Theater on Harper at Van Dyke

[BFoster]

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!

You're talking about Chris Jaszyzck. He and a partner took over the Eastown in the mid 70's, after the rock concert era. They initially tried to turn it into a jazz concert hall, and did a lot of work trying to repair the damage done to the place in the rock years. They had some great concerts there with folks like John Abercrombie, Pat Martino and a lot of others that I can't recall anymore. Unforunately, the audience just wasn't there for that music. I think they tried to hang on with the community theater you mentioned, but eventually had to let go. Chris is a great unsung Detroit booster.

[DorothyD]

Oldertimer, back in the 50's I, along with other neighborhood kids, spent every Saturday and Sunday matinee at the Dawn. One day we went as usual and the theater was closed. Just like that, no warning. We had seen coming attractions the previous visit and were very surprised.

[EastsideAl]

I saw the very first movie of my life at the Eastown in 1965. We used to go there rather often for kid's matinees in those days, and stop by the nearby Sanders store on Van Dyke for a little something before or after the movies.

My cousins hung out there a lot during its heyday as a rock concert venue, but I was too young for that sort of thing then. During its later years as a concert venue though I was in there a few times, including a couple of the jazz shows mentioned by BFoster. One of the Eastown shows I attended and remember best was sort of a landmark in Detroit's music history, when Kraftwerk played there. A show that has been cited as influential in the beginnings of what became known as techno.

As for the Ramona, I was only in there once when it was still a movie theater. I remember being impressed by the rotunda at the corner. However, when it was torn down our contractor bought some of the bricks for use in the rebuilding of the porch of my family's Indian Village home. So, some part of it still lives on on the east side.