Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (movie theater)
Encyclopedia
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
in Westland, Michigan
Westland, Michigan
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094.-Politics:...
. It has remained closed to the public since its closure in 2002, and will be demolished soon. Demolition equipment was delivered on March 8, 2011.
History
The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center is the fruit of Martin and Charlie Shafer's hard work and determination to build a movie palace. The structure was designed by Minoru YamasakiMinoru Yamasaki
was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century...
, most well known for designing the World Trade Centers, destroyed in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center opened in 1966. Its outside features a very Modernistic
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
appearance while its interior once featured a very Romanistic
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
design. The Quo Vadis was often regarded as a Movie Palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
for its plush environment and cocktail lounge. It was one of the first cinemas to offer cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
drinks to its patrons and was well known for its "Over 21 Club" cocktail lounge on the second floor. The Quo Vadis also offered patrons of the "Over 21 Club" headphones to watch movies at the (formerly adjacent) Algiers Drive-In through a "picture window wall". The Algiers Drive-In was demolished in 1985 to make way for a shopping center. http://cinematreasures.org/theater/5153/http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/location.asp?ID=1227&type=5
Closure, Present and Future
National AmusementsNational Amusements
National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned theatre company based in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone....
purchased the property in 1986 and is still the owner as of October 2010. http://www.hometownlife.com/article/2010928/NEWS24/100928007/Demolition-near-for-Westland-s-landmark-Quo-Vadis-Theater
Preservation Effort
In late 2007, a group called "The Quo Vadis Preservation Foundation" was created to try to save the theater and preserve/reopen the building with a practical application. This group has gotten a lot of media coverage specifically focusing on the fact that the founders of this group are teenagers trying to make a difference. Many local residents and photographers appreciate the history and design of this building. Most are ignorant of the design significance.Though there were efforts to save the old theater, there are also people from the area pushing to see it torn down. Some residents believe that the building is an eyesore and the property should be used for something useful to the public and the local economy.
Final demolition was completed in June, 2011. The property is now a vacant lot.