When there is an area as historic as Eastown in Grand Rapids, many of the shops and businesses have undergone numerous phases. Take, for example, the Wealthy Theatre, a 1911 theatre that was once a fixture of the area, having once housed supplies for World War I before falling into disrepair in the 1970s.
While it has since been refurbished and is now the center of the area, another theater emerged during this time, housing the most popular nightclub in Grand Rapids. Ironically, this place of debauchery now houses something on the complete opposite end of the spectrum: a church. Let’s revisit the gone-too-soon Shout Nightclub.
The Rise of Eastown Theatre
The Eastown Theatre had a long history as the premier movie venue in Eastown. Boasting over 800 seats, the Eastown Theatre opened in 1936 with its first feature being My American Wife. It was Grand Rapids’ first air-conditioned theatre and was popular going into the 1950s, but transitioned into a B-movie and second-run film house, as well as a venue for viewing martial arts films going into the 1970s. A neighboring art house eventually bought it and rebranded it as the Eastown Bijou in the 80s. It added art films, second-run blockbusters, Saturday matinees of old classics, and more.
However, this was short-lived and closed in the mid-1980s before becoming what many in Grand Rapids remember it most for: the Shout nightclub.
Shout: Grand Rapids’ Wildest Nightclub Is Born
In 1987, the Eastown Theatre was purchased once again by Robert VanDrunnen and Scott Vokoun, who planned to use the large theater space differently than its previous tenants. A year after the purchase, the theatre was transformed into a 1950s and 1960s-inspired nightclub called Shout.
This spot can be described in one word: wacky. From the Corvette that appeared to be coming through the wall to the ’59 Edsel over the bar to the pink Cadillac in the middle of the dance floor, even to the waitresses who were reportedly dressed as cheerleaders. The only thing that remained from its movie theatre past was the large screen on the back wall…