Boxoffice-March.04.1950

DO BUSINESS ALL SUMMER!
New Detroit Theatre Helps
Stabilize Property Values
REYNOLDS
BLOWERS
bring in and distribute iresb, cool air tbiougbout
the tbeatre. Also ideal with washed a^
refrigeration and cold water coil systems and
ior exhaust or circulating warm air in winter.
Blades are seH-oxidizing aluminum. Never rust.
(Blowers with steel blades also available at
lower prices.) Fafnir ball bearings set in solid
rubber pillow blocks. No lubrication necessary.
Quiet running. Rugged construction
throughout.
5,000 to 30,000 c.f.m. capacities.
As low as
$82.50
Write for free folder.
REYNOLDS MFG. COMPANY
412 Prospect Ave., N. E.
Grand Rapids, Mich.
THIS COIN OPERATED
SHOE SHINER . . EARNS
TREMENDOUS PROHTS ON
SMALL INVESTMENT.
For iniormoKon WHITE TODAYl
FALCON COMPANY
67E— 12lh Detroit 8, Mich.
ini rn "third dimension"
AU Ll n SILHOUETTE LETTERS
— PLASTIC AND CAST ALUMINUM —
"REMOVA-PANEL" Glats-in-Frame Units
ADLER SILHOUETTE LETTER CO.
302IW.36thSt,. Chicago 1451 Bway.N.Y.C.
X HE NEW 1,000-SEAT Booker T The-
recently opened by the Saul Korman
atre,
circuit in Detroit, is its first modern
midtown construction for Negro patronage
in a dozen years. The house is centrally
located with fairly good transportation,
in a mixed residential and industrial
business area with a predominance of Negro
population for the past 15 or 20 years.
Situated in an older neighborhood, the
house itself occupies a position of leadership
in setting a standard of taste and
modernity in a somewhat rundown neighborhood.
Designed by architect Ted Flogvoy, the
house was constructed at an estimated
cost of $150,000. Actually, this was a remodeling
job which transformed a large
garage into a theatre. Major operations
included lowering the floor to provide slope
and raising the roof about six feet.
The theatre occupies the entire building
without providing any store space. At the
right of the entrance are display panels,
with a separate entrance for the office and
refreshment service concession. The office
is located back of these displays, with the
concession booth back of this, and so placed
that it can serve both the lobby and the
foyer of the theatre from a single stand.
A modern porcelain enamel front was
installed in dark red base tones with cream
above and a Plex-glas band trim. This
facing backs a triangular marquee with
Wagner changeable copy. All exterior displays
have stationary frames, and are
serviced from the interior.
The doors are set back from the ticket
booth to provide an exterior lobby surfaced
in Metalon. A terrazzo design flooring
in eight colors provides marked contrast
in coloring. The walls and flooring
motifs are carried over into the interior
lobby.
This lobby has a circular dome ceiling,
with indirect lighting. Deep blue plaster
is used on the ceiling.
Interior of the auditorium and foyer are
of decorative cinder block construction,
treated in brilliantly colored shades. The
ceiling is of acoustical plaster. A stage
has been added at the rear, and a basement
dug under the stage to service the
boiler room and heating imit.
The theatre is completely air-conditioned.
Restrooms are tiled from floor to
ceiling in tan and gray mosaic tile. The
projection room is located in a mezzanine
installed at the rear of the auditorium,
which also provides space for locker and
storage rooms.
An unusual mechanical feature of the
Booker T is the use of a gas-fired heating
plant, making it one of the few, if not
the only, theatre in this area to have such
an installation. Reluctance of safety officials
to permit the use of gas heat in
a theatre structure because of the conceivable
hazard to a large number of persons
was overcome through the installation
of safety valves designed for the purpose.
This control equipment is located
in the utility room at the front beside the
lobby, while the heating unit itself is located
in the basement under the stage.
in Theatre
Seating '
48 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION