State Theater

02 / The story of this place

Make time for these

The State opened on March 18, 1942 with 1,773 seats, a C. Howard Crane design run by Butterfield, a Paramount affiliate. Then came the roller coaster: split into four screens in 1977, main floor lost to retail in 1987, closed in 1989, reopened in the old balcony as a twin in 1992. The nonprofit known today as the Michigan & State Theaters, then the Michigan Theater Foundation, has programmed it since 1999 and owned it since 2014. After a renovation it reopened in December 2017 with four screens and 351 seats. Today it plays first-run art-house and indie films; on September 29, 2026 the Humanities Film Series brings documentaries about Dabls in Detroit, and on October 1 it hosts the LGBT History Month Film Festival.

• Designed by C. Howard Crane, opened 1942
• Four screens, 351 seats, art-house lineup
• Next door to the Michigan Theater

Plan your visit

It's at 233 S State St in downtown Ann Arbor, and the box office opens 30 minutes before showtime. Street parking is metered Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and there are parking structures at 324 Maynard St and Liberty Square (500 E Washington St).

Box office

Box office opens 30 minutes before showtime.

Parking

Metered street parking (Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.); parking structures at 324 Maynard St and Liberty Square (500 E Washington St).