Main Art Theater in Royal Oak torn down Monday morning

It's the end for the Main Art Theater as demolition crews began tearing it down Monday morning after 80 years of film showings.

The theater on Main Street in Royal Oak was first opened by Robert Anthony in the summer of 1941 with just one screen and 800 seats. Throughout the decades, it underwent an expansion to add two more theaters.

The theater showed mainstream films until 1983, when it pivoted to focus on independent films and art films instead. Main Art also had midnight showings of classic films.

Landmark Theatres took over Main Art in 1997 and operated it until the theater closed its doors last year when they returned the property to A.F. Jonna Management & Development.

The decision to demolish the beloved theater was made back in April by the Royal Oak Planning Commission.

The local community has been trying to save the theater from its fate since last year, when the theater shuttered in April 2021.

A group named Friends of the Main Art Theater was formed with the goal of increasing public appreciation of the arts. They rallied nearly 200 people in April to demonstrate the theater's importance to the community ahead of the Royal Oak Planning Commission's decision.

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But like many other theaters around the country, Main Art – and its attendance – was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its place, developers plan to create a five-story mixed-use building with retail, office and residential components.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Main Art Theater in Royal Oak demolished Monday morning