Theatre History

The Ironwood Theatre was built as a vaudeville & silent movie palace in 1928 under the direction of Architect Albert Nelson at a cost of $160,000 (equivalent of approximately $2,000,000 today). Under the leadership of A.L. Pikar, the theatre became the center of entertainment in the Ironwood area. The Hollywood Golden Age of the 30's, 40's and 50's followed the Great Depression and the theater flourished during these decades.

In the early 60s, the Ironwood Theatre was sold to Thomas Theatres of Iron Mountain. The theatre operated as a first run movie house from 1963 until it was closed in 1982.

In 1982, owner Thomas Renn gave the Ironwood Theatre to the City of Ironwood through the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority (DIDA). Restoration efforts began at that time under the direction of the newly formed Ironwood Theatre Preservation Committee. On January 11, 1985, the Ironwood Theatre was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

In 1986, the DIDA was awarded a grant by the State of Michigan, beginning an extensive renovation program that is on-going. Completed renovations include the seats in the main auditorium and balcony, lobby & mezzanine carpeting, restoration of the ceiling mural, wall and beam decorations, a new stage floor, updated heating system and upgraded sound system. Restoration efforts at present include custom-made organ vent curtains funded by a grant from the Albert W. Cherne Foundation, and ventilation system improvements partly funded by the Michigan Council of the Arts and Cultural Affairs.

The Ironwood Theatre was incorporated in 1988 as an independent, non-profit cultural organization and the building is leased from the City of Ironwood. The Ironwood Theatre assumes all operating costs, maintenance and repairs of the facility. In the absence of local tax support, it is funded by ticket sales, user fees, several annual fund raisers, a Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs grant, along with area business support and other fundraising activities. The Ironwood Theatre is a volunteer based organization with a 12 member Board of Directors and a complete staff of over 20 regular staff members and over 100 individual event staff members, all of which are voluntary work and time donors.

The Barton Organ

The Bartola Musical Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin installed 350 organs in movie theatres during the silent film era. Of these, the Ironwood Theatre’s Barton is one of only six remaining operable original installations. It is also the newest of the three Bartons in Ironwood (the others were at the Rialto Theatre in 1925 and the Rex Theatre in 1926). The organ is completely intact as it was on opening night in June 1928, when it was first installed.

In 2000, the Board of Directors approved the restoration of the instrument by a group of dedicated volunteers aided and taught by professional technicians.

The “Grand Old Lady” is completely playable and is regularly used for concert performances and the accompaniment of silent films at special events. In October of 2009, the console of the organ was removed and sent to the Carlton Smith Pipe Organ Restorations company in Indianapolis, Indiana to undergo further restoration work including refinishing the wood surfaces and repairing damaged ornamentation. The console has returned from restoration and has been installed to all specifications. Restoration of the instrument is now complete and the organ is 100% completely playable as it was when it was originally installed.

The organ has been awarded registration as a “Heritage Instrument” by the American Theatre Organ Society for its restoration as an original theatre installation. Anyone who has organ playing experience is encouraged to stop by the theatre to come and "tickle the keys of the grand old lady!"

The Proscenium Mural

The restored proscenium mural has quite a history of its own. The artistry of the original three-panel mural was designed and painted by Continental Studios Incorporated. The company painted the mural shortly after the construction phase of the Ironwood Theatre in 1928.

During the renovation of 1973, the magnificent mural, along with the plaster ornamentation and ceilings in the balcony were covered with dark blue paint in an apparent attempt to make the theatre "more modern." Seeing no logic in such action, the restoration committee sought to restore the beautiful mural.

The restoration of the mural began in 1994 with Affiliated Artists as project directors. David Strickland, muralist, monitored the entire restoration process, the first task being the removal of the blue paint without destroying the original mural. The original palette of color led to a decision to encapsulate the mural and use it as an artistic outline. David chose the new color values for the historic mural to harmonize with the overall decor of the Theatre. An additional cherub was added on the left to balance the overall composition. The mural restoration is now complete.

The Ironwood Theatre is a non-profit organization that relies on patron donations to restore the historic site. This includes the Barton Organ fund! If you would like to donate to the restoration fund, please click here!