History
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The history of United Artists Theatre is gathered from many internet and text sources. Though every attempt is made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. All rights reserved.
| United Artists Theatre | |||||||||||||||||||
| 150 Bagley St., Detroit |
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| Status: | Closed | AKA: | The Downtown, Currency Exchange Building | ||||||||||||||||
| Style(s): | Spanish Gothic | Architect : | Charles Howard Crane | ||||||||||||||||
| Owner: | Olympia Development | Architectural Firm: | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||
The United Artists featured a grand circular lobby, complete with floor to ceiling maidens on the walls. The United Artists' auditorium was said to be acoustically perfect, and was decorated with Gothic plaster, and interesting brass light fixtures. The Detroit United Artists was the better of the two other UA theaters Howard Crane had previously done. Even though the United Artists was built primarily for films, it also had an orchestra led by Hugo Riesenfield, and occasionally featured stage shows for a short period. The theater was built with a 3 Manual, 15 Rank Wurlitzer organ. In the 1940s, the theater was acquired by the United Detroit theater chain before being sold back to United Artists in 1950. The United Artists at many times featured reserved seating, such as when it held the Detroit premiere of "Gone With the Wind" in 1930. In addition to premieres, the United Artists was the first theater in Detroit to install CinemaScope in 1953, and 70-milimeter in 1956. In the early 1960s, remodeling modernized the theater, placing a drop ceiling in the round lobby. Most of the remodeling took place on the exterior of the theater, covering up its terra-cotta with dark marble, and the large 10-story marquee was replaced with a modern marquee that was still in place until 2005. By the early '60s, the United Artists began to have long runs of blockbuster hits, but it could not survive. The theater soon reopened showing adult films, later closing in 1971. In a failed attempt, the theater was opened and renamed the Downtown in 1972 but closed for good in 1974. In 1975, all of the theater's furnishings, fixtures, and artwork were auctioned off. Later, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra used the United Artists for recordings in the mid- to late '70s. The office tower was occupied at this point, but the tenants soon started to move to the suburbs. The last tenant to go was in 1984. Since the closing, many plans to restore it back into a theater or into a nightclub have came and gone. Since the late 1980s, brickwork has collapsed onto the street below, a chilling reminder of how much disrepair the theater is in. In 1997, Little Caesars owner Mike Ilitch's Ilitch Holdings acquired the building. He has no plans to redevelop the property, and has let it rot, at times letting it sit open to vandals. The interior has been stripped of most of its decor and has been exposed to the elements. The Detroit City Council ordered the building to be demolished in 2001, but an Ilitch lawyer asked for a reprieve and said it would be refurbished. Little, if anything has been done. As of May 2003, the building was back on the city's hit list. During the month of November 2004, the exterior was used in the futuristic movie "The Island." In February 2005, the bottom of the theater marquee collapsed onto the sidewalk below. The city of Detroit placed multiple tickets and barricades. After a few months, the site was cleaned of the debris showing hidden detailing of the former terra cotta exterior. During the month of December 2005, the building had a clean-up that resulted in new doors, the dismantling of the marquee and removal of window graffiti. The property had banners hung in January 2006, advertising a "premier development opportunity." The property is being jointly marketed with the Statler Hotel site by Olympia Development and the Downtown Development Authority. |
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