GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A historic Grand Rapids theatre recently won grant money from the state for its continued restoration.
In a Facebook post this May, the Grand Rapids Economic Development office announced it had been awarded $775,000 in funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program.
The money would be put toward the renovations of the Four Star Theatre ($325K) and a development on Martin Luther King Street ($240K), the city said, with the remainder set aside for administrative costs.
"With the help of this grant, we're saving the theatre," said Marcus Ringnalda, a developer who has his sights set on turning the building into a fully functional cultural arts center.
The Four Star Theatre, founded in the Burton Heights neighborhood in 1939, has housed several eras of arts, entertainment and culture across several decades, including a single-screen theater, a music hall, a nightclub and a youth center.
"Joan Jett played on this stage," Ringnalda said. "Hall and Oates and Hank Williams Jr."
"Imagine you're playing your first show and you're like, 'Joan Jett was here fifty years ago.'" he said. "It's a really cool thing."
To visit the theatre's website, click here
In 2017, Ringnalda purchased the building for $160,000. Phase one of its restoration was completed in 2021 after a series of tune-ups allowed the theatre to reopen.
Since then, funding for phase two has come from the Lowe's Hometowns program ($100K), Kent County's portion of the American Rescue Plan Act ($500K) and the City of Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority ($180K), along with additional financial support the Michigan Arts and Cultural Council and other entities. The money has so far been used to upgrade the building's lobby, roof and heating and cooling system.
The recently-awarded $325K grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will allow Ringnalda to complete phase two, funding repairs to the building's facade, including its iconic, old-fashioned marquee.
"What I've learned is patience and priorities," he said. "The untrained eye might not see some of the stuff going on, but the resources to fix all of them is an amazing thing."
"Within two, three years, we'd really love to make it happen," he said.
A place where anyone can play and party, watch, learn and listen is the plan.
"Projects like this take grit," said Grand Rapids Director of Economic Development Sarah Rainero. "I think that's economic development in a nutshell."
"We need more folks like Marcus," she said.
