East side of South Burdick Street, south of South Street (207–211 S. Burdick St.).
Built and run as a film theater from 19 August 1912 until 16 May 1925. Seating claimed to be 700, with standing room for another 300.
Built by Harry S. Waterman and Charles H. Palmer, later operated by Kalamazoo Amusement Company; L.C. Barnes, Managers and Proprietors (proprietors of Elite, Lyric, Orpheum, and Colonial theaters). Designed by Kalamazoo architect Rockwell A. LeRoy.
“The Elite theater was built by Harry S. Waterman and Charles H. Palmer at a cost of nearly $20,000, and is the acme of perfection in the line of a motion picture house. Work was begun on the theater on March 15, and the finishing touches were put on the pretty little home of amusement yesterday. The contractors who did the work are Rickman brothers of this city.
Including the land the theater represents and investment of $40,000, and is a distinct addition to the playhouses of Kalamazoo.
The Elite is one story in height, 60×100 feet in dimensions and will seat 700. It has standing room in the rear to easily accommodate 300 more bringing the capacity of the house up to 1,000. The theater has a drop of five feet from the rear, the ceiling being twenty-four feet high in front and nineteen feet in the rear.
Ventilation Is Perfect.
There is no basement, the cement floor being laid on the ground and so arranged that it can be washed after each performance, the waste water running into a big gravel well at the front of the house beneath the stage. It is without doubt one of the most perfectly ventilated theaters in the country. In the space above the ceiling there are four Burtt patent ventilators, with fancy grates connecting with the same and carrying all the foul air out of the auditorium. There are two large suction fans in the rear, which may be used either as intakes or outtakes of air. On the ceiling are four paddle fans and on the side wall ten oscillating electric fans. So complete is the system of ventilation that the air can be changed every one and one-half minutes if desired, and actually is changed every three minutes.
There is a slope of an inch a foot from the rear to the front. The aisles are five feet in width with ample space between the rows, giving one a sense of plenty of elbow-room. The chairs are made of 5-ply birch mahogany veneer and are very comfortable.
The side walls are finished in dark green water colors, while the ceiling is of cream color, which makes a neat and harmonious color scheme.
Fine Lighting System.
The transfuse system of lighting is used, the lamps being shaded with green through which a clear white light can be thrown without affecting in any way the strength of the light. Between shows the illumination is furnished by five new Alba lights. Altogether six dome and six side wall lights are used.
The stage is 28 feet in width by eight deep and is plenty large enough to play single acts of entertainers, which includes many sorts—singing, acrobatic, musical, monologues, etc. At each side of the stage is a box for the use of the house singers—an innovation in Michigan theaters and one that is sure to prove popular.
The elite screen is the finest made being 20×24 feet and approved by the Picture Alliance of America. The film machine is a costly one and represents the height of excellence in machines of this class.
Front is a Beauty
In the matter of the front the Elite management has ‘thrown itself,’ the result being one of the handsomest and most attractive imaginable – artistic and striking. The style of architecture employed is Moorish with the usual arches. It is constructed of cream terra cotta and is trimmed in Italian veined marble at the base with a baseboard of Verdi antique marble. In each of the six mahogany doors is a long mirror. The box office is a gem, being constructed entirely of plate glass and Italian veined marble.
The Elite will have a three-piece orchestra, lead by Jesse Crandall, one of the most accomplished violinists in Kalamazoo, having studied abroad…
Philip Pitwell, a young but experienced picture theater man, has been engaged as manager…
Howard Johnson, a first class operator, has been secured to preside over the film machine…”
—Kalamazoo Gazette, 18 August 1912