Our 2013 Project - Air Conditioning
In 2013 the Penn will be improving the air conditioning in the auditorium. Since 1941, the Penn has been cooled by a well water system. It has served us well, but we're happy to report that our movie attendance is so good that the well-based system can no longer keep up with the crowds. We will be keeping the original system (because it is very energy efficient), but we'll be adding a supplementary refrigerant-based system. We expect to have the project completed before the end of June.
Download Donation Form (Adobe pdf format)
Donations in the form of cash or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) are accepted during our regular business hours (Thursday-Sunday) or by special arrangement. Donations by check can be mailed to: Friends of the Penn, P.O. Box 6462, Plymouth, MI 48170.
Friends of the Penn is a registered 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax deductable to the fullest extent of the law. Consult your tax advisor for more information.
Our 2012 Project - Digital Projection
In 2012, the Penn made the conversion to digital projection (like the rest of the motion picture industry.) We still have our original 35mm projectors for classic films, but our normal weekend movies are now shown exclusively in digital format.
Our 2011 Project - Auditorium
The auditorium renovation has been our most ambitious project to-date. The Penn was closed for three weeks while crews worked around the clock to transform the auditorium with new seating, flooring, carpet, drapery, movie screen, paint, surround speakers, aisle lights, and staging. The pictures below illustrate the dramatic change.
We celebrated our re-opening by inviting the auditorium donors to a special showing of "Mr. Blandings Builds his Dreamhouse" starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy.
Our 2010 Project - Entry Doors and Murals
Our 2010 renovation projects are complete. On your next visit to the Penn, you'll notice the new front doors. In addition to being reminiscent of the originals, they're more energy efficient and actually open and close properly. The work was completed by Daniels Glass of Detroit.
This year the murals on the side of the building went through an incredible transformation. They were brought back to life through the amazing talents of Plymouth artist Janisse Larsson.
Our 2009 Project - Marquee
The Friends of the Penn thank you for supporting our 2009 renovation project, the marquee replacement. This project took almost 14 months from start to finish which included contractor selection, design, Historic Distric Commission approval, structural steel repairs, electrical upgrades, and finally the marquee removal and replacement.
The work was completed by the Wagner Electric Sign Company on June 18 and we had a "Grand Re-Lighting" event on June 25.
Completed Projects
Special thanks to all of the donors who, through their generosity, have made the following projects possible:
New Boiler (December, 2006)
Stage Lighting (August, 2007)
New Electrical Service (August, 2007)
New Concession Area & Popcorn Kitchen (December, 2007)
New Air Handler (February, 2008)
Roofing Replacement (September, 2008)
Exterior Painting (October, 2008)
New Marquee (June, 2009)
DTS - Digital Theatre Sound Upgrade (July, 2009)
Mural Transformation (September, 2010)
Front Entry Doors (October, 2010)
Complete Auditorium Renovation (July, 2011)
Digital Cinema Conversion (August, 2012)