Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan)
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| Fox Theatre Building | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
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| Location: | 2211 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan  United States |
| Coordinates: | 42°20′18.96″N 83°3′8.05″W / 42.3386°N 83.0522361°W |
| Built/Founded: | 1928 10 floors Office/Theatre |
| Architect: | C. Howard Crane Restoration by William Kessler |
| Architectural style(s): | Eclectic mix of Asian styles; Vernacular Indian-Hindu |
| Governing body: | Private |
| Added to NRHP: | February 14, 1985 |
| Designated NHL: | June 29, 1989[1] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 85000280[2] |
The Fox Theatre is a 1928 movie palace and performing arts center located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Grand Circus Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Located within the Detroit Theater District, the Fox has 5,048 seats, (5,174 seats if removable seats placed in the raised orchestra pit are included). It is the second largest theatre in the country after the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Fox was fully restored in 1988.[3][4] The facility has the headquarters of Olympia Entertainment and Little Caesars.[5][6]
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[edit] History
The Detroit Fox is one of five spectacular Fox Theatres built in the late 1920s by film pioneer William Fox. (The others were the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Francisco.) It was designed by architect C. Howard Crane with a lavish interior featuring a blend of Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Persian motifs. There are three levels of seating, the Main Floor above the orchestra pit, the Mezzanine, and the Gallery (balcony). The exterior of the attached 10-story office building features a facade with Asian motifs which, when illuminated at night, can be seen for several blocks. The Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri is its architectural twin with about 500 fewer seats.
The Fox was the first movie theater in the world to be constructed with built-in equipment for sound films. The Fox Film Corporation's patented sound-on-film system "Movietone" enabled the theater to present sound films from the time of its opening.[4][7]
The Fox opened September 21, 1928 and remained Detroit's premier movie destination for decades. By the 1970s the theater had become an aging venue. But unlike other downtown Detroit theaters in the 1970s, such as the Michigan and United Artists, the Fox managed to remain open.
The 1980s brought new hope for the Fox when in 1984 Chuck Forbes, owner of the State and Gem theaters, proposed a renovation project. These plans were never completed, but in 1988 the theater was acquired by new owners, Mike and Marian Ilitch, who fully restored the Fox at a cost of $12 million.[3] Their company, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., is headquartered in the Fox Theater Office Building. The downtown area near Grand Circus Park which encompasses Fox Theatre is sometimes referred to as Foxtown after the theater. In 2000, Comerica Park opened and helped to revitalize the area along with the construction of Ford Field in 2002. The Fox is Detroit’s top venue for Broadway shows.
[edit] Productions
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular was an annual favorite from 1997 through 2005. The theatre was host to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on March 31, 2007, the night before WrestleMania 23, being held at nearby Ford Field. As well as The Condemned World Premiere the night before on March 30, 2007. Other live productions have included Sesame Street Live: Let's Be Friends, David Copperfield, Blue's Clues Live!, Donny Osmond, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Dora The Explorer Live, Go! Diego! Live! and What's Done in the Dark in April 2007.
[edit] Photo gallery
 Ticket office. |
 Theatre doors. |
 Fox Theatre marquee |
 The marquee, a little out of focus, ablaze. |
 Fox Theatre building includes Little Caesars head office and test kitchens. |
 The marquee and banner showing "Foxtown" |
 Fox Theatre Griffins atop the marquee. |
 Directly across Woodward is Comerica Park. |
 Twilight dies in the glowing marquee. |
 TVs big enough to watch from the street draw ticketless fans to Foxtown at night. |
 Theatre and Church in the background. |
Foxtown in downtown Detroit |
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Fox Theater (Detroit)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1889&ResourceType=Building. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ a b Hodges, Michael H. (September 8, 2003).Fox Theater's rebirth ushered in city's renewal. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
- ^ a b Marzejka, Laurie J. (January 25, 1998).Detroit's historic Fox Theatre. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on July 9, 2009.
- ^ "About Us." Olympia Entertainment. Retrieved on November 2, 2009.
- ^ "Franchise Opportunities." Little Caesars. 5/5. retrieved on November 2, 2009.
- ^ Hauser, Michael and Marianne Weldon (2006). Downtown Detroit's Movie Palaces (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4102-8.
[edit] References and further reading
- Hauser, Michael and Marianne Weldon (2006). Downtown Detroit's Movie Palaces (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4102-8.
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
- Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4.
- Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- http://www.buildingphotos.com/venues/fox.shtml
- Michigan.gov - National Historic Landmarks in Michigan: Fox Theater Building
- Photos and history of the Fox Theatre at The Detroit News website.
- History and photos of Elvis Presley at the Fox at Scotty Moore website.
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