Historic movie palaces / Grand Rapids
Keith's Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1914–1962
Grand Rapids' vaudeville palace opened in 1914 as the Empress, designed by Chicago's Rapp & Rapp, with side boxes, a huge proscenium and later a Wurlitzer organ. Urban renewal closed it in 1962.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1914
- Closed
- 1962
- Architect
- Rapp & Rapp (Chicago)
- Seats
- 1796
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Keith's Theatre opened on August 24, 1914, as the Empress, a vaudeville house designed by the Chicago firm Rapp & Rapp. It had side boxes, a huge proscenium and a large balcony, with 1,796 seats in all. A Wurlitzer organ went in in 1926, and after RKO took over in April 1930 it became RKO Keith's and later simply Keith's, showing films. The city bought it for urban renewal, and it closed on September 5, 1962, with The Spiral Road. The organ was saved and sold, and the theater was demolished in 1963.
- Designed by Rapp & Rapp, 1914
- Wurlitzer organ from 1926
- The organ was saved before demolition
Plan your visit
Keith's closed in 1962 and was torn down in 1963, so there's nothing left on Lyon Street. For a movie night, pick one of the open cinemas in our guide.
Cinemas nearby
Back to cinemas ↗
IMAX & giant screens / Grand Rapids
Celebration Cinema GR North & IMAX
Celebration Cinema's flagship on Grand Rapids' northeast side: 18 screens plus an IMAX that still runs real 70mm IMAX film, one of only about 40 such venues in the world, according to the company.
Multiplexes / Grand Rapids
AMC Grand Rapids 18
An 18-screen giant on Alpine Avenue in Walker. It opened as a Loeks-Star Star Theatre with 4,000 rocking-chair seats and a lobby under a 36-foot glass atrium; AMC runs it today.
Multiplexes / Grand Rapids
Celebration Cinema GR South
Sixteen screens and 2,600 seats in Gaines Township on the south side of Grand Rapids. The star is Theatre 1: C Premium, with 4K laser projection and Dolby Atmos.