948, a Roy Rogers movie “The Gay Ranchero” is listed on the marquee. The marquee/sign itself is rather modest in size and design.
Although the front of the theater lacks a wall-to-wall porcelain enamel finish, it still features red accents and two pairs of half-moon glass doors. My grandfather was said to have held a patent on this style (called “Johnson doors”), and they were found on several of his theaters built between the 1930s and 1950s.
Several slides with interior views of the theater - including a rare view of a concession area - were dated May and September 1949.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built the Flatroc Theatre in 1939. His son’s list of Johnson Construction Co. projects lists this job without the year, but I was able to deduce it from some historic online photos.
On the WaterWInterWonderland.com site, there’s an image of the marquee showing “Gala Premier Opening Friday September Twenty Second,” and another marquee photo with “Ann Southern in Congo Maisie” which was released in 1940. The only year between 1935 and 1940 in which September 22nd fell on a Friday was 1939.
My grandfather shot four color Kodachrome slides of the Flatroc nine years later. I’ve uploaded them to this page. Al’s exterior slide was shot in May 1948 and it shows two pairs of his patented “art moderne” or “art deco” style “Johnson doors” with matching half-octagonal windows.
Al took four interior images in November 1948. The free-hand painted pastel murals on the walls are typical of Johnson-built theaters of the era. One slide is labeled “Vlachos” and shows a sharply-dressed John Vlachos, who was the theater owner.
Another image is the only one in 150 or more slides that my grandfather left behind that shows movie-goers sitting in a theater that he built. A distinctly young audience appears to be waiting for the Western “Marshal of Amarillo” staring Allan “Rocky” Lane to start.
The Radio City Theatre in Ferndale, Michigan appears on my uncle’s Johnson Construction Company job list, but without a project date. Unfortunately my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s theater project slide collection does not include any shots of this theater. For such an impressive theater, its absence in his slide collection is curious.
It’s not clear if my grandfather built the theatre in 1937 or if perhaps he did a later remodeling job. All of his theater jobs were completed between the early 1930s and 1952.
The Harbor Theatre stood at 4195 West Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse and was built by my grandfather A.S. “Al” Johnson in 1948.
I’ve uploaded the three 35 mm Kodachrome slide images that Al left us, all taken in September 1948. They show interior work being done prior to installing the theater seats. Free-hand painted murals in pastel colors can be seen on the walls. This type of interior decoration can be seen in several of my grandfather’s theaters.
Unfortunately Al didn’t leave us any 1948 slides showing the exterior of the Harbor Theatre.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson, referenced above as the “theatre consultant” was also the general contractor for the construction of the Rapids Theatre. His Johnson Construction Company built at least sixty-four Michigan theaters and drive-ins between the 1930s and 1950s.
I’ve uploaded six Kodachrome slides that Al shot of the Rapids Theatre in 1950. In two of them you can see the free-hand drawings or murals referenced in the above overview.
The Eastwood Theatre was located at at 21145 Gratiot Avenue in Eastpointe, Michigan. The accompanying June 1949 Kodachrome slide image was shot by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson, whose company, Johnson Construction Co., built or remodeled the theater.
The new-looking bare block walls suggest that the project was new construction. The use of the word “Cool” painted in two places on the front of the theater highlight its air conditioning system. The tan and red porcelain-like tiled front, and the red art moderne/art deco style doors with matching octagonal glass (a type of “Johnson doors”) all were typical elements of Johnson-built theaters in the 1930s through 1950s.
Although the Cinema Treasures and waterwinterwonderland.com websites indicate that the theater opened in 1942, Al’s slide is labeled “6 - 49” and the marquee says “Open next Thursday June 30.” June 30 fell on Thursday in 1949 (and on Tuesday in 1942) so I believe the June 30, 1949 opening date is correct.
Another possible explanation is that the theater opened in 1942 and was closed for remodeling just seven years later in 1949, but that doesn’t seem likely.
Our family records show that my grandfather’s Johnson Construction Company remodeled the Family Theatre in East Tawas sometime in “the 30’s.”
The CinemaTour website says that “the Family Theatre opened in 1910 as the Panoramic and was renamed in 1930.” If the Johnson job was done in 1930 in conjunction with the renaming of the theater, it was the earliest of sixty-four theater and drive-in projects that we know that Al Johnson completed in Michigan. Regrettably, he did not leave behind any slides of this theater job.
The Family Theatre is still open and word has it that it recently has been bought by a family that intends to spruce it up and keep it open for years to come. This is one of eleven theaters built by my grandfather and other members of our family that remains open today.
My grandfather Al Johnson’s theater slides include two exterior shots of the Graystone Theatre taken in December 1949. His son’s list of Johnson theater projects does not include the Graystone so it’s not clear what year a Johnson job might have been completed.
The Graystone Theatre is in an older building, but in the 1949 images the entrance appears to have new doors and a new front. The red porcelain-like tile material used on the front of the building is typical of Johnson-built theaters. The overall style of the building entrance and marquee suggest to me to have been done in the 1930s.
The Main Theatre in Coldwater was built by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson. A 1943 Box Office issue cited on this (Cinema Treasures) website indicates that the theater opened in 1942.
The accompanying June 1948 Kodachrome image (with “State of the Union” on the marquee) taken by Al Johnson shows the theatre in an “art deco” or “art moderne” style including three pairs of doors with half-octagonal glass. These were a type of the patented “Johnson doors” that were seen on several of Al’s theaters projects of the 1930s through 1950s.
The tan and red color scheme of the porcelain-like tiled front of the theater is one of those seen in several Johnson-built theaters of the era.
Family records of Johnson Construction Company theater projects also show a 1938 Coldwater job as “Crystal?” The Cinema Treasures website has this reference to the Crystal Theatre: “The [Box Office] issue of January 31, 1942 has this item datelined Coldwater, Michigan: ‘The new Main, owned by Robert H. Moore and William J. Schulte, has opened here. The old Crystal, owned and managed by Moore, has been closed. Moore will manage the new house.’ ”
I could find no other online reference to the Crystal Theatre in Coldwater.
My grandfather Albert S. (“Al”) Johnson built and remodeled theaters and drive-ins throughout Michigan. His company was the Johnson Construction Co., and it was based out of Birmingham. The Tibbits Theatre remodeling job was completed in 1934 according to records compiled by Al’s son Albert S. “Bud” Johnson Jr.
The accompanying Kodachrome image, taken by Al Johnson in June 1948 fourteen years after his remodel job, shows the theater still in its 1934 “art deco” or “art moderne” style. The theater has since been restored to its original opera house style and is open to this day.
Johnson theater work became something of a family affair.
My dad (Doug Gray) and paternal grandfather (Robie Gray) both worked for Johnson on theater and drive-in jobs for many years - as did Al’s sons Chuck and Bud Johnson. Dad related to me that during one theater renovation job, an old car (a Model T or earlier model) was discovered at the back of the original theater stage when an interior wall was removed. The car had been used as a prop for a theater production and had been left in place during an earlier renovation. When it was discovered, the theater owner assumed ownership and had the car delivered to his house.
I’m almost certain that this story referred to the 1934 Tibbits Theatre project.
My uncle Bud Johnson’s documentation includes the Clawson Theatre, at 116 W. 14 Mile Road in Clawson, as a 1941 Johnson Construction Company project, but without the year of the job. Unfortunately, my grandfather Al Johnson’s theater slides don’t include any from this job.
A photo on the “WaterWinterWonderland.com” site shows the theater with a 1954 film “Demetrius and the Gladiators” on the marquee. In that image the right-hand door is propped open and you can see that it’s a half-moon glass “Johnson door” - the style of door that my grandfather was said to have patented and is seen on dozens of the Michigan theaters that he built during the era.
My uncle’s list of Johnson Construction Company theater projects shows the Cass Theatre as a 1938 job.
The Cinema Treasures website says that the theater was gutted by a fire on November 29, 1939 and was then rebuilt and opened in 1940 as “The New Cass Theater.” If my uncle’s project time is accurate, then the theater was restored after Al Johnson’s work. However, if the project time was 1939-1940, then Johnson Construction most likely did the renovation work.
In any case, the accompanying Kodachrome slide that Al shot in June 1948 (with the 1947 film “Undercover Maisie” on the marquee) shows the theater in the style that characterizes all of the Johnson theater projects between the mid 1930’s and the late 1940’s. The porcelain-like red, cream and tan colored exterior tiles were a feature of almost all of the Johnson-built theaters of the era.
Though our family lacks written or photographic documentation, it’s probable that my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built the Bay Theatre in Caseville. My sister remembers our dad telling her about building a theater for Johnson Construction Company there. We’re assuming that it was the Bay Theatre at 6750 Main Street. The building still stands but currently is being used as a church.
Between the 1930s and 1950s my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built or remodeled at least sixty-four theater and drive-in jobs in Michigan. Family records show that the Strand Theatre in Caro was a 1939 remodeling project.
In the accompanying Kodachrome slide taken by my grandfather in June 1948, the red and cream exterior porcelain-like tiles, entrance doors and marquee are similar to other Johnson remodeling jobs completed in the mid to late-1930s.
Remarkably, a current Google Maps image from today shows the exterior of the theater pretty much identical to how it looked over seventy years ago.
Family records show a 1941 Star Theatre construction project by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s company. Because the theater is thought to have opened on or about 1941, I’m assuming that he built the theater, rather than remodeled it in 1941. The building still looks fairly new in the two accompanying Kodachrome images that Al shot in 1948.
The red and cream color scheme and porcelain-like exterior is typical of Johnson Construction Company theaters of that era.
The Berkley Theatre was built by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s Johnson Construction Company, which was based in Birmingham.
The two accompanying images were shot by my grandfather in May 1949. The film “Johnny Belinda” was being shown a the time. The art moderne (or art deco) exterior of the theater has the porcelain-like tiles and the red and cream color scheme typical of Johnson theaters of the era. Four pairs of doors with matching geometric glass panes were said to have been patented by my grandfather and were known as “Johnson doors.” These doors were a feature in many of his 1940s-50s theater projects.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s Johnson Construction Company almost certainly built the Gem Theatre. His son’s notes show the “Beaverton” theater job in 1940. No theater name is indicated, but it almost certainly refers to the Gem Theatre, which is still open. Unfortunately Al Johnson’s theater project slide collection includes none of this job.
A couple of early photos on this site show two pairs of art moderne entrance doors with half-octagonal glass - a style of patented “Johnson doors” - similar to those on the Bad Axe Theatre and other Michigan theaters built by Johnson Construction Co. between the 1930s and 1950s.
The Roxy was among the Michigan theaters that my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson apparently remodeled. His son’s notes show a “Roxy Theatre job in Saginaw,” with no project date. I could find no record of a Saginaw theater with that name, so I suspect that Johnson Construction Co. instead remodeled this theater in Bay City which then opened in 1942 as the Roxy.
Unfortunately, my grandfather left behind no Kodachrome images of the Roxy among his theater project slide collection.
Between the 1930s and 1950s my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built or remodeled at least sixty-four theater and drive-in jobs in Michigan. Family records show that the Almont Theatre was one of these, but the project date was not recorded.
The accompanying Kodachrome slide of the theater, which he shot in June 1948, shows a characteristic small town theater of the type he built throughout Michigan in the 1940’s. The exterior has the porcelain-like exterior tiles and a cream and red color scheme, which typify his theaters of the era.
The front doors, red with paired half-moon glass, are a type that our grandfather was said to have patented, and were known as “Johnson doors.” It’s my guess that Johnson built this theater sometime in the 1940s.
Between the 1930s and 1950s my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built or remodeled at least sixty-four theater and drive-in jobs in Michigan. Family records show that the Algonac Theatre was one of these, but the project date was not recorded.
Al took this slide of the theater in June 1948. Because he didn’t begin photographing his projects until 1948, the date of the Johnson Construction Company job is unknown. In this image, the entrance doors and the finish of the front and side of the theater are of a style very similar to other Johnson remodeling jobs completed in the mid to late-1930s.
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).
My uncle’s list of Johnson Construction Company theater jobs indicates two projects associated with the Oakdale Theatre in Hazel Park Michigan. The date of the first job was simply identified as “orig” and the second project was dated 1947, so it’s not clear whether my grandfather Al Johnson’s company built the theater originally or just remodeled it a couple of times.
The WaterWinterWonderland.com website describes: “…located on the northwest corner of 8 mile and Stephenson Hwy/Oakland Ave in Hazel Park, next to Oak gas station on the corner. There was also a dance hall located upstairs next to [a] Dr. office next to theater.”
The Oakdale theater and several businesses were housed in the Meinke Building. The doctor’s office described above was the Helene Meinke Hospital, named for Dr. Herman Meinke’s wife. Dr. Meinke delivered several members (and at least two generations) of our family. My grandfather Al Johnson, who founded the construction company, ultimately passed away in Meinke Hospital in 1958.
Al left behind two wonderfully colorful Kodachrome slides with street views of the theater taken in December 1949. I’ve uploaded these to this page.
The theater features three pairs of the patented red “Johnson doors,” an ornate marquee and a prominent vertical “Oakdale” sign. In both images you can also see several of the businesses adjacent to the theater, including a five & dime store, dance hall, department store and a barber/beauty salon.
The extensive write-up of the Ken Theatre in the “1947 theater catalog” on this site does not include the name of the general contractor. So we can’t be 100% sure who built the theater.
Beginning in 1948 my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson shot Kodachrome slides of most of the sixty-four Michigan theaters and drive-ins that his Johnson Construction Company built - including those that he’d built prior that year. His collection includes one exterior image of the Ken, taken in June 1948. The marquee says “Comedy Carnival Color Cartoons and Shorts.” I’ve uploaded the image to this page.
Although the “Quonset hut” architecture of the building is unique, the style of the entrance is similar to other theaters built by Johnson. Whether or not Al built the Ken, he left us with a nice image from 1948.
One more comment: the overview above says that after the Fowler Theatre closed, the theater’s seats were moved to the Howell Theatre. The Howell Theatre is another Michigan movie house that my grandfather Al Johnson remodeled - we think in 1938 according to family records - and it’s still open today.
My grandfather Al Johnson’s Kodachrome theater job slides, include two street views of the Orr Theatre in Fowlerville taken in June 1948. The theater is in what appears to be a late 1800’s/early 1900’s building. The signage, marquee and overall exterior appearance portray a very modest movie venue.
The Orr Theatre does not appear on A.S. Johnson Jr’s draft list of Al’s theater projects, so it is unclear whether Johnson Construction Co. worked on the theater, and if so, when.
Albert S. “Al” Johnson, my grandfather, built the Fowler Theatre in 1947. I’ve just uploaded several of Kodachrome slide images that he took in 1948 and 1949.
In an exterior view of the theater, taken in May 1948, a Roy Rogers movie “The Gay Ranchero” is listed on the marquee. The marquee/sign itself is rather modest in size and design.
Although the front of the theater lacks a wall-to-wall porcelain enamel finish, it still features red accents and two pairs of half-moon glass doors. My grandfather was said to have held a patent on this style (called “Johnson doors”), and they were found on several of his theaters built between the 1930s and 1950s.
Several slides with interior views of the theater - including a rare view of a concession area - were dated May and September 1949.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built the Flatroc Theatre in 1939. His son’s list of Johnson Construction Co. projects lists this job without the year, but I was able to deduce it from some historic online photos. On the WaterWInterWonderland.com site, there’s an image of the marquee showing “Gala Premier Opening Friday September Twenty Second,” and another marquee photo with “Ann Southern in Congo Maisie” which was released in 1940. The only year between 1935 and 1940 in which September 22nd fell on a Friday was 1939. My grandfather shot four color Kodachrome slides of the Flatroc nine years later. I’ve uploaded them to this page. Al’s exterior slide was shot in May 1948 and it shows two pairs of his patented “art moderne” or “art deco” style “Johnson doors” with matching half-octagonal windows.
Al took four interior images in November 1948. The free-hand painted pastel murals on the walls are typical of Johnson-built theaters of the era. One slide is labeled “Vlachos” and shows a sharply-dressed John Vlachos, who was the theater owner.
Another image is the only one in 150 or more slides that my grandfather left behind that shows movie-goers sitting in a theater that he built. A distinctly young audience appears to be waiting for the Western “Marshal of Amarillo” staring Allan “Rocky” Lane to start.
The Radio City Theatre in Ferndale, Michigan appears on my uncle’s Johnson Construction Company job list, but without a project date. Unfortunately my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s theater project slide collection does not include any shots of this theater. For such an impressive theater, its absence in his slide collection is curious.
It’s not clear if my grandfather built the theatre in 1937 or if perhaps he did a later remodeling job. All of his theater jobs were completed between the early 1930s and 1952.
The Harbor Theatre stood at 4195 West Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse and was built by my grandfather A.S. “Al” Johnson in 1948.
I’ve uploaded the three 35 mm Kodachrome slide images that Al left us, all taken in September 1948. They show interior work being done prior to installing the theater seats. Free-hand painted murals in pastel colors can be seen on the walls. This type of interior decoration can be seen in several of my grandfather’s theaters.
Unfortunately Al didn’t leave us any 1948 slides showing the exterior of the Harbor Theatre.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson, referenced above as the “theatre consultant” was also the general contractor for the construction of the Rapids Theatre. His Johnson Construction Company built at least sixty-four Michigan theaters and drive-ins between the 1930s and 1950s.
I’ve uploaded six Kodachrome slides that Al shot of the Rapids Theatre in 1950. In two of them you can see the free-hand drawings or murals referenced in the above overview.
The Eastwood Theatre was located at at 21145 Gratiot Avenue in Eastpointe, Michigan. The accompanying June 1949 Kodachrome slide image was shot by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson, whose company, Johnson Construction Co., built or remodeled the theater.
The new-looking bare block walls suggest that the project was new construction. The use of the word “Cool” painted in two places on the front of the theater highlight its air conditioning system. The tan and red porcelain-like tiled front, and the red art moderne/art deco style doors with matching octagonal glass (a type of “Johnson doors”) all were typical elements of Johnson-built theaters in the 1930s through 1950s.
Although the Cinema Treasures and waterwinterwonderland.com websites indicate that the theater opened in 1942, Al’s slide is labeled “6 - 49” and the marquee says “Open next Thursday June 30.” June 30 fell on Thursday in 1949 (and on Tuesday in 1942) so I believe the June 30, 1949 opening date is correct.
Another possible explanation is that the theater opened in 1942 and was closed for remodeling just seven years later in 1949, but that doesn’t seem likely.
Our family records show that my grandfather’s Johnson Construction Company remodeled the Family Theatre in East Tawas sometime in “the 30’s.”
The CinemaTour website says that “the Family Theatre opened in 1910 as the Panoramic and was renamed in 1930.” If the Johnson job was done in 1930 in conjunction with the renaming of the theater, it was the earliest of sixty-four theater and drive-in projects that we know that Al Johnson completed in Michigan. Regrettably, he did not leave behind any slides of this theater job.
The Family Theatre is still open and word has it that it recently has been bought by a family that intends to spruce it up and keep it open for years to come. This is one of eleven theaters built by my grandfather and other members of our family that remains open today.
My grandfather Al Johnson’s theater slides include two exterior shots of the Graystone Theatre taken in December 1949. His son’s list of Johnson theater projects does not include the Graystone so it’s not clear what year a Johnson job might have been completed.
The Graystone Theatre is in an older building, but in the 1949 images the entrance appears to have new doors and a new front. The red porcelain-like tile material used on the front of the building is typical of Johnson-built theaters. The overall style of the building entrance and marquee suggest to me to have been done in the 1930s.
The Main Theatre in Coldwater was built by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson. A 1943 Box Office issue cited on this (Cinema Treasures) website indicates that the theater opened in 1942.
The accompanying June 1948 Kodachrome image (with “State of the Union” on the marquee) taken by Al Johnson shows the theatre in an “art deco” or “art moderne” style including three pairs of doors with half-octagonal glass. These were a type of the patented “Johnson doors” that were seen on several of Al’s theaters projects of the 1930s through 1950s.
The tan and red color scheme of the porcelain-like tiled front of the theater is one of those seen in several Johnson-built theaters of the era.
Family records of Johnson Construction Company theater projects also show a 1938 Coldwater job as “Crystal?” The Cinema Treasures website has this reference to the Crystal Theatre: “The [Box Office] issue of January 31, 1942 has this item datelined Coldwater, Michigan: ‘The new Main, owned by Robert H. Moore and William J. Schulte, has opened here. The old Crystal, owned and managed by Moore, has been closed. Moore will manage the new house.’ ”
I could find no other online reference to the Crystal Theatre in Coldwater.
My grandfather Albert S. (“Al”) Johnson built and remodeled theaters and drive-ins throughout Michigan. His company was the Johnson Construction Co., and it was based out of Birmingham. The Tibbits Theatre remodeling job was completed in 1934 according to records compiled by Al’s son Albert S. “Bud” Johnson Jr.
The accompanying Kodachrome image, taken by Al Johnson in June 1948 fourteen years after his remodel job, shows the theater still in its 1934 “art deco” or “art moderne” style. The theater has since been restored to its original opera house style and is open to this day. Johnson theater work became something of a family affair.
My dad (Doug Gray) and paternal grandfather (Robie Gray) both worked for Johnson on theater and drive-in jobs for many years - as did Al’s sons Chuck and Bud Johnson. Dad related to me that during one theater renovation job, an old car (a Model T or earlier model) was discovered at the back of the original theater stage when an interior wall was removed. The car had been used as a prop for a theater production and had been left in place during an earlier renovation. When it was discovered, the theater owner assumed ownership and had the car delivered to his house.
I’m almost certain that this story referred to the 1934 Tibbits Theatre project.
My uncle Bud Johnson’s documentation includes the Clawson Theatre, at 116 W. 14 Mile Road in Clawson, as a 1941 Johnson Construction Company project, but without the year of the job. Unfortunately, my grandfather Al Johnson’s theater slides don’t include any from this job.
A photo on the “WaterWinterWonderland.com” site shows the theater with a 1954 film “Demetrius and the Gladiators” on the marquee. In that image the right-hand door is propped open and you can see that it’s a half-moon glass “Johnson door” - the style of door that my grandfather was said to have patented and is seen on dozens of the Michigan theaters that he built during the era.
My uncle’s list of Johnson Construction Company theater projects shows the Cass Theatre as a 1938 job.
The Cinema Treasures website says that the theater was gutted by a fire on November 29, 1939 and was then rebuilt and opened in 1940 as “The New Cass Theater.” If my uncle’s project time is accurate, then the theater was restored after Al Johnson’s work. However, if the project time was 1939-1940, then Johnson Construction most likely did the renovation work.
In any case, the accompanying Kodachrome slide that Al shot in June 1948 (with the 1947 film “Undercover Maisie” on the marquee) shows the theater in the style that characterizes all of the Johnson theater projects between the mid 1930’s and the late 1940’s. The porcelain-like red, cream and tan colored exterior tiles were a feature of almost all of the Johnson-built theaters of the era.
Though our family lacks written or photographic documentation, it’s probable that my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built the Bay Theatre in Caseville. My sister remembers our dad telling her about building a theater for Johnson Construction Company there. We’re assuming that it was the Bay Theatre at 6750 Main Street. The building still stands but currently is being used as a church.
Between the 1930s and 1950s my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built or remodeled at least sixty-four theater and drive-in jobs in Michigan. Family records show that the Strand Theatre in Caro was a 1939 remodeling project.
In the accompanying Kodachrome slide taken by my grandfather in June 1948, the red and cream exterior porcelain-like tiles, entrance doors and marquee are similar to other Johnson remodeling jobs completed in the mid to late-1930s.
Remarkably, a current Google Maps image from today shows the exterior of the theater pretty much identical to how it looked over seventy years ago.
Family records show a 1941 Star Theatre construction project by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s company. Because the theater is thought to have opened on or about 1941, I’m assuming that he built the theater, rather than remodeled it in 1941. The building still looks fairly new in the two accompanying Kodachrome images that Al shot in 1948.
The red and cream color scheme and porcelain-like exterior is typical of Johnson Construction Company theaters of that era.
The Berkley Theatre was built by my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s Johnson Construction Company, which was based in Birmingham.
The two accompanying images were shot by my grandfather in May 1949. The film “Johnny Belinda” was being shown a the time. The art moderne (or art deco) exterior of the theater has the porcelain-like tiles and the red and cream color scheme typical of Johnson theaters of the era. Four pairs of doors with matching geometric glass panes were said to have been patented by my grandfather and were known as “Johnson doors.” These doors were a feature in many of his 1940s-50s theater projects.
My grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson’s Johnson Construction Company almost certainly built the Gem Theatre. His son’s notes show the “Beaverton” theater job in 1940. No theater name is indicated, but it almost certainly refers to the Gem Theatre, which is still open. Unfortunately Al Johnson’s theater project slide collection includes none of this job.
A couple of early photos on this site show two pairs of art moderne entrance doors with half-octagonal glass - a style of patented “Johnson doors” - similar to those on the Bad Axe Theatre and other Michigan theaters built by Johnson Construction Co. between the 1930s and 1950s.
The Roxy was among the Michigan theaters that my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson apparently remodeled. His son’s notes show a “Roxy Theatre job in Saginaw,” with no project date. I could find no record of a Saginaw theater with that name, so I suspect that Johnson Construction Co. instead remodeled this theater in Bay City which then opened in 1942 as the Roxy.
Unfortunately, my grandfather left behind no Kodachrome images of the Roxy among his theater project slide collection.
Between the 1930s and 1950s my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built or remodeled at least sixty-four theater and drive-in jobs in Michigan. Family records show that the Almont Theatre was one of these, but the project date was not recorded.
The accompanying Kodachrome slide of the theater, which he shot in June 1948, shows a characteristic small town theater of the type he built throughout Michigan in the 1940’s. The exterior has the porcelain-like exterior tiles and a cream and red color scheme, which typify his theaters of the era.
The front doors, red with paired half-moon glass, are a type that our grandfather was said to have patented, and were known as “Johnson doors.” It’s my guess that Johnson built this theater sometime in the 1940s.
Between the 1930s and 1950s my grandfather Albert S. “Al” Johnson built or remodeled at least sixty-four theater and drive-in jobs in Michigan. Family records show that the Algonac Theatre was one of these, but the project date was not recorded.
Al took this slide of the theater in June 1948. Because he didn’t begin photographing his projects until 1948, the date of the Johnson Construction Company job is unknown. In this image, the entrance doors and the finish of the front and side of the theater are of a style very similar to other Johnson remodeling jobs completed in the mid to late-1930s.