Martha Washington Theatre
Photographed in 2023, in the midst of a renovation project
Address31 North Washington Street
Ypsilanti, Michigan
United States
Coordinates42°14′31.4″N 83°36′52.5″W / 42.242056°N 83.614583°W / 42.242056; -83.614583
OpenedOctober 21, 1915 (1915-10-21)

The Martha Washington Theatre is a former movie theater in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The Martha Washington was built and initially operated by Florence W. Signor of Ypsilanti, the only woman theatre operator in Michigan at the time. Signor sold the Martha Washington to W. S. Butterfield Theatres of Detroit in 1925, which operated it as a first-run cinema until the 1970s.[1]

After Butterfield, the theatre became the Art 1&2 adult theater, which was later converted to the Déjà Vu Showgirls club. Déjà Vu closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the building was damaged by a fire in July 2020.[2]

Movie theatre era

The Martha Washington Theatre was the second purpose-built movie theatre in Ypsilanti. The first was the Vaudette at 19 North Huron Street, which opened in 1907 in a former grocery store. The local press criticized the safety of the 40-seat Vaudette after fires at similar theatres, and it closed around 1912.[3]

Line drawing of the theatre, 1915

The Martha Washington Theatre was built for Florence Wilson Signor, a leading women's suffrage activist in early 20th-century Washtenaw County. Signor was a founder of the Ann Arbor Equal Suffrage Association, which held its first meeting in 1910. Beyond her activities in suffrage, Signor was also engaged in real estate development.[4]

When construction started, the cost was quoted at $25,000 (equivalent to $723,000 in 2022), and the theatre was originally planned to seat 500.[5] After the theatre's opening, its seating capacity was quoted as 800.[6] The exterior features a decorative tile facade and a distinctive ribbon of windows on the second floor, variously described as Prairie style[7] or Colonial Revival.[1] The Martha Washington was purpose-built as a cinema, and was intended to be a luxurious experience.[8] The interior featured plush blue seats,[3] with decorations in light blue and pink and bas-relief images of its namesake throughout the building.[9]

The Martha Washington Theatre opened on October 21, 1915. The first film shown was The Island of Regeneration, a Vitagraph picture starring Edith Storey.[10] At its opening, the Martha Washington Theatre was touted in advertisements as "Ypsilanti's Most Sanitary, Properly Lighted, Well Ventilated, Prettily Decorated, and Fire-Proof Theatre."[11]

Signor's sole ownership and management of the theatre was unusual. An editorial published by the Martha Washington projectionist opined "And I think I have about one of the best managers in the state, as she, — well, she is a lady, which expresses a lot in a few words."[6] Moving Picture World described Signor as the "only remaining woman theatre manager in Michigan" in 1925.[12]

Detail of the marquee, July 2023

Signor entered into a distribution agreement with First National Pictures in 1920,[1] and eventually sold the theatre to W.S. Butterfield Theatres in April 1925. Later in 1925, Butterfield bought out the nearby Wuerth Theatre, and gained a monopoly on the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti cinema market.[13] In the 1940s, the Martha Washington was the Ypsilanti area's premier theatre, receiving the newest pictures and charging higher prices.[14]

Florence Wilson Signor died in 1942 in Bradenton, Florida. She is buried at the Highland Cemetery in Ypsilanti.[15]

Adult entertainment era

The theatre experienced a decline in fortune in the mid-20th century, and Butterfield was no longer in control of the theatre by the early 1970s. Initially, the "MARTHA" sign on the marquee was hastily converted to read "ART 1."[16] The auditorium was split in two soon after, and became the "Art 1 & 2" adult theatre.[17]

The theatre became the Déjà Vu Showgirls strip club in 1982. After its opening, the City of Ypsilanti changed the zoning in the area to prohibit adult businesses. The club was grandfathered in under the principle of "nonconforming use," which allowed the club to continue operating, but not expand.[18]

View of the former theater from Pearl St, adjacent to the Ypsilanti Transit Center

In late 2019, a dispute arose between the City of Ypsilanti and the club. The city alleged that the club had expanded its business without the necessary construction permits, and was in violation of zoning laws. The club was ordered to close in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the building was damaged by a major fire in July 2020.[18]

Multiple lawsuits were filed by the city and the club over the course of over two years, causing controversy among Ypsilanti city officials and residents. The lawsuits ended with a settlement in late 2022, which resulted in a payment of $65,000 to the city.[2]

Future

The Deja Vu Showgirls club intends to reopen, following a renovation. Under the terms of the settlement, the club must convert parts of the building to apartments and retail space, restore the historic marquee, and remove some slogans from the exterior of the building.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Galbraith, Stuart (1994). Motor City marquees : a comprehensive, illustrated reference to motion picture theaters in the Detroit area, 1906–1992. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-89950-915-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Smolcic Larson, Lucas (October 25, 2022). "Ypsilanti strip club settles dueling legal battles with city, has chance to reopen". MLive. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Bien, Laura (Fall 2012). "Controversy at Ypsilanti's nickelodeon". Ypsilanti Gleanings. Ypsilanti Historical Society. pp. 11–12.
  4. ↑ "Local Leaders and Their Stories". Washtenaw County Historical Society. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Short Michigan Items". Moving Picture World. June 19, 1915. p. 1968.
  6. 1 2 "For the First Time". Moving Picture World. January 6, 1917. p. 75. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Historic Downtown Walking Tour". City of Ypsilanti Community and Economic Development. p. 20. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  8. ↑ "New Playhouse In City Approaching Completion". The Normal College News. September 24, 1915. p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Ypsilanti's New Photoplay House, Which Opens This Week, Will Rival Theaters of Large Cities". The Normal College News. October 22, 1915. p. 2.
  10. ↑ "Martha Washington Theatre: Program for Thursday and Friday, Oct. 21–22". The Normal College News. October 22, 1915. p. 3.
  11. ↑ "The Martha Washington Theatre: Washington at Pearl Street". The Normal College News. September 24, 1915. p. 5.
  12. ↑ "Claude Cady Surrenders Lansing Interests to W.S. Butterfield". Moving Picture World. Vol. 74, no. 1. May 2, 1925. p. 28.
  13. ↑ "Butterfield Enlarging". Moving Picture World. December 12, 1925. p. 534. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ "War-Constructed Willow Run Theatre Thrives on New Type of Patronage". Boxoffice. April 26, 1947. p. 83.
  15. ↑ "Obituary: Mrs. Florence W. Signor". The Detroit News. March 3, 1942. p. 23 – via NewsBank.
  16. ↑ Maynard, Mark (October 19, 2018). "Video of Ypsilanti during the summer of 1970 is discovered". Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  17. ↑ Maynard, Mark (August 15, 2018). "Ypsilanti's Art 1&2, and the archeology of porn". Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Smolcic Larson, Lucas (November 7, 2021). "Ypsilanti v. Déjà Vu: A timeline of the city's dueling legal battles with downtown strip club". MLive. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021.
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