Before Pinball Pete’s and the Galleria Mall, Ann Arbor had a Campus Theatre

ANN ARBOR, MI — For over 65 years, 1208-1214 South University Ave. has been a destination for arts and entertainment near the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.

Before it became the Galleria Mall and home to tenants such as Tower Records and Pinball Pete’s arcade in the 1990s, it was the Campus Theatre.

Today’s mall, which still houses Pinball Pete’s and several other tenants, now faces demolition to make way for a 17-story high-rise.

From the archives of The Ann Arbor News, here’s a look back at the South U site’s long and interesting history.

1956 — construction starts

Construction is shown underway on a new Butterfield movie theater on the 1200 block of South University Avenue in Ann Arbor in September 1956. Expected to seat about 1,000 people, it was reportedly the first indoor theater to be built in Michigan in nearly 10 years.Eck Stanger | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

In September 1956, The News documented the start of construction of the Campus Theatre, a new movie theater from the Butterfield company, which operated various theaters in Ann Arbor, including the Michigan and State theaters.

The one-screen theater was built to cater to the art-movie audience that had patronized the Orpheum, Ann Arbor’s first theater built for movies in 1913.

The Main Street theater known as the Orpheum closed in 1957, the same year the Campus opened.

1957 — gala opening

An article about the new Campus Theatre opening in Ann Arbor in March 1957.Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

The News reported on the gala opening for the Campus Theatre in March 1957, noting the entrance lobby featured modern decor with carpeted floors and an acoustical ceiling with built-in lights and walnut trim.

Ann Arbor’s Campus Theatre when it opened in March 1957.Eck Stanger | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

A far door beyond the lobby led to the 1,054-seat auditorium, where opening-night guests got to see the film “Lust for Life” starring Kirk Douglas, as well as a “Mr. Magoo” cartoon.

Ann Arbor’s Campus Theatre when it opened in March 1957.Eck Stanger | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

It was reported to be one of only a few new theaters across the entire United States over the previous decade.

Ann Arbor’s Campus Theatre when it opened in March 1957.Eck Stanger | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

The building had two sections — the theater on the east side and areas for three stores on the west, along with a partial basement and partial second floor.

1960s — Italian comedy

A view of the Campus Theatre on South University Avenue in August 1965.Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

“During the height of the 1960s foreign-film craze, crowds lined up along South University to see the latest Fellini or Bergman work,” local historian Grace Shackman once wrote of the Campus Theatre in a report on the city’s cinema history.

A view of South University Avenue and the Campus Theatre, with its marquee advertising foreign film, in Ann Arbor in January 1960. An estimated $1 million had been pumped into the South U business district at the time, revitalizing it from a shopping area of store facades attached to houses to a center similar to the State Street business area.Duane Scheel | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

By 1967, with some questioning the showing of films like the murder mystery “Blow-Up,” there were talks in Ann Arbor about creating a censorship board to review “potentially obscene materials,” The News reported, while noting most films shown in Ann Arbor already were subject to Detroit police censorship.

1980s — end of an era

By the 1980s, “Star Wars” was all the rage and the Campus showed both the “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983.

An article in May 1983 about “Return of the Jedi” playing at the Campus Theatre in Ann Arbor.Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

In late 1984, it was announced that Butterfield was selling most of its Michigan movie theaters, including the State and Campus theaters in Ann Arbor, to a company in Illinois.

In early 1985, unionized projectionists who were let go filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board to protest their firings as a violation of labor law.

By that point, the Campus was Ann Arbor’s last-remaining, single-screen commercial movie theater, but it wouldn’t be around much longer.

The house at 1218 South University Ave. a developer wanted moved in 1985 to make way for the Galleria development.Tom Marks | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

In September 1985, talks of a South U retail development called the Galleria were underway. Developer Glen Gale sought someone to buy and move an old Victorian-style house at 1218 S. University Ave. to make way for what was initially planned to be a four-story building with two levels of shops and 12 apartments above. It was to be built between the Campus Theatre and an old gas station on the corner.

The theater’s eventual closing gave rise to a new idea to incorporate it into the Galleria. News photos from January 1987 showed the empty marquee of the shuttered theater when there were talks of turning it into shops.

The empty marquee of Ann Arbor’s old Campus Theatre on South University Avenue in January 1987 after it closed.Nat Ehrlich | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

In July 1987, the old Victorian house was torn down to make way for the Galleria to be attached to the old theater and filled with new stores and a food court. Another adjacent building, formerly the Great Escape pinball arcade, also was to be torn down, The News reported.

Demolition underway for the Galleria Mall development on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor in July 1987.Peter Ross | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

1990s — Galleria Mall arrives

An advertisement in March 1990 showcased the nearly complete Galleria Mall designed by Hobbs and Black Architects, announcing its tenants and food court offerings. After some delays, the mall officially opened in early 1991.

The new Galleria Mall on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor in March 1990 ahead of its grand opening.Jack Stubbs | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

“Tower Records blasts into Ann Arbor market,” was the headline in September 1991 about the new record store from the nationally known Tower chain, which made its first entry into the Midwest at the Galleria where it sold a wide selection of CDs.

Tom Rule, manager of the new Tower Records store at Ann Arbor’s new Galleria Mall on South University Avenue in September 1991.Jack Stubbs | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

“Galleria survives freshman year,” was the headline in January 1992 when it was reported, despite being hard to miss with its glassy frontage and neon signage, it was hard to find a mix of tenants that worked. Tower Records and the eclectic Caffe Fino coffee house were cited as early successes in the 75%-occupied building where the lower-level food court concept never took off and was being eliminated.

Inside Ann Arbor’s Galleria Mall on South University Avenue at night in December 1992 with Tower Records up on the second level and escalators down to a lower-level food court.Colleen Fitzgerald | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

Burger King and the Sports Mania sporting goods store were among two of the ground-floor tenants inside the mall in the 1990s.

Burger King and Sportsmania inside the Galleria Mall on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor at night in December 1992.Colleen Fitzgerald | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

The News further reported in December 1992 the mall was facing financial troubles, including a defaulted mortgage, delinquent property taxes and a lawsuit from anchor tenant Tower Records. Metropolitan Federal Bank sued the original owner, Campus Commercial Properties Inc., for $6.4 million for defaulting on a 1988 loan.

The exterior of Ann Arbor’s Galleria Mall building on South University Avenue at night in December 1992.Colleen Fitzgerald | Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org

Throughout the rest of the 1990s, the Galleria saw the arrival of new longterm tenants, including Pinball Pete’s taking over the old food court space and the U.S. Post Office moving its Nickels Arcade branch there. Both remain today, along with various other tenants, including UM.

Tower Records eventually left in 2000 when its sales no longer justified the rent, according to Jeff Hauptman, managing member of the group that owned the Galleria then.

The mall later underwent significant renovations in 2007 that further changed its interior configuration, resulting in more floor space for tenants and a smaller atrium.

2023 — demolition proposed

The mall’s days may be numbered now as Georgia-based Landmark Properties plans to buy it from Oxford, Hauptman’s company, and demolish it to build another apartment high-rise similar to others that line South U and cater to a growing need for UM student housing.

Pinball Pete’s arcade in the Galleria building on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor on Nov. 17, 2023. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

The big question surrounding the project: What’s going to happen to Pinball Pete’s?

Supporters of the arcade came out in full force at a Dec. 5 meeting.

Pinball Pete’s arcade in the Galleria building on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor on Nov. 17, 2023. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

Landmark and Oxford say they’re committed to finding a way to keep Pinball Pete’s in Ann Arbor, which may mean relocating it.

“Oxford has been working with Pinball Pete’s for years, and helped them into their current location,” Oxford spokesperson Margaret Wyzlic said in a statement. “We’ll be there to help them find their next one, if and when they need it. It appears we have some time before they’d need to vacate their current spot, which will hopefully give us some time to be creative and intentional in finding the best fit for them.”

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