AFTER 96 YEARS, THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR THIS KALAMAZOO TREASURE

says. “We need this community to let us know, ‘What do you want in this space?’”

That’s the way it felt 30-some years ago to Stephanie Hinman when she first visited the State as a child.

That memory remains with her, and today, Hinman, the executive director in charge of the theater, is still in love with the atmosphere of the building and sees it as her responsibility to the community to maintain it to the best of her ability.

“There is so much that has happened within these walls that are part of people’s memories,” she says.

“We’re working on a good plan for the sustainability of this (facility),” she

So far, Hinman, who has been in her current position since 2014, seems to have struck the right chord with the community. Many of the venue’s music and comedy shows and films are sold out well in advance.

It looks like that will be the case again this year with such acts as Gregory Alan Isakov on Feb. 1; “Weird Al” Yankovic, with special guest Emo Phillips, on Feb. 2; Snarky Puppy on April 2; and the “Bored Teachers: We Can’t Make This Stuff Up!” comedy show on April 13.

The State, a member of the League of Historic American Theaters and recipient in 2021 of National Register of Historic Places status, was built at the close of the silent-film and vaudeville era by W.S. Butterfield, whose company ran it until 1982.

Its Barton organ accompanied silent films there for 10 years, until 1937 when “talkies” took over.

The organ was played sporadically after that and was restored in the 1960s, but is currently dormant, though Hinman says it may someday be playable again.

The first entertainment when the theater opened July 14, 1927 was the film, “Frisco Sally Levy,” starring Sally O’Neil and Roy D’Arcy; Austin Mack’s Century Serenaders; and Ned Worth and His Talking Piano.

Many local attendees got in free with tickets dropped over the city from an airplane, while others had to pay 50 cents for admittance.

Vaudeville gave way to the big bands of the 1940s and the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Ted Weems performed there.

Among the other performers to take the stage were entertainer Victor Borge, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen & Co., the Three Stooges and magician Harry Blackstone Sr.

For much of its existence the theater has been primarily a movie venue, with a new enlarged screen added in 1953 for the showing of “The Robe,” and an even larger screen installed in 1957 for “Around the World in 80 Days.”

A major overhaul of the building was undertaken in 1964, the year the 45-foot vertical “State” sign at the corner of Burdick and Lovell streets rusted out and crashed to the ground. It was re- placed by the current marquee. During the remodeling project, seating was reduced from 1,800 to 1,400, and 10 years later, when the balcony was closed to save money, seating was further reduced to 870 seats.

The balcony later was reopened and Hinman says ticketed seating capacity is now 1,524.

When Butterfield pulled out in 1982, there were concerns for the future of the theater. Local arts groups and city officials launched a “Save the State” committee to keep it alive.

In 1985, it was purchased by the Hinman Co., a real estate development, management and leasing company run by Hinman’s father, Roger.

“We’ve tried to act as a landlord and have people come in and rent it from us; that didn’t work,” Roger Hinman said in a 2014 Kalamazoo Gazette article. “Ultimately, we had to take it over. We had to run it ourselves.”

That’s what Stephanie Hinman has been doing ever since. Previously the Hinman Co.’s director of sustainability, she began with a major backstage painting and carpeting project. More recently, the theater has added air conditioning, and has new carpeting throughout the theater area, itself, and the renovated ticket offices.

She has expanded the staff from two to 10 full-timers in marketing, ticketing, sales and production. “It was hard just managing the phones,” she says of the small staff she inherited.

With a corps of part-timers standing by, the number of workers on concert nights can go as high as 78, depending on who is touring, she says.

In addition to concerts, the venue serves the community in many ways, Hinman says, from hosting weddings to participating in events such as the Bell’s Brewery “Snow Jog,” the National Day of Racial Healing and the annual Downtown Kalamazoo Chili Cook Off, all of which are held in January.

Hinman says the goals of the State Theatre are to preserve the historic building and to offer diverse programming to the community.

With a steady stream of performers taking the stage over the last several years, Hinman enjoys reminiscing about the acts.

“My all-time favorite is Greensky Bluegrass,” she says of the band that performs there frequently, and “Kalamzoo loves, Anthony Hamilton.”

Hinman gives credit to the community for the staying power of the theater, and to her staff for their dedication.

“We’ve got a good team of people who care about what they’re doing. They care about our patrons, each other and this building,” she says. “That’s really cool.”