The Grand Riviera Theater was a theater located at 9222 Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

; it took its name from Grand River Avenue. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1982, but was subsequently demolished in June, 1996.

History

The Grand Riviera was built in 1925, at a cost of over one million dollars. It seated over 3000, and was the first "atmospheric" theater

Atmospheric theatre

An atmospheric theatre is a type of movie palace which has an auditorium ceiling that is intended to give the illusion of an open sky as its defining feature...

 in Detroit, using lighting, special effects, and interior design to make the audience feel like they were sitting outdoors in a garden.

The theater immediately successful, and in 1927 an 1,800 seat annex was built. In 1957, the Riviera was converted to a stage theater. When the Fisher Theater reopened in 1960, however, the Grand Riviera took a back seat. The building was used for music concerts until it closed in the mid-1970s. Afterward, the structure deteriorated, to the point that it was considered unsafe and demolished in 1996.

Description

The Grand Riviera Theater was a three story structure built from brown brick in an Italian Renaissance

Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...

 style. An 80 feet (24.4 m) octagonal pavilion sat on the corner of the structure. The pavilion had arched, multi-paned windows and substantial cream terra cotta

Terra cotta

Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...

decoration. To the west of the pavilion was the three-story wing with commercial and office space. To the north was the auditorium section which was built with windowless paneled brick walls.

The decor of the Grand Riviera was very ornate. The original "atmospheric" interior elements included a simulated courtyard, a dark blue ceiling with inset electric "stars" and projected moving clouds, and walls with artificial trees and vines.

Gallery

Images from 1970

External links

• Grand Riviera Theatre, 9222 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, Wayne County, MI, Historic American Buildings Survey, Survey number HABS MI-270