PW Historic Downtown Theatre Tours - Aug. 14.

**Gistok** · August-13-10, 01:33 AM

Yes, many of you have already been on Preservation Wayne's longest and best tour... the Downtown Movie Palace Tour. At 4 1/2 hours [[plus a box lunch at the Detroit Opera House), this is a must see, if you haven't been on one of these before. You get to see a lot of behind the scenes things that most patrons to these theatres never get so see... such as the famous autograph wall of the Fox... and even a Fox mighty Wurlitzer 4/36 organ recital.

Theatres include the Fillmore [[State), remains of the Oriental and Michigan, Opera House, Music Hall, Gem, Century, Fox and City theatres.

Since this tour is almost always sold out, make sure to call PW at 313-577-3559... you might still get an 11AM or 11:30 AM tour [[the last 2 tours).

I'll be your first guide [[onsite) at the Fillmore [[State) Theatre... where all tours start.

Gistok

**marcwigle** · August-13-10, 02:12 AM

What are the "remains" of the Oriental? And how often are these tours held during the year?

**Kathleen** · August-13-10, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by marcwigle

And how often are these tours held during the year?

The PW Theatre Tour has been held annually for more than 20 years. As you might imagine, to set up this event through which attendees visit the theatre sites and to work around the venue's event schedules and those in the area [[such as Comerica Park) to handle parking and such is quite an undertaking. Not to mention that the guides and other helpers on the tours are all volunteers.

More info at http://www.preservationwayne.org/tours_theater.php

LodgeDodger · August-13-10, 07:26 AM

betterhalf and I will be there. I'll be working registration. Stop by and introduce yourself. I'll be the chunky one with the glasses and white hair.

**DetroitPlanner** · August-13-10, 08:17 AM

The Oriental??? I never heard of that place! What is it called now?

Ahh went to the WWW website, was this in the hotel at Adams and Park?

**Gistok** · August-13-10, 03:05 PM

The Oriental Theatre was located on W. Adams, 2nd building west of Park Ave. It opened in 1927, and had 2,950 seats. In 1930 it was renamed the Downtown RKO Theatre when the RKO [[Radio Keith Orpheum) circuit took over the theatre. The theatre was not a success, and it was demolished in 1951.

The office/hotel block portion of the theatre is still intact. And remnants of the former lobby of the theatre are currently used as a storage room on the left side of the building [[this is the only surviving part of the old theatre). The demolished auditorium was to the left of the existing office/hotel tower along W. Adams... and is currently parking. The lobby chandeliers are today found in the lobby of the Redford Theatre.

The theatre/tower were designed by obscure architects Peireia & Peireia. There are no known good photos of the auditorium. [[I wonder if Manning Brothers has any? Theatre Historical Society does not!)

When it was renamed the Downtown RKO, a very beautiful marquee was installed, which Theatre Historical Society called "Art Deco Zigzag on Psychedelics".

**Leo B** · August-13-10, 09:00 PM

Can anyone tell me what the photo policy is for the tour and these venues ?

Leo B

**East Detroit** · August-13-10, 09:04 PM

Oriental Theatre pictures...

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com...716&type=5

**East Detroit** · August-13-10, 09:07 PM

Chandeliers from the Oriental Theatre...

http://www.detroitmoviepalaces.com/i...Chandelier.jpg

**East Detroit** · August-13-10, 09:12 PM

Michigan and Oriental from 2007....

http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/200...1_archive.html

LodgeDodger · August-13-10, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by Leo B

Can anyone tell me what the photo policy is for the tour and these venues ?

Leo B

It's always a good idea to ask before you begin to take photographs [[in the event they have restrictions concerning the particular venue).

LodgeDodger · August-13-10, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Michigan and Oriental from 2007....

http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/200...1_archive.html

That's right, East. Spoil the surprise...

**Gistok** · August-13-10, 11:20 PM

As the Winterwaterwonderland website shows... there's images of the lobby, but no good images of the auditorium. The last image on that site, likely from a newspaper or magazine, shows a poor image of part of the procenium arch and sidewall. The Oriental was a far eastern style atmospheric theatre.

**Gistok** · August-13-10, 11:39 PM

For the facts are stranger than fiction file...

Every summer the PW theatre tours coincide with the Detroit Caribbean Parade down Woodward Ave.... likely this is true this year as well....

My niece works at Harper Hospital... and Friday morning as she was getting off of I-75 at Mack Ave. to get to work, her SUV was sideswiped by the "City of Detroit" float that had not yielded to her while coming down the service drive...

My niece called the Detroit Police [[much to the annoyance of the float driver)... and they arrived promptly [[the timeliness was probably aided by the peculiar nature of the call

)....

Anyway the float driver said that my niece should have seen him coming [[can't argue with that!

) But the officer told the float driver that he didn't care if he was going down the service drive with the Goodyear Blimp... that he had to still yield the right of way to motorized traffic....

My niece did say that the float [[I'm assuming it's for the Saturday parade)... had buildings representing those downtown on the float... and that some building got knocked over [[likely not the MCS

).

So my niece has to call her insurance company and tell them that she had a accident with a float.... LOL....

As for the parade this Saturday... if anyone attends... keep an eye out for the City of Detroit float... if any buildings look knocked down... blame George Jackson!

And if you see a 6'4'' dude with shorts, a PW T-Shirt and flip-flops making a B-Line and Mambo'ing across the parade on Woodward... that'll be me getting from the Fillmore to the Opera House for lunch...

I had to Mambo across last year as well!

LodgeDodger · August-14-10, 04:51 AM

I had to Mambo across last year as well!

Sounds as if Woodward needs a "Mambo-Don't Mambo" crosswalk!

**Gistok** · August-15-10, 11:34 AM

The Fillmore [[State) Theatre had some surprises for us this year. After many years of no more work on continuing with the restoration of the Fillmore [[the outer lobby and rotunda lobby were fully restored quite a long time ago)... some changes appeared this year. The 3 story barrel vaulted grand foyer has had more restoration work on the ceiling.

Ben [[can't remember his last name) the LiveNations person who runs the Fillmore operations mentioned to the tour groups that he's been able to get some state-of-the-art tall cherry pickers into the Fillmore to do paint restoration work and plaster surface cleanup [[the main work that needs doing on this never-abandoned theatre).

Also, Ben thinks that there are some places inside the auditorium where some scaffolding can be suspended for work high up in the 8 story domed auditorium.

Closing down the Fillmore for long term restoration is out of the question financially... there are always functions going on there... so piecemeal restoration is what is taking place... with the full support of building owner Chuck Forbes.

**Gistok** · August-16-10, 02:16 PM

The highlight of each theatre tour is of course the Detroit Fox Theatre.... at 5,174 seats, America's largest surviving 1920s over the top movie palace.

After my tours were finished at the Fillmore [[first theatre on the tours)... I went to the Opera House for lunch... and headed over to the Fox... although I go there every year during the tours to hear the mighty Wurlitzer playing.

Dave Calendine was playing Strauss's Radetzky March [[also spelled "Radetsky"), which if you missed the tour... you can still hear a rendition of Dave playing it in the Fox 2 years ago...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAhpq...eature=related

One of the highlights of the Fox part of the theatre tour has to be "The Wall" back stage [[stage right). This enormous autograph wall has the autographs of all who have performed [[or lectured) here for the last 22 years. For performing groups [[such as Riverdance) entire parts of the wall are colored in and devoted to specific groups. These autographs also go up and down the 8 story staircase to the dressing rooms... so far the autographs have made it up to the 7th floor, and also downstairs 2 levels to the basement. Autographs include an unending number of performers [[Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr, Red Skelton.... etc) as well as famous people such as super rich billionaire Bill Gates.

The funniest autograph has to be Ron "Tater Salad" White.

**buildingsofdetroit** · August-16-10, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Ben [[can't remember his last name) the LiveNations person who runs the Fillmore operations

Ben Doughty is his name. Great guy who truly cares about the theater and Detroit!

**Gistok** · August-16-10, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by buildingsofdetroit

Ben Doughty is his name. Great guy who truly cares about the theater and Detroit!

Thanks buildingsofdetroit! Ben Doughty has found creative ways to restore the theatre in bits and pieces without having to close it down for any length of time.

He mentioned how amicable Chuck Forbes is to any changes Ben suggests to him... probably because Chuck can see that all of Ben's changes have nicely improved the appearance of the Fillmore Theatre.