Quo Vadis Marquees Removed. Full Demolition Next?

[reddog289]

After seeing this on here, I myself have driven by the Que Vadis a few times in the last few days.I myself agree that the place does stand out. As with the other photos of Westland it appears that the vacated big box stores stand out more.I myself knew that when the larger more modern Showcase Theateres opened that the Quo would end up closing.
While refreshing my memory on the Quo Vadis, The family who built it in the first place had the idea of moving forward. If they still owned it and ran it keeping up with things. The theatre could have been gone long ago replaced by a newer multi plex.
My girlfriend remembers the Quo and said that it fell into the tacky relm of things. I remember it as a pace that had seen its better days and was not surprised that it closed.Had I had known what a "GEM" it is, I would have looked at the place more intenly.
Having seen a now torndown theatre in the middle of downtown Wayne, I see how long this can drag out.Somedays I agree with the folks who thin that we should be like Detroit Dad and be an urban pioneer, Yet if that were to happenit would most likely end up with people wanting there space, moving to the burbs and starting it over again.

[Catman]

I don't know if the participants have ever taken on these "brownfields" of the kind that Detroit and now Westland has but I thought this webinar might be applicable to this discussion.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Local Governments: Turn Abandoned Eyesores Into Revenue Generators

SUMMARY


Eyesores and community blight associated with abandoned and neglected commercial sites, known as Brownfields, can be an economic and emotional drag on neighborhoods. However, there are steps local governments can take to turn these sites into revenue generators. Join us for this 60-minute webinar where you and your colleagues will discover:

• Easy, actionable first steps local governments can take
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• Discover the ultimate in land recycling: Reap the benefits of redevelopment
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http://www.governmenteducator.com/K2.../p36TEV6Mi/p0e

[Catman]

Maybe it can be used for a Mad Men TV episode! You know, for that mid-60s vibe it has.

[RickBeall]

I understand the arguments for saving the Quo Vadis, and I actually think they are true.

I just saw pictures and movies of the theatre for the first time. My gosh, what a butt ugly theatre. I think it will take about another 60 years before most people, myself included, would start liking it and that 1960's architeture again. Right now, there just aren't enough hipsters around to sustain it. Too bad it can't be put in a time capsule and saved. It would take at least 60 years before I liked it. Of course, I would be 115 years old by then.

[Lowell]

QV is not my architectural flavor, but there is an undeniable quality in the materials of the structure and the interior design and from the hand of a renowned architect. It is simple in line and form, per Yamasaki's minimalist tastes, and distinctively identifiable as his style. It is also unique, not some cookie-cutter copy cluttering the landscape. For the theaters of its day it is in a class of its own. It has a lot of subtle character and compared to the rest of Westland's architecture, I paraphrase, "In the kingdom of the blind, it is the one-eyed king".

[reddog289]

Lowell has it right. The Que Vadis does stand out. I have often wondered how a Greenfield Village type place ,yet with newer type buildings would fare?. Although a structure as large as the QV might not fit, I do think buildings of the 20th century should start being noted and saved for what they are worth to history.
I don't think such a thing will happen but it would be quite interesting to see if it were to be.

[Lorax]

Or, the QV could be considered like the Joan Rivers watch- liver-spotted hands, and running out of time.

[reddog289]

stretch some vinyl over it, slap on some paint you might be good to go.

[RickBeall]

As Lowell says, it is an honest representation of a particular period of architecture.by an influential architect using the choice materials of its time. And it had a quirky story to boot. How many movie theatres had drive in theatre seats on top?

Too ugly to live, too ugly to die.

Woe Quo Vadis, oh Gadiator of the Cinema! And now you must fall on your own marquee.

[buildingsofdetroit]

It is simple in line and form, per Yamasaki's minimalist tastes, and distinctively identifiable as his style. It is also unique, not some cookie-cutter copy cluttering the landscape.

I don't care for any of Yamasaki's designs, from the World Trade Center to One Woodward to the Quo Vadis. This quote from him that I found in an old 1950s article sums it up for me: "The old City Hall is a very ugly building.� He strikes me as a man who had no appreciation for history, his predecessors, his art or that fact that there is a place for ALL kinds of architecture in a city and country such as this. That leaves me with little respect for the man. FLW studied under Sullivan, Yamasaki under Smith, Hinchman and Grylls. FLW always seemed to appreciate his mentor and what he bestowed upon him. Yamasaki couldn't wait to show that HE was the master and throw his weight around. Or at least, that's the impression I've always gotten.

[reddog289]

Although I never studied architechure,I agree that the QUE VADIS is a differant building in that area.When I compare it to the State Wayne or the Redford I prefere the latter two. I myself though hope that the Que can be saved as it is a special building in my opinion. Being a theatere designed by a famous archetict . I think it is worthy of being saved.

[ziggyselbin]

I don't care for any of Yamasaki's designs, from the World Trade Center to One Woodward to the Quo Vadis. This quote from him that I found in an old 1950s article sums it up for me: "The old City Hall is a very ugly building.� He strikes me as a man who had no appreciation for history, his predecessors, his art or that fact that there is a place for ALL kinds of architecture in a city and country such as this. That leaves me with little respect for the man. FLW studied under Sullivan, Yamasaki under Smith, Hinchman and Grylls. FLW always seemed to appreciate his mentor and what he bestowed upon him. Yamasaki couldn't wait to show that HE was the master and throw his weight around. Or at least, that's the impression I've always gotten.

Flw was the most overrated there is. Sure his stuff looks great but it was barely inhabitable;tiny rooms low ceilings, horrible mechanics. Having said that I would be devastated if the attitude toward Wright was the same as the supposed knowledgeable people here are about Yamasaki.

Yamasaki worked at Smith Hinchman. I believe he was an established architect at the time [[43 yrs old) he came to Detroit.

Mid century architecture gets no love. Not here and not most other places. There are a few of us that appreciate it. I hope some of you educated people realize that the attitude [[you have) toward mid century is the same one that advocated destroying almost every other style of architecture in the name of progress.

[Lorax]

As someone who has sought out, and restored mid-century modern homes for a couple of decades now, I can say your premise is correct, MCM gets no love.

Some of the most spectacular buildings ever built were done after the second World War, as evidenced by the early hotels of Las Vegas, treasures which all have been destroyed in the last 20 years.

When a great architect lives to see most of his work destroyed within his lifetime, as is the case with many great architects, then there is something wrong.

Here in Miami Beach, the work of Morris Lapidus has been almost completely lost, or "modernized" beyond recognition, such as the Fontainebleau Hotel, the Eden Roc, the Americana, with only a few smaller structures still left original and intact.

Yamasaki is regarded as a great architect, and not just because of the WTC. His buildings for Wayne State, my alma mater, are fine examples of modernism, which are sadly neglected today. I recently visited the MacGregor Center,and was saddened by the condition of the Japanese garden and general lack of maintenance around it, the dry fountains around the Helen DeRoy Hall, etc.

Yamasaki also designed the Reynolds Metals Building in Southfield, now a Bally's, which utilizes the largest massing of Reynolds metal gold-anodized aluminum screening on any building in America. Lit at night it is really a spectacular building.

One Woodward is light, airy, and uses space and materials beautifully,what with the marble flooring, polished nickel modernist railings, and ceiling of blue-glass spheres set in nickel armatures.

These buildings will never be built again, and represent a period in time we lived through and captured with our architecture. But these structures, much as the QV, served more than just a snapshot in history, they are part of the fabric of our built environment.

When One Woodward was built, it replaced a building with something better than what was there before. That is not always true with demolitions, such as is the case with Hudson's or the Lafayette, or dozens of other empty lots.

Economics should not be the only metric in saving a building. If what replaces it is not an improvement on a variety of levels, then the community is worse off for it.

[REL]

Ziggyselbin: "I hope some of you educated people realize that the attitude [[you have) toward mid century is the same one that advocated destroying almost every other style of architecture in the name of progress."

Whoa. Amen.

[Lorax]

AT, where do you get that from? Who's advocating for destroying the QV? Only the narrow minded, short term profiteers, who could care less about the quality of the built environment, or whether or not they live in a land of strip malls and fast food joints.

And by your statement, you don't include yourself in the "educated" category?

This says alot.

[K-slice]

You gotta get Micheal Moore to come down there and fix er' up, just like he did to the long neglected State theater up here in Traverse. Turn it back into a 1 screen theater and show movies that you can't see in the big multi-plex deals. Have state of the art sound and the best movie seats available. No one likes going to the big theaters with sticky floors and crappy seats, give them an alternative and they'll come.

Just saw the Brothers Bloom at the State, GREAT movie. And I would've never seen it if my only option was the big commercial multi-plex.

[Lowell]

Great post #114 Lorax! Due to their minimalism of detail and quiet geometry MCM can "all look the same" to the quick eye. Those same features made it easy to make big cheap buildings that look 'modern', modern in the sense new and contemporary. Like all eras there are the few great works and several outstanding. Then there are all the rest.

While I wouldn't class the QV in the top tiers, it definitely outshines anything surrounding it in Westland.

[Lorax]

Thank you, Lowell.

The QV, as you stated is certainly not in the league with the Metropolitan Opera, but it is certainly the best it's going to get in Westland when it comes to modern architecture.

Saving it should be first and foremost on the agenda of the citizens, as well as the city. Replacing it with more of the same is counterproductive to what smaller inner ring suburbs really need now.

I return to the metaphor of the Eiffel Tower- certainly the most stand-out structure in Paris, and modern compared to the city's other structures. It, too, was threatened with demolition, and it has become the symbol of a nation.

Why must our history be relegated to postcards and memories, when we can have the real thing in our backyard.

I say save this building, work to get an adaptive reuse plan in place and vote for character in our architecture rather than blocks of tawdry commercialism.

[DetroitDad]

Although the building was probably alarmed, the boards went up much more recently. Me and my friend used to peer in the windows when we walked by in 2003/2004. According to the realtor around that time, the seats in the theater had already been removed and sold, as had the projectors.

Inside, the theater lobby looked beautiful. It was no Fox, but was much grander than the Showcase Cinema that replaced it down the street. There were ticket windows on the outside, and in the lobby there was a small seating area that you stepped down into directly on your left. the furniture and beautiful chandelier was still visible outside in 2004, as was the concession stand on the back wall.

The grand sign was in poor shape. Many of the tiles were chipped off, and it had a sort of lean to it at the end.

I am starting to feel old, sharing memories... I used to just read them.

Anyway, I used to work at the La Shish up the street, and would walk from the Rosedale area to work. That restaurant is now also vacant, has been for a couple years now, oddly it still has banners announcing promotions or a grand re-opening or something.

[reddog289]

From the pictures the High School kids trying to save the place, It didn't look that bad, Well kinda like I saw it last minus a few things. The Showcase Cinemas down the street were like any other cookie cutter chain. But the QV you knew were you were at. Same with the State Wayne and the La Parisian.
As for Detroit Dad I would assume you walked from Rosedale Gardens to work at La Shish. If it were Rosedale Park then damn thats a hike.

[DetroitDad]

Yes, Rosedale Gardens. That is a great sustainable neighborhood, if only Livonia would bring back public transit and go back to it's rail town roots

Isn't it interesting that the people who moved to the suburbs chose to name the side streets by alike names. I had the privilege of being the one who got to type up all the street names on the Inside Detroit site. It really seemed like street names were a huge issue back then. Many street names were dedicated, changed, and then changed again all within the same two or three years, approximately.

Portage Digital Marketing did a great job on that site by the way. If you ever need podcasting or online marketing, those are the guys to go too. They're really the only ones Downtown who do what they do.