Birmingham Palladium Abuptly Closes

[DTWflyer]

Interesting developments there. There were proposals out there that they were going to reduce the number of theaters in the complex, but as of yesterday the theater is now closed indefinitely.

It looks like the property will be reconfigured to offer more office space and some residential. Maybe retain 2 theaters.

http://www.downtownpublications.com/...Labor-Day.html

That development has been an albatross since it opened in 2001 or 2002. A lot of retail and restaurants and bars/clubs have come and gone from the building.s

Not to mention the lacklaster business and saturation of theaters in the area. [[The Emagine in Royal Oak, the new place in Troy at Maple & Livernois)

Anyone else have more insight?

[DetroitPlanner]

I hear they are going to tear it down and build a Demery's Department Store.

[Bham1982]

This movie theater has gone from the best in Michigan to a has-been in less than a decade. It didn't help that there is so much movie theater capacity being built in the area.

When built, the only other major first-run movie theater in proximity was Star Southfield, and the Bloomfield-Birmingham crowd generally isn't going to go there. Since then they turned the Birmingham theater into a multiplex, expanded the Maple 3 theater, built the Emagine Royal Oak, built the Emagine Novi, and are building the Emagine Troy. Way, way too much movie theater space for a stagnant population.

Tear that s--- down and bring back Crowleys.

Also, I'm sure the local Real Housewives will be very happy this sordid den of unwashed outsiders is being turned into more luxury condo boxes. Just what Birmingham needs.

[Honky Tonk]

I saw Alice Cooper there in the early 70's. With "Home Theatre" boom, and the availability of movies online, I think that too might be putting a crimp in the Movie Theatre experience. NPR did a story a few days ago how financially, this was the worst Summer Blockbuster market ever for the business.

[Danny]

Save the Birmingham Theater!! That building his very historic!! Rally the folks in Bimingham, Royal Oak, Berkley everybody. Prostest NOW!

The Birmingham Theater must stay open as a historic landmark.

[Danny]

Rich greedy snobby people, turning Downtown Birmingham into their own personal Disneyland!!

[Bham1982]

I saw Alice Cooper there in the early 70's. With "Home Theatre" boom, and the availability of movies online, I think that too might be putting a crimp in the Movie Theatre experience.

No, you're referring to the other Birmingham cinema, which is the historic one and staying open.

The Birmingham Theater [[the one you're referring to) started off as a movie theater, then turned to a concert/performing arts venue [[I think in the 70's) and then was converted back into a movie theater maybe 10 years ago.

The Palladium theater [[the one that's closing) was built maybe 15 years and is a new construction retail complex that replaced the closed Crowleys/Sanders [[basically the last vestiges of "old" small town Birmingham).

The retail complex itself has been a revolving door of tenants, such as Tower Records, a bunch of cheesy "lounges" and the multiplex [[the main anchor tenant). The entire building will now be vacant and they're converting the top into luxury condos and the bottom into office space. I think they're also adding a floor or two.

[Inkadinkado]

It is a Jonna property, which tells me that this and the next moves will be carefully planned.

And residential is not good for downtown Birmingham? Then someone should inform the crowd that yelps for residential development in downtown Detroit.

[Bham1982]

And residential is not good for downtown Birmingham? Then someone should inform the crowd that yelps for residential development in downtown Detroit.

I never wrote that residential is "bad". But downtown Birmingham has lots of empty residential space built by delusional developers who think you can get $5 million for a condo in Michigan. There are two almost entirely empty condo buildings.

High end condos do very well in downtown Birmingham. The Willits, a very successful condo building, is very much in demand, but with average sized condos for empty nesters in the 500k-1 million range. There has been a recent trend of developers thinking this is Beverly Hills or Manhattan and that there's some market for 5,000 square foot multi-milllion condos. There is no such market in Michigan, because if you want that kind of space, and have that kind of money, you just buy a house.

[Honky Tonk]

No, you're referring to the other Birmingham cinema, which is the historic one and staying open.

The Birmingham Theater [[the one you're referring to) started off as a movie theater, then turned to a concert/performing arts venue [[I think in the 70's) and then was converted back into a movie theater maybe 10 years ago.

The Palladium theater [[the one that's closing) was built maybe 15 years and is a new construction retail complex that replaced the closed Crowleys/Sanders [[basically the last vestiges of "old" small town Birmingham).

The retail complex itself has been a revolving door of tenants, such as Tower Records, a bunch of cheesy "lounges" and the multiplex [[the main anchor tenant). The entire building will now be vacant and they're converting the top into luxury condos and the bottom into office space. I think they're also adding a floor or two.

I sit corrected. I thought the "Palladium Theater" was built on the site of the old Palladium concert hall, keeping the name. My mistake.

[douglasm]

Honky Tonk, if it makes you feel any better, when I saw the thread title I made the same mistake you did......

[DTWflyer]

The Birmingham Theater which used to show musical and entertainment acts was renovated and turned into the Birmingham 8 in about 1995/1996. Right around the time that Somerset North opened and when downtown Birmingham was in a state of flux as long time retailers were leaving and before the downtown residential and restaurant/bar boom. The Illitch family is behind the operations of the Birmingham 8 and hopefully the closing of the Palledium ensure they older/historical/more low-key theater can remain open.

The Palledium, as said, was built on the spot of the old Crowley's Deparment Store. The Palledium opened in late 2001 or 2002. Quickly become a destination theater in the area. Local residents were wary of the "outsiders" it was attracting to the downtown and loitering teens.

The bigger issues were the revolving door of tenants - Buca de Pepo, Tower Records, Blue Martini, Hamilton Club, etc.

Between the saturation of theaters in the region, stagnant sales, lackluster releases from Hollywood, competition from HDTV and on-demand, not surprised to see it go down this route.

There appears to be a lot of pent-up demand for office space in downtown Birmingham. Maybe some residential in the sub-$1M range. Either way that building will need a significant amount of renovation to open it up and to convert the floor plans.

[Lowell]

Downtown Birmingham is a charming walkable retail district surrounded IMO by overpriced residential. The Palladium was out of that mold, as are other large projects trying to leverage the charmie setting, coming off with a cold mega-box feel that ends up killing the vibe. In a sense this closing is probably good vs. the alternative scenario of the Birmingham Theater closing down. Imagine that classic marquee now a dark hole on Old Woodward.

While that bodes well I still see Birmingham going through a Royal-Oak-ization where the businesses that gave it character are continually squeezed out by rising rents and competition from places like Somerset and online sales. The recent drive-out of the family-owned and operated since 1952 Green's Artist Supply is a prime example.

Joey Jonna, founder of Birmingham-based Jonna Luxury Homes LLC, said he bought the Greens Art Supply building at 400 S. Old Woodward Ave. south of Daines Street earlier this year.

He plans to demolish it and construct a new one with 7,700 square feet of first-floor retail space and about 11 high-end condominium units on the second and third floors.

The estimated development cost of the new building, called The Forefront, is $20 million, he said. Jonna expects it to open in the third quarter next year.

Condominium sizes and prices are being developed.

Jonna said the owner of Greens has “a couple months to vacate” the building.

Source Crain's

[Hermod]

Downtown Birmingham is a charming walkable retail district surrounded IMO by overpriced residential.

Correction, downtown Birmingham is a charming, walkable, district filled with "shoppes" and "boutiques" selling overpriced frou frou stuff. Retail has long since fled. Rochester is the same.

[bailey]

Correction, downtown Birmingham is a charming, walkable, district filled with "shoppes" and "boutiques" selling overpriced frou frou stuff. Retail has long since fled. Rochester is the same.

So? "retail" has fled from lots of places because for "retail" to make it they need to sell something one can't go home and order from Amazon for less.

What's left for brick and mortar stores is to either be something "artisinal" or frou frou... or be an empty storefront.

It's not Birmingham's fault we as a consumer class are fucked in the head and will sell out our communities' economic base [[and our neighbors who run the stores) over 6% in sales tax and free shipping.

[jackie5275]

Downtown Birmingham is a charming walkable retail district surrounded IMO by overpriced residential. The Palladium was out of that mold, as are other large projects trying to leverage the charmie setting, coming off with a cold mega-box feel that ends up killing the vibe.

You got that right Lowell. I don't frequent B'ham as much as I did in my younger days for shopping, but I was forced to see movies there on two occassions for kids' birthday parties. I remember the first time I saw it, it seemed to stick out like a sore thumb and definitely didn't fit into that neighborhood/business district. I didn't like it as a movie theater either. It didn't seem to be laid out properly. It was like going through a maze to find your screening room.

[nain rouge]

On the topic of retail, I've always like that American Apparel has been willing to invest in downtown stores, as seen in Royal Oak and Ann Arbor. Say what you want about the clothes, but we need to push more retailers to do that. Mall rent isn't cheap, either. The companies stay mainly because the people in charge are convinced the parking space is necessary.

Imagine a world where, for example, instead of putting all that money into Partridge Creek, that retail effort could've went into the downtown Mount Clemens area. The parking space and form Partridge Creek relies on basically already existed in Mount Clemens. It could've done wonders for Macomb County, spurring on a Gratiot renaissance, and would've been better for the majority of Macomb's citizens.

Too bad we're allergic to that kind of thinking. We'll shake our heads in 20 years wondering why Mt. Clemens still can't get it together, when in reality we chose as a county/region to forsake it. Kinda like Detroit...

[Wesley Mouch]

The Palladium Theatres were built not because of the market, but because of a development idea from downtown vitality consultants. They were looking to create downtown activity in the evenings, to help spur their ideas of a vibrant downtown. Didn't like that B'ham pretty much closed up at 5pm when the Fidelity Brokerage office closed.

The developers didn't want the theatre, but it came with the package.

Typical example of what happens when you try to manipulate the market. It can work for a while. In the end, it died because the owners all along wanted activity with greater revenue per s.f. Movie theatres don't pay high $/s.f.

The question is whether the market can deliver a vibrant downtown -- or do you need to manipulate as so many here believe is necessary for all things good.

History will tell.

[Wesley Mouch]

On the topic of retail, I've always like that American Apparel has been willing to invest in downtown stores, as seen in Royal Oak and Ann Arbor. Say what you want about the clothes, but we need to push more retailers to do that. Mall rent isn't cheap, either. The companies stay mainly because the people in charge are convinced the parking space is necessary.

Imagine a world where, for example, instead of putting all that money into Partridge Creek, that retail effort could've went into the downtown Mount Clemens area. The parking space and form Partridge Creek relies on basically already existed in Mount Clemens. It could've done wonders for Macomb County, spurring on a Gratiot renaissance, and would've been better for the majority of Macomb's citizens.

Too bad we're allergic to that kind of thinking. We'll shake our heads in 20 years wondering why Mt. Clemens still can't get it together, when in reality we chose as a county/region to forsake it. Kinda like Detroit...

The market is us. So we decide we like malls. I suggest that you don't know what people really want. You just want what you and I want. Vibrant downtowns. But the market likes malls.

[CassTechGrad]

Is there anyone that still remembers the old Birmingham Palladium teen nightclub from the 1960's?

In 1965, the Teen Center was a nonprofit enterprise established at 136 Brownell — now Peabody Street — in the hopes of offering teens a place to go to enjoy music and to be together. The building formerly housed Potter Moving and Storage Co.; now, it is a parking garage.

“Punch” Andrews, young Bob Seger’s manager, and Russ Gibb, of Detroit’s Grande Ballroom, saw an opportunity and reopened it as the Palladium, featuring the Bob Seger System as its first act in 1969.

In the next two years, the Palladium featured many big-name performers, including Big Brother and The Holding Company, Bo Diddley, Edgar Winter, Humble Pie, The James Gang Johnny Winter, Little Richard, Poco, Rod Stewart and The Faces, Savoy Brown, and Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. Despite all the effort and talent, the Palladium lost money and closed in 1971.

[Honky Tonk]

Is there anyone that still remembers the old Birmingham Palladium teen nightclub from the 1960's?

In 1965, the Teen Center was a nonprofit enterprise established at 136 Brownell — now Peabody Street — in the hopes of offering teens a place to go to enjoy music and to be together. The building formerly housed Potter Moving and Storage Co.; now, it is a parking garage.

“Punch” Andrews, young Bob Seger’s manager, and Russ Gibb, of Detroit’s Grande Ballroom, saw an opportunity and reopened it as the Palladium, featuring the Bob Seger System as its first act in 1969.

In the next two years, the Palladium featured many big-name performers, including Big Brother and The Holding Company, Bo Diddley, Edgar Winter, Humble Pie, The James Gang Johnny Winter, Little Richard, Poco, Rod Stewart and The Faces, Savoy Brown, and Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. Despite all the effort and talent, the Palladium lost money and closed in 1971.

If it had the 2 big blue metal doors to get in, yes, I do remember it.

[nain rouge]

The market is us. So we decide we like malls. I suggest that you don't know what people really want. You just want what you and I want. Vibrant downtowns. But the market likes malls.

Yeah, but Partridge Creek is basically a downtown, except without any practical stores or offices. Yes, people love it because they're xenophobic and they know icky people live in old cities.

The market is actually moving either to the Partridge Creek-style malls or back to strip malls. Indoor malls worked for awhile, but to keep the interior up to the level of shiny newness with faux everything suburban shoppers demand was too expensive.

[Hermod]

So? "retail" has fled from lots of places because for "retail" to make it they need to sell something one can't go home and order from Amazon for less.

What's left for brick and mortar stores is to either be something "artisinal" or frou frou... or be an empty storefront.

It's not Birmingham's fault we as a consumer class are fucked in the head and will sell out our communities' economic base [[and our neighbors who run the stores) over 6% in sales tax and free shipping.

Retail bailed out of Rochester and Birmingham long before the internet became a factor. The supermarkets unassed downtown for strip malls and the department stores went into the enclosed malls. Now the internet is competing with both malls and shoppes [[unless there is a niche product).

[Bham1982]

On the topic of retail, I've always like that American Apparel has been willing to invest in downtown stores, as seen in Royal Oak and Ann Arbor.

American Apparel is one of a small number of national chains that specifically prefers main streets over malls, due to image/marketing issues.

A few other examples are Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, West Elm, Bluemercury, and Papersource.

[DetroitPlanner]

American Apparel is one of a small number of national chains that specifically prefers main streets over malls, due to image/marketing issues.

A few other examples are Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, West Elm, Bluemercury, and Papersource.

If I am not mistaken American Apparel is having some management difficulties. I always thought that placing most of their stores in Downtowns were unique, as is the fact that they actually push for American-Made products in their stores. I did see one in Malibu CA a few years back that just stood there on the side of the road, out of place and strange. It could be that Malibu fits their demographics and the land use there is bizarre with the exception of Pepperdine.