[4] The Denniston company paid $12,000 (equivalent to $254,000 in 2023) for the land,[5] and in total invested over $250,000 (over $5.3 million in 2023) for the construction of the theatre.

[6] The Monroe Theatre seated 1250, and featured a Mirrophonic sound system, described by Boxoffice magazine as "mechanically modern in the minutest detail.

Denniston was notably opposed to showing film noir, writing in 1951 that he "would suggest all production of crime pictures be discontinued by producers."

A contemporary analysis by Eddie Muller attributes his troubles in the business not to film noir, but to generally decreasing ticket sales.

The Monroe Downtown Development Authority purchased the building from Denniston for $50,000, with the financial and organizational assistance of the Kiwanis Club.

The River Raisin Centre for the Arts board was incorporated in 1987, and quickly began a major renovation project.

[10] The organization grew in the early 1990s, adding its first professional executive director in 1996, and expanding steadily with new performances and education programs.

A new sprung-floor stage was installed in 2019 with the assistance of a grant from the State of Michigan, which also supported the restoration of the theater's 1953-vintage Baldwin piano.