Any last ditch ideas to save the National Theater?

[masterblaster]

Hi, it looks the National Theater's days are numbered, as 2 other buildings within the Monroe Block footprint are set to be demolished starting in June. So I am guessing the National Theater Building will be demolished during that time as well.

I understand that the façade may be preserved but I wanted to canvas fellow forumers to see if you guys/gals had any ideas how to preserve the building to bring to back to a performance arts or cinema space.

If you had a couple million dollars to invest, what do you?

I will just throw out some ideas. Since the building is so small, I propose to move the theater like the Gem Theater was moved. I would move it to midtown or overlooking Grand Circus Park. A few ideas:

1. make it a venue for showing indie films.

2. Pair the theater with a new restaurant from a well-regarded chef and make the venue a dine-in theater

3. Galvanize the local art and philanthropic community to create a ballet company and this theater would become the home of a Detroit Ballet Company.

Does anybody have any other ideas? Do you think any investors/developers would be interested in any of these ideas?

[Wesley Mouch]

I was only in there twice. Once was before its decay. We toured all the behind-the-scenes. It was a true living museum, with drops from vaudeville hanging in the fly loft, and also stored here and there.

The second time was after the place was let go. It was pretty trashed. Very little of the original interior was intact.

Is there enough inside to save these days?

[Zads07]

I think it would make a great restaurant or a small music venue.

[Dexlin]

I have the same question as Wesley. Is there anything else worth saving beyond the facade, let alone the entire building? From Historic Detroit:





I do enjoy the idea that they are considering of using the facade as the entrance to the courtyards of Monroe Block. The courtyards are the most interesting part of this development, and the theater actually impedes that internal circulation the whoe concept is built on.

[Gistok]

I can understand the interior not being saved... little of the plasterwork remains... although it could be repurposed in a modern style, perhaps salvaging and replicating some of the plasterwork details, and used as a movie house and/or performance space.

If not I would be happy that the facade gets saved... but I'm not pleased with just how much of the facade they plan on saving....

If the facade does get saved, they are only planning on saving the towers and the outer arch. All the blue-green tile on the facade is Pewabic tile. The great arched window, and blue-green terra cotta window surround are not part of the re-use plans, and it would be a crime to lose the wonderful window and surround, and also lose that wonderful terra cotta sculpture above the window.

If they salvagged the window and surround for another project, I would find that OK... not great but just OK.

And lastly... the outer storm lobby of the National Theatre is also done up in Pewabic Pottery! Salvagging those tiles should be a top priority as well! They [[1911) are some of the oldest Pewabic tiles [[founded 1903) in existence.

Also, the "re-use" image is fantasy artwork... the Detroit Water & Sewage Building completely blocks the view from the National Theatre entrance archway to the Old County Building... unless they moved the facade about 80 ft. to center it over Farmer St.

[[The attached images are out of sequence.)

[southen]

Gistok - I was thrown by that rendering at first as well, but they are planning on moving the facade as an entryway to farmer. I'd much rather see it incorporated in a different way or just saved for another development downtown altogether.

[Jimbo]

Let's make it a burlesque theatre and get a couple of great comedians like Yakum Yakum and Ray Meade. Bring back the old great days.

[Wesley Mouch]

Turning it into an arch is ugly. I don't think that meets the spirit of the historic preservation laws.

[EastsideAl]

Let's make it a burlesque theatre and get a couple of great comedians like Yakum Yakum and Ray Meade. Bring back the old great days.

Yes!

Where the hell is Scurvy Miller when you need him?

[EastsideAl]

Or, you could not fully renovate the place and make a conscious decision to do what it takes to make it operational in its current "distressed" state, as was done with the Majestic [[now Harvey) Theater in Brooklyn. A theater that was in least as bad a shape as the National [[abandoned for over 20 years, left open to the elements, stripped), before it was saved by the Brooklyn Academy of Music [[BAM), lightly renovated, and reopened.







I saw a production of King Lear there when I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago and immediately thought of the National. It's actually a pretty cool and visually intriguing place, and overall works very well. In many ways quite a bit better than an artificial modern recreation of a historic space. It was almost certainly quite a bit cheaper to do too.

And unlike Brooklyn's Majestic/Harvey, which is only moderately interesting from outside, doing something like this here would allow Detroit to preserve the magnificent and unique facade of the National Theater wholly intact, and still dedicated to its original historic purpose. Rather than vandalizing it further by ripping the beautiful middle out of it, moving it down the street, and turning it into some sort of cockamamie gate thingie for a modern development so that someone can pretend that they "preserved" it.

[bust]

The National would be a great dance club. Of course.

Like EastsideAl said, it wouldn't need to be restored. It shouldn't. It just needs to be cleaned up and made safe.

I came here with a link to the BAM Harvey already in my clipboard:

Cinema Treasures: BAM Harvey Theatre Photos
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7104/photos

It's awesome. I've been to that theater more than any other except a few movie theaters back home.

Something like that could work for the National.

Or it would cost much less money to convert it into a dance club. And may offer a bigger opportunity.

For as much great dance music comes from Detroit there are surprisingly few venues. The National could help fill that gap.

A crumbled grand theatre is in keeping with the format.

Theo Parrish not long ago pitched an idea to promote Detroit's techno roots. There's no shortage of talent.

A great sound system, make sure no plaster is at risk of falling from the ceiling, program it tastefully.

Detroit needs a place like that.

[masterblaster]

The National would be a great dance club. Of course.

Like EastsideAl said, it wouldn't need to be restored. It shouldn't. It just needs to be cleaned up and made safe.

I came here with a link to the BAM Harvey already in my clipboard:

Cinema Treasures: BAM Harvey Theatre Photos
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7104/photos

It's awesome. I've been to that theater more than any other except a few movie theaters back home.

Something like that could work for the National.

Or it would cost much less money to convert it into a dance club. And may offer a bigger opportunity.

For as much great dance music comes from Detroit there are surprisingly few venues. The National could help fill that gap.

A crumbled grand theatre is in keeping with the format.

Theo Parrish not long ago pitched an idea to promote Detroit's techno roots. There's no shortage of talent.

A great sound system, make sure no plaster is at risk of falling from the ceiling, program it tastefully.

Detroit needs a place like that.

Mr. Al and Bust, this is a great idea that I think would be enticing for a developer/someone with money and out-of-the-box thinking.

There is a Berlin-based Techno Club founder/operator called Dimitri Hegemann who has been considering the Fisher Body 21 Plant for a one-of-a-kind techno club that would put Detroit back on the map - for 4 years now. Maybe he would be interested in checking out a smaller space like the National Theater.

https://www.edmtunes.com/2017/08/201...te-in-detroit/

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...tion/19596613/

Maybe a techno club idea can be pitched to some other techno or EDM giant who is local or a native of the area? What do you think?