Theater on Harper at Van Dyke

**theresa** · August-02-12, 10:05 AM

Does anyone have any information about a theater building on Harper, just east of Van Dyke? The building occupies [[or did occupy) an entire city block. The non-theater portion of the building is being demolished.

The theater has a beautiful facade and lovely architectural features inside. Does anyone know its history? Will the entire building come down, and are there any plans for this block?

Thanks for any information. I saw [[and photographed) the building yesterday and there was no demolition crew there, but lots of rubble.

**p69rrh51** · August-02-12, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by theresa

Does anyone have any information about a theater building on Harper, just east of Van Dyke? The building occupies [[or did occupy) an entire city block. The non-theater portion of the building is being demolished.

The theater has a beautiful facade and lovely architectural features inside. Does anyone know its history? Will the entire building come down, and are there any plans for this block?

Thanks for any information. I saw [[and photographed) the building yesterday and there was no demolition crew there, but lots of rubble.

The Eastown Theatre which has been discussed on here. Look for old threads. Its about to be demolished.

**DetroitPlanner** · August-02-12, 10:14 AM

A good source for info on old theaters in the state is water winter wonderland. [[Google it)

**p69rrh51** · August-02-12, 10:23 AM

From Cinema Treasures:

The Eastown Theatre was one of Detroit’s great neighborhood theaters. It opened originally in 1930 for the Wisper & Westman circuit. It was mainly a movie house, though it did have a small stage and did occasionally host stage shows as well in its early years.
Its decor was a mixture of Renaissance Revival styles, including Spanish and Italian with Baroque and Neo-Classic elements as well. The auditorium, which included a large balcony, originally sat just under 2,500. It was designed by the firm of V.J. Waier & Co.
Though the Eastown Theatre closed as a movie house during the mid-1960’s, its second life was just beginning, for which it would be much better known, as one of Detroit’s premiere rock venues.
Beginning in 1969, the list of performers on the Eastown’s stage reads like a who’s-who of rock and roll of that era. Alice Cooper, the Doors, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Seger, Jethro Tull and the Grateful Dead are just a few of the bands who played here between 1969 and 1973.
It was forced to shut down in 1973 by the city of Detroit, cited for failing to meet health and safety codes. In 1975, it reopened as a jazz venue, which remained in operation for about a year. After this, it was used for a short time for performing arts and live theater, but again closed down.
In 1980, the Eastown Theatre began to show adult films under a new name, the Showcase, but closed again in 1984. From 1984 until 1990, the Eastown Theatre was again home to a performing arts group.
During the mid-90s, the Eastown Theatre hosted raves, and later housed a church. Today, the building is unused.

**illwill** · August-02-12, 10:28 AM

SAD! We'll NEVER see anything built like this again. Ever!

**Wheels** · August-02-12, 10:40 AM

A nice show list of Rock Concerts here.

http://www.motorcitymusicarchives.com/eastowncal.html

**Islandman** · August-02-12, 10:42 AM

I played at a NYE show there back in '99. The inside was not in too bad of shape and some guys were trying to restore it. Never came to fruition and ended badly, from what I can remember.

Two weird things that happened that night. Shock G from Digital Underground hanging in the chillout room with a bunch of girls. Second, someone doing a drive by and shooting someone in the leg in the line outside.

No one left.

**mikefmich** · August-02-12, 11:49 AM

First concert I saw at Eastown was Lee Michaels.....71 or 72. When I told my ma where I was going that night, she launched into tales of sweet memories.

My folks were married in later '38, and lived on Field the first block off Harper. Her & pops would often walk down to see a show, if they had the extra pennies to do so.

She would be spinning in her grave if she wandered those streets today. Last I looked on Google street view, their house there was the only one standing on the north/east side of the street.

Oh well....time marches on...sad that it hasn't marched well in Detroit.

**Gistok** · August-02-12, 12:09 PM

Sadly, during the movie palace era, Detroit followed the lead of New York and Chicago, in that there were the downtown movie palace and then there were the outlying giants out in the neighborhoods that often rivaled the downtown palaces in size and grandeur.

In Detroit the giant neighborhood palaces were the Hollywood [[3,434 seats, razed 1953), the Grand Riviera [[2,786 seats, razed 1993), and the Eastown [[2,500 seats,....).

In Chicago, most of the outlying giants were razed [[Paradise, Marbro, Granada, Tivoli, Southtown) and the major palace that survives is the Uptown, which at 4,381 seats is ironically the largest [[but closed) theatre in Chicago.

In New York, surprisingly the outlying giants still survive [[but unlike Detroit and Chicago the great downtown palaces, mostly did not). Only the Brooklyn Fox was razed among the large outlying palaces. The Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn Kings, Queens Valencia, Bronx Paradise, Manhattan's Loew's 175th St., and the Loew's Jersey all survive and are being restored [[except for the Brooklyn Paramount which is being used as a basketball court and cafeteria, all with ornate plaster intact). Note: in Manhattan, great Broadway theatres... the 5,800 seat Roxy, 5,200 seat Capitol, 3,700 seat Loew's 72nd, 3,600 seat Broadway Paramount, 3,300 seat Loew's State... all pounded to rubble decades ago.

But sadly Detroit is the flip side of New York... the neighborhood theatres are almost all gone, but the downtown palaces survive.

**Lowell** · August-02-12, 12:25 PM

The Eastown was also a famous rave venue including this legendary Plurkid's event.

**mikefmich** · August-02-12, 12:30 PM

Gistok, have you written a book? Ought think about it? Your theater knowledge always amazes me.

**Detroitej72** · August-02-12, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

In Detroit the giant neighborhood palaces were the Hollywood [[3,434 seats, razed 1953), the Grand Riviera [[2,786 seats, razed 1993), and the Eastown [[2,500 seats,....).

I would add the Ramona at 6 Mile & Gratiot to that list as well. I thought I read somewhere that is was designed by the same architectural firm as the Grand Riviera. I was never inside the Riviera, but from the outside it looked similar.

**Gistok** · August-02-12, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

I would add the Ramona at 6 Mile & Gratiot to that list as well. I thought I read somewhere that is was designed by the same architectural firm as the Grand Riviera. I was never inside the Riviera, but from the outside it looked similar.

I was in the Ramona [[Gratiot @ 6 Mile) as a young child, so my recollections are vague. From the outside it did very much resemble the Riviera/Grand Riviera [[Grand River @ Joy), with a large tall octagonal rotunda entrance.

However the insides were different, and they had different architects. The Ramona had all seating on the main floor. The Grand Riviera had a balcony as well, and at 2,786 seats was Detroit's largest and best "Atmospheric" theatre [[ceiling resembles a night time sky, sidewalls resemble a Mediterranean style courtyard). The Nederlander organization used to show their Broadway musicals at the Grand Riviera until they moved to a gutted and modernized Fisher Theatre in 1961.

The Grand Riviera was designed by John Eberson, who was America's premier Atmospheric theatre designer [[Bronx's Paradise, San Antonio Majestic, Queens Valencia, Tampa Theatre, Akron Civic, Louisville Loew's, etc.)

Thanks Mikefmich... but there's too many theatre's that I've never actually visited for me to write a book on!

**Hermod** · August-02-12, 02:54 PM

Theaters that I went to most as a kid were the Ramona, Civic, Harper, Woods, Vogue, and Alger.

**rex** · August-02-12, 03:43 PM

I went there as a kid in the late 90s. Crawled all over that building.

**swan** · August-02-12, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I was in the Ramona [[Gratiot @ 6 Mile) as a young child, so my recollections are vague. From the outside it did very much resemble the Riviera/Grand Riviera [[Grand River @ Joy), with a large tall octagonal rotunda entrance.

However the insides were different, and they had different architects. The Ramona had all seating on the main floor. The Grand Riviera had a balcony as well, and at 2,786 seats was Detroit's largest and best "Atmospheric" theatre [[ceiling resembles a night time sky, sidewalls resemble a Mediterranean style courtyard). The Nederlander organization used to show their Broadway musicals at the Grand Riviera until they moved to a gutted and modernized Fisher Theatre in 1961.

The Grand Riviera was designed by John Eberson, who was America's premier Atmospheric theatre designer [[Bronx's Paradise, San Antonio Majestic, Queens Valencia, Tampa Theatre, Akron Civic, Louisville Loew's, etc.)

Thanks Mikefmich... but there's too many theatre's that I've never actually visited for me to write a book on!

I believe the Ramona Theater did have a balcony but it was closed off to the public.

**mikefmich** · August-02-12, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Thanks Mikefmich... but there's too many theatre's that I've never actually visited for me to write a book on!

Bruce Catton & Shelby Foote weren't in the Civil War....they did a pretty decent job.

**renf** · August-02-12, 07:25 PM

http://detroit1701.org/Eastown%20Theater.html

Here is a little more information about the Eastown Theater.

**theresa** · August-03-12, 03:39 PM

Thanks to eveyone who replied to my original post! I now know lots about this lovely old theater!

**detroitbob66** · August-03-12, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

The Eastown was also a famous rave venue including this legendary Plurkid's event.

Hey Lowell...What year was that PLURkids rave? Those pics you took of Eastown are amazing! I sure remember when it has the seats, but NOT like that! As always, very nice Lowell!!!!

**56packman** · August-04-12, 09:55 AM

The Ramona did not have a balcony, it was a single floor house. THe Ramona was not designed by the same firm that designed the Rivera [[John Eberson) it was designed by Kohner & Payne, who copied the Rivera exterior to a great degree on the Ramona job.
As for the rock concerts, in any movie palace or ballroom [[like the Grande) that is the last step before abandonment/demolition, and the last "business" that will use a building before it meets its end, until the 1990s, when venues like the State theatre and Fox began having concerts and charging real money for rock concerts. Charging real money allows for proper security and prices the riff raff out. The Michigan, Grand Circus,Eastown, Grande all were run by nickle and dime operators who invested nothing back into the buildings, it was just all "live for today".

**Detroitej72** · August-06-12, 09:03 AM

As a footnote, I believe the guy that owns 1515 Broadway was part of a group that owned the Eastown in the late 70's and tried to make it as a community movie theater but it never made it. I read a story about how the'd have to send two people outside to change the marquee because idiots from the neighborhood would steal the ladder while someone was on it!

**Oldertimer** · August-10-12, 10:41 AM

Does anyone remember two movie theatres called the DEL-THE on mack ave and one called the MAXINE on Maxwell and[[i think mack)? Or the DAWN on gratiot?