Kerredge Theater

kerredgetheater

by A. K. Hoagland.

Architect: Oscar Cobb
Location: Quincy Street, Hancock
Built: 1902, destroyed by fire 1959
Contractor: Gauthier Brothers

kerredgetheater
Kerredge Theater. MTU Archives

The Kerredge Theater was the region’s premier theater, serving not only Hancock, but Houghton and even Michigan Tech as well. Located on Quincy Street just east of the Scott Hotel (built 1906), the theater seated 1,565 (slightly less after motion picture projection equipment was installed). Constructed by Gauthier Bros., the ornate, three-story building had a projecting center section with an elaborate balustraded balcony at the second level that also served as a marquee. The brick building was crowned with a heavy, modillioned cornice. The building had some elements of the Renaissance Revival, with round-arched windows at the third floor, symmetrical fenestration, and some Classical detailing.1

The new Kerredge Theatre in 1902 (Courtesy of the City of Hancock)
The new Kerredge Theatre in 1902 (Courtesy of the City of Hancock)

 

Kerredge Theater after fire in May 1959 (MichiganTech Archives)
Kerredge Theater after fire in May 1959 (MichiganTech Archives)

 

Buildings by Oscar Cobb in the Copper Country

Notes

  1. “Bids for Theatre,” Daily Mining Gazette, February 1, 1902. “$250,000 Kerredge, Scott Hotel Fire; $75,000 Blaze Hits Calumet Garage,” Daily Mining Gazette, May 29, 1959.