Sally Bjork
“This month’s I Spy is the Michigan Theater with the new high rise looming in the background,” writes Michael McGraw. The photo shows the roofline and arched windows “above the Michigan Theater marquee,” points out Eric Sobocinski. “I never realized the second floor was so ornate,” comments Adam Goldsmith. “I mistook it for a church at first.” Sara Kitzsteiner echoes that sentiment: “I was thinking this must be a church, but last night I was walking to a movie and there it was.”
Related: The Michigan’s New Face
Behind the historic facade rises what David Bicknell identifies as “‘The Legacy at Ann Arbor’ on E. Washington. It’s a nineteen-story high-rise, [one of] the tallest in Ann Arbor since Tower Plaza in the 1960s.” As Barbara Tester writes, “The Ann Arbor skyline continues to change.” Yet, as Rudolf Hauleitner writes, the Michigan Theater remains “a great landmark—from the outside as well as on the inside!”
“When I moved here thirty years ago, and saw a movie there, even before the renovations, I thought this was the most beautiful theater I had ever seen,” writes David Karl. “A real jewel in the crown of Ann Arbor’s arts and entertainment sector.” Preserving this jewel, and the State Theatre, is the work of the Michigan Theater Foundation, rebranded in 2024 as Marquee Arts—a name not appreciated by all.
Twenty-six entrants participated in December’s I Spy; all but one correctly identified the Michigan Theater. Our random drawing winner, Aviva Satz-Kojis, will enjoy her $25 gift certificate at Zingerman’s.
To enter this month’s contest, use the image and clue below and send your answer to [email protected].
Hint: House of a famous U-M alum; now neighbor to another | Sally Bjork