A historic mid-Michigan theatre is raising money to undertake some major renovations.
The Michigan Theatre in Jackson first opened in 1930 as a venue for vaudeville acts and film screenings. More than 90 years later, the theatre still shows movies and hosts live performances.
Now, the organization that runs the theater has launched a capital campaign to make improvements to the aging building, including replacing its original cooling system and redoing historic plaster work.
Steve Tucker is the theatre’s Executive Director. He says they are halfway through raising the $6 million needed for repairs.
"We already have some money that we've managed squirrel away over the years. So, we have enough money to do our ventilation system immediately," he said. "We're going to do that first."
Tucker says there are also plans to use the money to extend the stage.
"In 1930, the stages were pretty short. It's not very deep. So, we're going to bring the stage out a little bit into the floor area."
Tucker says construction will start next fall and will be finished sometime in 2024.
