Historic Detroit

Every building in Detroit has a story — we're here to share it

United Artists Theatre - Old photos

The second United Artists Theatre marquee

The old United Artists Theatre marquee

The later United Artists marquee advertising "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner

The old United Artists Theatre marquee

The old United Artists Theatre marquee

The UA's interior had a Spanish Gothic vibe.

The United Artists marquee in 1982.

The UA, once one of the premier movie theaters in Detroit, resorted to showing softcore pornography in an attempt to remain open, as seen here in 1970.

With its chairs and furnishings sold off, the UA sits in 1977 waiting its long, slow demise.

Kate McCarthy sits in an ornate, carved walnut chair from the UA being auctioned off in 1976

One of the Native American maidens adorning the UA's lobby walls

The UA in 1957

The United Artists Theatre on Bagley

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra records in the UA in 1979. The UA's acoustics proved to be ideal for the symphony's recording session.

Nathaniel Gurin practices in 1981 his bass trumpet in the lobby of the peeling, boarded-up UA. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra recorded there because of its superior acoustics.

More than 100 boys from the Ford Republic at Farmington, Mich., were the guests of the United Artists Theatre in September 1938 for a screening of "Boys Town."

The illuminated marquees of the United Artists and its rival the Michigan Theatre.

The United Artists Building at 100 percent occupancy in 1962, when AAA Michigan's corporate headquarters were located there.

The world premiere of Otto Preminger’s “Anatomy of a Murder” in 1959, with some of its stars present. The film was filmed in and around Ishpeming and Marquette, Mich.

The UA Theatre in 1967

The UA Theatre in 1967

The UA in 1967

The UA Theatre in 1967

The UA Theatre in 1967

The UA Theatre in 1967

A chandelier inside the UA in 1967