In 1978 plans were announced to convert the theater into retail space. A nonprofit organization was formed to “preserve and restore the historic Michigan Theater for the benefit of the community and the arts.” Through the efforts of volunteer organist Henry Aldridge and with the encouragement of Mayor Louis Belcher, the citizens of Ann Arbor decided to purchase the theater from the Poulos family. A restoration process begun in 1986 and completed in 2002 has brought the theater back to the glory of its beautiful movie palace origins.