Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts facts for kids
View of the marquee from Third St and Western Ave
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| Former names | Michigan Theater |
|---|---|
| Address | 425 West Western Avenue Muskegon, Michigan United States |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 17, 1930 |
| Expanded | 1984 |
| Website | |
| frauenthal.org | |
The Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts is a cool place in downtown Muskegon, Michigan. It's a big center where you can watch shows and enjoy art. The main part is the Frauenthal Theater, which used to be called the Michigan Theater. It also has other spaces for performances and art displays in a building called the Hilt Building. The Frauenthal Theater first opened way back in 1930. It was one of many theaters in Muskegon then. Today, it's a super important cultural spot for the city, managed by the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.
Contents
What You Can See and Do
The Frauenthal Center offers lots of fun things to watch! You can enjoy live music, plays, dance shows, movies, and comedy acts. They feature both local artists and performers who travel from other places.
- The West Michigan Symphony Orchestra plays their concerts here.
- The Muskegon Civic Theatre puts on their plays at the center.
- Every year, the Miss Michigan pageant takes place here.
- You can also see the Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree choir show each holiday season.
- The theater even has free movie nights once a month.
- There's an art gallery where you can see cool artworks.
Inside the Frauenthal Center
The Frauenthal Center has different areas for all its shows and events.
Frauenthal Theater
This is the biggest space, with 1,708 seats. It has a special old pipe organ called the Barton pipe organ. The sound and lighting systems are modern, making it great for large performances.
Beardsley Theater
This smaller theater has 169 seats. It's perfect for plays that aren't as big or for talks and presentations.
Other Spaces
The center also has other useful areas:
- A ballroom for events.
- An art gallery to show off art.
- Office spaces.
- Rooms for meetings and conferences.
History of the Center
The Frauenthal Theater was built in 1929. It cost about $690,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then! It opened on September 17, 1930. A company called Schlossman Theaters managed it.
Early Days
When it first opened, the Muskegon Times newspaper called it "a marble-like monument of grace and beauty." It was also Muskegon's "first 100% talkies" theater, meaning it was built for movies with sound. The theater had beautiful designs inspired by Spanish Renaissance art.
Saving the Theater
In the 1950s, the original Spanish designs were painted over. The Schlossman company went out of business in the 1960s. The theater might have been closed down, like many others in Muskegon. But the Community Foundation for Muskegon County stepped in to save it! A kind local businessman named A. Harold Frauenthal gave $1.5 million. With this gift, the foundation bought the whole block where the theater stood. They then renamed the theater after him, calling it the Frauenthal Theater.
Growing Bigger
Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Frauenthal Theatre needed more space for things like dressing rooms. So, they changed a nearby building that used to be a furniture store. This new part is called the Hilt Building. It opened in 1984. The Hilt Building added the 169-seat Beardsley Theater and bigger dressing rooms.
Modern Updates
In 1992, a big plan was made to update the theater. The people of Muskegon voted to approve $16 million to help pay for the changes. The renovation was finished in 1998. During this time, the lighting, sound, and stage equipment were made modern. The beautiful original Spanish Renaissance-style decorations were brought back. Also, the lobby was made bigger to connect with the Hilt Building.
External links
- Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts at Cinema TreasuresLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
