KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo State Theatre announced Tuesday that they will be closing the historic venue in November, but the owner hopes the closure will be temporary.
“We were really facing the inevitable. This is a really important building; we have done our best,” said Executive Director Stephanie Hinman.
Hinman made the sad announcement that the theater will cease all operations on Nov. 24. The theater is trying to find a new organization to take over and reopen the iconic performance venue.
The theater was built in 1927 and was designed with an interior that gives the feeling of being in a Mediterranean courtyard at night.
In 2021 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Hinman Company bought the venue in 1985 to protect it from being torn down and has been running it for the last 40 years as an event space, hosting concerts, comedy shows and community rentals.
There is no time frame for finding a new owner, but Hinman hopes it will happen before the theater turns 100 years old in 2027.
“I really hope the building can remain community focused; it really takes the community to make this place work,” said Hinman.
“We would love to reopen as quickly as possible, but it has to be done right and that is the ultimate goal for the theater is that we do it the right way, with the right steward coming in so it can make it for another 100 years,” said Kalamazoo State Theatre Director of Marketing & Development Harry Phillips.
The final show will be on Nov. 23. If you have tickets for an event after that, you can get a refund from where the tickets were purchased. The theater’s box office will remain open through Dec. 5.
Watch the press conference on Tuesday's announcement below:
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