The Temple Theatre is a historic theater, located on the banks of the

Saginaw River The Saginaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is formed by the confluence of the Tittabawassee River, ...

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

. The Temple was built in 1927 for the Elf Khurafeh

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic body, Masonic society. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over ...

, and operated for 50 years by W. S. Butterfield Theatres. The theatre complex also contains the former clubhouse of the Elf Khurafeh Shrine, now in use as event space. The 1,750-seat Temple Theatre, nicknamed the "Showplace of Northeastern Michigan," is the home of multiple Saginaw-based arts organizations, including the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Saginaw Choral Society. The Temple also regularly presents film screenings and national touring shows.

History

The Temple Theatre was built by the Elf Khurafeh chapter of the

, an appendant body of

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. The Elf Khurafeh Shrine intended it to be a worthy successor to the Academy of Music, a nearby theatre that burned down in 1917. The Elf Khurafeh Shrine began planning for a building of their own in 1908, and started raising funds in 1912. Their initial plan was for a grand temple, to be shared by multiple Masonic organizations in the area. This proposal was unsuccessful, and the Shrine instead planned a large commercial theatre attached to a 3-story private clubhouse. This dual use, in which the theatre was reserved for ritual use on certain days, was common in other Shrine temples of the era, some of which became

Fox Theatres Fox Theatres was a large chain of movie theaters in the United States dating from the 1920s either built by Fox Film studio owner William Fox, or subsequently merged in 1929 by Fox with the West Coast Theatres chain, to form the Fox West C ...

. The complex was designed by

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

architects Osgood & Osgood, and built at a cost of $650,000, equivalent to $ in . Osgood & Osgood specialized in Masonic temples, a specialization that enabled the effective dual-purpose nature of the building. Saginaw Temple Theatre Auditorium Interior

Saginaw Temple Theatre Auditorium Interior

Construction of the theatre began in September 1926. W. S. Butterfield Theatres took out a 30-year lease on the theatre, to be operated alongside the five others it managed in Saginaw. At its opening, the 2,196-seat Temple Theatre was the largest theatre in the state of Michigan outside

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, and the largest in the Butterfield circuit. The interior finishing of the theatre was delegated to Butterfield, which hired the Detroit firm of Tuttle & Clark to provide decorations, emphasizing luxury and refinement. The Temple Theatre opened on July 28, 1927, with a program of three

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

acts and two

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s, accompanied by organ and orchestra.

Sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

s were introduced shortly afterwards with '' The Rainbow Man'' in 1929, and the theatre's programming quickly shifted to sound films and occasional touring shows. Saginaw Temple Theatre Marquee Detail

The back wall of the theatre, facing the

, served as an advertising space throughout the building's history. A Coca-Cola advertisement was painted in the 1930s, and remained in place for six decades. In line with contemporary trends, the theatre's original vertical "TEMPLE"

marquee Marquee may refer to: * Marquee (overhang), a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building * Marquee (structure), a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel, theater, casino, train station, or similar building. * Pole marquee ...

was replaced with a smaller, triangular marquee in 1960. In 1970, the Temple Theatre Organ Club was formed as an affiliate of the

American Theatre Organ Society The American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) is an American non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (privat ...

, to preserve the original Barton organ. Butterfield operated the theatre until 1977, shuttering it amidst rising competition from suburban

multiplexes In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource—a ...

. The final film shown at the Temple under Butterfield was ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

'', on December 10, 1977. The Temple Theatre represented the decline of the company itself, which exited the business in 1984. Following Butterfield's departure, the Shrine leased the theatre to multiple commercial and nonprofit operators, and painted its own logo on the back wall. The Elf Khurafeh Shrine's ownership of the complex ended in 2000, when it was sold to an investment firm. By 2002, the Temple Theatre was in poor condition, with no heat and a leaky roof. The Standard Federal Bank foreclosed on the theatre, whose owners had defaulted on the mortgage. Prominent Saginaw doctor Samuel H. Shaheen bought the theatre in 2002 for $600,000, and committed to investing an additional $750,000 for renovations. Renovation work to the theatre included the removal of water damage and the restoration of original decorative painting, some of which had been painted over. The seating capacity was reduced to 1,750 during the renovation, creating opportunities for VIP seating and additional legroom. The Temple Theatre reopened on November 7, 2003. The Shaheen family were awarded the Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation in 2005, in recognition of the progress made on the theatre. An independent foundation was created to operate the theater in 2010, and additional restoration work was performed on the organ in 2011. The renovation program was complete with a new vertical marquee, inspired by the original, which was installed in 2016. The Temple Theatre Foundation merged with the Saginaw Art Museum in 2021, rebranding as TempleArts. The partnership of the two Saginaw cultural landmarks ensures that both can continue to operate despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic's impact.

Features

Organ

The Temple Theatre is home to its original 3- manual/11-rank

theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements of ...

, built by the Bartola Musical Instrument Company. The organ is a model B-3 "Butterfield Special," serial number 195, one of 12 built to a design specified by W. S. Butterfield Theatres. The "Butterfield Specials" are praised for their versatility, and exemplify the signature tone of the "Golden-Voiced Barton." Despite this versatility, the "Butterfield Specials" are occasionally the subject of strong criticism from organ enthusiasts. The organ is played regularly before performances by members of the Temple Theatre Organ Club.

Programming

Regular programming at the Temple Theatre includes local performing arts organizations, touring shows, films, summer camps, and community events. The ballroom, located in the former Elf Khurafeh Shriners clubhouse, is available for rental for private events and weddings. The ''Saginaw Silver Screen'' series shows classic and contemporary films for all ages, with an organ performance before each screening. The Temple Theatre is home to multiple affiliated performing arts organizations, including the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Saginaw Choral Society.

2024 Notable Performances

February 29, 2024 -

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: Dukes of Funnytown October 6, 2024 - John Crist's Jokes for Humans October 9, 2024 - Charlie Berens: Good Old Fashioned Tour October 12, 2024 - Get the Led Out: A Tribute to the Mighty Zep November 2, 2024 -

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: Rescue Husband November 22, 2024- Classical Arts Entertainment Presents: The Nutcracker December 1, 2024 - Blippi! Join the Band Tour

2023 Notable Performances

January 29, 2023 - Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit wsg Peter One February 6, 2023 -

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July 27, 2023 -

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August 9, 2023 -

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September 21, 2023 - Bored Teachers Comedy Tour September 22, 2023 -

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: The Irregardless Tour November 9, 2023 -

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: Off the Rails Tour November 25, 2023 -

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References

External links

* *
Temple Theatre
at Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Temple Theatre
at CinemaTour * {{Coord, 43.4347, -83.939, type:landmark_region:US-MI, display=title Cinemas and movie theaters in Michigan Buildings and structures in Saginaw, Michigan Tourist attractions in Saginaw County, Michigan Theatres completed in 1927 1927 establishments in Michigan Concert halls in Michigan Shriners W. S. Butterfield Theatres Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Clubhouses in Michigan