Kalamazoo’s Downtown—How Far We’ve Come

by Sean McCann

Saturday night of New Year’s weekend started out no different than any other Saturday in Kalamazoo, but it ended up teaching me a very good lesson.

Some friends and I had made plans for dinner out followed by a movie downtown at the new Rave Theatre. We were to have dinner at 7:00 and then see the 8:30 showing of The Good Shepherd, which was released over a week before. We were running a few minutes late for dinner, but the newly expanded Martini’s was only a couple blocks away. Oops. When we got to Martini’s it was jam-packed, with people waiting. No way we would have time to eat and make it to the movie on time.

We went to “Plan B” and found a slightly less-crowded restaurant nearby. We managed to get through dinner with 10 minutes to spare before the show started, and we knew the theatre was close by. Hustling into the theatre during the previews, we found, to our surprise, a packed auditorium, compelling us to sit together in the second row. After the show I saw people I knew who remarked how nice it was to have the new theatre.

Later on, I reflected on my lesson learned. As a long-time patron of downtown, I have seen interest in what’s going on building slowly and steadily. Now, I suddenly realized, it’s getting very busy downtown. This is the wildest dream come true of a great many people.

In thinking about how far we’ve come downtown in just the past 10 years – I call it “remember when?” – I joke with anyone I meet who hasn’t been on an Art Hop yet that they were once well-kept secrets. Art Hops, which used to be nice, quiet affairs, are now practically automatic events on my calendar and the calendars of hundreds of others (thousands over the course of a year).

I also remark lately how much I love seeing the big crane downtown that is helping construct the new building by the Greenleaf Cos. for the Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone law firm. It is a symbol that downtown continues to have great forward momentum and is developing at a strong clip. But even the many smaller projects are critical – Martini’s being packed is a great example, as well.

Nothing exemplifies downtown’s progress more for me than when I show what’s new to Kalamazoo visitors, particularly those who haven’t been here in several years. The list is long: the Plazacorp redevelopments on the northeast of downtown, the renovations by Jon Stryker on the southeast, new entertainment venues by Ryan Reedy – including the soon-to-open Wild Bull; the City of Kalamazoo’s new Transit Center; the downtown mall and all its unique stores; the fantastic restaurants; the many renovated building facades; the museum and the library; helpful wayfinding signs; the Radisson renovations; the many lofts and housing opportunities; the Arcadia Festival Site; the State Theatre; the Civic Theatre; the Rave Theatre; and so much more.

I think the Rave Theatre bears special mention. How many other midsize urban cities have a brand-new, 14-screen multiplex movie theatre in their downtown? I continue to hear amazement from people who are unaware of it when I tell them about this downtown gem. When I take people there or ask those who have gone, the feedback is extremely positive. The Rave Theatre is such a tremendous accomplishment and asset to our downtown. I suspect it will, in hindsight, represent the point in time when Kalamazoo’s downtown took off and never looked back.

It also means that, from now on, I need to factor in a little more time when I want to take friends to dinner and a movie – downtown!

(City Commissioner Sean McCann lives in the historic Vine Neighborhood in Kalamazoo. A version of this artical was published in the Kalamazoo Gazette as a Viewpoint in January 2007.)