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They started tearing down the Quo Vadis yesterday afternoon.It was a shame to see it rot away and now worse as it stands stripped and exposed. this was designed by the same firm that designed the World Trade Center in New York. This is the second theater to come down in Westland this month.I will add pic's this afternoon.:[[
I have many good memories there. The last movie I saw there was the original Star Wars when they re-screened them about 12 years ago.
That was a really cool theater before it was upstaged by the Showcase Cinemas up the street - now also gone.
I remember the little "sunken living room" with the fireplace and lounge chairs. Also the bar. It was nice to be able to watch a movie and have a cocktail! Much earlier, when the Algiers Drive-in was located next door [[where the strip mall is now), you would be able to walk over to the Quo Vadis, buy drinks and take them back to your car. They even advised you to do so in the little "visit the concession area" films before the movie! Could you imagine that today? Wow...
So many theatres, and especially drive-in theatres.... gone.
Ironically probably the best drive-in... from an architectural standpoint... is a rare survivor. That would be the Art Deco main building of the Ford-Wyoming Theatre. It should be given historic landmark status.
It is sad that the Minuru Yamasaki designed Quo Vadis is gone. Sadly [[as an eastsider) I never had the experience of going there.
The mom and pop movie theatres is almost extinct! Now its corporate controled movie theatres like EMAGINE, UNITED ARTISTS, AMC/STAR, and MJR. Adieu Quo Vadis thanks for 50 years of service.
One of the last movies I seen there was the midnight showing of Friday the 13th. I went with my mother...lol
Seen Grease there 26 times. I was a Westland mallrat and loved the Quo Vadis.
The loss of its landmark signs some time back diminished it presence but the theater's' distinctive Yamasaki design, so reminiscent of the World Trade Center, remained. Westland is unfortunately living up to its moniker of 'Wasteland' but not saving this structure. Full Tour Here
http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2009...uoVadis/00.jpg
While yea, it's sad in a way to see this theater removed given the history of it and certainly the experience of going there. It was never like going into a regular movie house. But it would be different if it was still in use. It's not like anyone saw a movie there just last week and out of the blue someone decided to raze the place.
It's been sitting there empty and rotting for more years than I can remember. It's time to stop whining about hanging on to these old, unused eyesores and pull em down.
I for one was not whining but sorry to see a Mid Century Modern designed building bite the dust.Its too bad our economy went to the dump instead of re-using this building. There are plenty of vacant storefront/stores sitting empty thruout metro Detroit.This one happens to hold memories for me and the neighborhood I live in! Now it will be an empty lot.............
Don't forget, once they are gone, they cannot be replaced, ever. Builders today do not have the skills to do similar work. They only know how to assemble the stuff they bought at home depot. Even if we could find skilled builders, cost would be an issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by mkhopper
Take old houses for example: They have plaster walls, kitchens and bathrooms designed and built on site, hardwood floors [[even in the closets), finished closets with all the trim, etc. To build a new 2000 sq. ft. house to those specs would be $500,000. And that's if you could find a skilled builder. Why people think prefab drywall and particle board assembly make a better house is beyond me...
Last movie I saw there was Gridlocked with 2Pac...I used to love going there as a kid and then we would go to the Toys R Us next door....too bad really.
Now I've never been to said theatre, but from what you folks describe, geeze, what a far cry from today's mega-plexes. I've been to one mega movie theatre, a small one by today's standards, to see the King's Speech, in the past 5 years, and what a painful experience.
Contrast that to say, the DFT, where I go about once a month, where you can actually relax and sit down and have a drink before going to a theatre with ONE SCREEN in as opposed to the cattle call and seas of parking lots today's theatres are.
This is progress? Is it just me or is everything shit?
Mom and pop theatres are almost dead, but Emagine and MJR aren't really corporate. While I'm sure they have some form of legal owner protection they are Michigan based theaters with local owners. Over the last 15 years the mom and pops have had to clone the big guys like AMC and Regal[[United Artists)to stay afloat. Even many of the smaller corporate chains couldn't keep up with the rapid building and expansion of the megaplex theaters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny
As far as the Quo Vadis, I knew it's days were numbered when they started tearing down the Showcase. It would have been nice to see that renovated and maintained, but it would have been a very difficult thing to do financially.
... I want a new moviehouse in the city of Detroit.. preferably an independent place, but I'd love it if Magic Johson brought his franchise to the city..
Anyone been to the Burton Theatre?
http://www.burtontheatre.com/
This may be of interest. This site lists all drive ins, movie theaters, amusments, etc in the state, where they are/were, date of openings/closings, pics.
Michigan Theaters Auto Racing Motels Lakes Resorts Drive-Ins Amusement Parks T
I'm too lazy to look it up, but since somebody asked about theaters in Detroit proper: are the theaters in the Ren Cen still doing much of anything these days?
No, everything is shit. Compared to the Zenith of western civilization [[which the Quo Vadis was a symbol of.) Now the "adults" pretty much have the same entertainment as the children. Someone wrote a book called " The Death of the Adult"Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPole
I drove by the QV this afternoon and the demo has started on the front of the building.
Attachment 9172
...what is done with the materials that are demolished.. recycled? :confused:
Steel beams are likely recycled. Rest heads to landfill.
I wonder if there will be any Movie Theaters anywhere in 10 years. With organizations like Netflix and gadgets like ROKU we can sit in the comfort of our home and watch any movie we want. No gas money; relatively cheap eats, no battling the elements, timed to suit out schedule, we can stop it while we go to the john, and no need to sit through a crap movie because we've payed for it. With a combination of Neflix/ROKU we can watch movies all day for $10 per month. Who needs Movie Theaters? I'm glad I don't have any money invested in them.
I went up there today and took a few pictures. I hated to see the place go, But I knew that it would happen someday. I couldn't belive how moldy the site smelled.
Of anything good that has came out of this, I can say I read up on Yamazaki and found that his firm designed my Jr High school.
Grew up in Garden City and my apartment now is in Westland. I always had a lot of memories there growing up. Now I know the Showcase on Wayne is becoming an MJR theatre, but what are they doing with the old Quo Vadis site? I couldn't find any info on it. I know that property was always rumored to be expensive because it's considered a landmark,
Coracle--people have been predicting the demise of the movie theater since the invention of Radio, then television, then the VCR, then Cable tv, and now this. As long as girls and boys go on dates, and hanging around one of the parent's homes is less than desirable there will be movie theaters.
There is an eperience one gets seeing a movie woth a few hundred other people, especially comedies, that can not be duplicated at home. Sounds like you have your mind made up, and that's a good thing.
Do us all a favor, and stay out of movie theaters, since your kind rarely knows to STFU during a movie.