Not too much is known about the old Bijou Theatre in downtown Lansing.

What we DO know is - that it was located at the northwest corner of S. Capitol & E. Michigan, right across the street from the walkway leading up to the capitol building.

The Bijou Theatre was a very popular movie & vaudeville house and remained in operation from 1910 thru 1920. Then, in 1920, the theater owner(s) got a little antsy and decided they needed to do some remodeling; once completed, the Bijou gained a brand new name: The Regent Theatre.

The Regent also did a decent business, hauling in many crowds that came flocking in to see the latest vaudeville acts, singers, comedians and the featured silent films of the day. Many dignitaries and politicians who visited our state capitol enjoyed the fact that they could just walk across the street into a theater for some entertainment. Then, in 1926, a fire broke out and destroyed the entire building...and the structure was a theater no more.

The rebuilt structure is currently called the "George W. Romney State Capitol Building" and is used to house the governor's office.

Below is a short video on the demise of Lansing's Historic Theatre District...take a look!

 

 

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