Rogers City in Presque Isle County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Rogers Theater
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2025
1. Rogers Theater Marker
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior
Rogers Theater
1937
Erected by United States Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1937.
Location. 45° 25.258′ N, 83° 49.052′ W. Marker is in Rogers City, Michigan, in Presque Isle County. It is on North 3rd Street (Alternate U.S. 23) south of West Huron Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is to the right of the front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 257 N 3rd St, Rogers City MI 49779, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula and in one of the Lake Huron Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Erskine Building / Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Lodge (a few steps from this marker); Vietnam War Memorial Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); That Freedom Might Live (within shouting distance of this marker); Korean War Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Presque Isle County Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Presque Isle County Courthouse
this page online
Regarding Rogers Theater. Rogers Theater was added to the National Register on August 28, 2024 #100010780.
Also see . . .
1. Weekly List 2024 08 30. Rogers Theater was added to the National Register 8/28/24 #100010780 (Submitted on July 8, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
2. Rogers Theater. Wikipedia entry
In approximately 1934, businessman Charles A. Vogelheim and theater operator Walter Kelley began a partnership to construct a new movie theater. Vogelheim owned a lumber company, and construction occurred under the direction of his son Karl. The construction evidently took some years, and the building opened in 1937 as a 500-seat motion picture theater. Kelley managed the theater for ten years until his retirement in 1947, after which Vogelheim took over the business.[2](Submitted on July 8, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
In January 1948, a fire started in the building, destroying the interior of the building. However, the building was quickly renovated and expanded, and the theater was reopened later inthe year as a 650-seat venue. The Vogelheim family continued to operate the theater with Charles's son Richard taking over in 1961. In 2002, local resident Karl Heidemann purchased the building. He renovated the theater interior to install a stage. In the 2010s, the Presque Isle District Library purchased the building, and in 2023 renovated the faηade.Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 20252. Rogers Theater and Marker
3. The Show Goes On at Rogers Theater.
In 1937, an illuminated beacon arrived in Rogers City, Michigan. This wasnt a newly built lighthouse, although Presque Isle County, a rural community on the northern shore of Lake Huron bounded by timber forests, had many of them. This beacon was a V-shaped neon marquee, announcing the opening of the Rogers Theater. The marquees flashing chaser lights and warm neon tubes flooded the businesses and public buildings on Third Streetthe citys main thoroughfarewith electric light. In the mid 1930s, only three percent of the rural population in Michigan had electricity, and the Rural Electrification Administration, a New Deal era program to deliver electricity to rural communities, had only been operating in this part of Northeastern Michigan since 1935.(Submitted on July 8, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
4. Rogers City theater, other Michigan sites secure spots in national historic registry . Cheybogan Daily Tribune article about the addition of Rogers Theater to the national registry
Rogers Theater, Rogers City, listed Aug. 28, 2024: The Theater is under the ownership of Presque Isle District Library. Built in 1937 in the art moderne style, the single screen cinema has shown first-run movies to generations of movie-goers. The Vogelheim Family rebuilt and ran the theater after a devasting fire in 1948, then in 2003, Karl and Mary Heidmann acquired the theater.(Submitted on July 8, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 92 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 7, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. 2. submitted on July 8, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
