Me too. And I haven't even seen Gatsby yet.
Or at least, that is what I used to think of.
Now, I will probably think of the Fox Theater in Detroit.
A few weeks ago, my husband's parents presented him with an early birthday gift - tickets to see his favorite musicians, the 2Cellos, at the Fox Theater in Detroit. We decided to make a night of it, driving down to the Motor City a couple hours early for a double-dinner of a Detroit dining rivalry legend - Coneys at Lafayette and American. Thinking back on the historical significance, we may have been reliving a common 1920's - 1930's double date night. Sans the electric cello, anyway.
After determining the prime resource for fatty animal byproduct in a steamed bun, we zipped Uptown, through Grand Circus Park, past the tiny downtown ice skating rink, pointing out the Detroit Opera House, and quickly finding prime parking in the lot of Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
The sun was just slipping beneath the horizon as we stepped out of my Father-In-Law's VW at 6:30pm, but we were already surrounded by the bright hues of downtown city night life, the fluorescent hues of the baseball stadium on one side, and the towering, 10-story marquee of the Fox dazzling the sunset skyline on the other.
The Fox Theater was a pioneer in entertainment when it opened it's doors in September 1928 as the flagship in a chain of movie theaters, the 2nd largest theater in the world, and the first to be equipped with "MovieTone," a patented built-into-the-film sound function for the "talking picture." The maiden voyage premiered with a live action history of Detroit titled "The Evolution of Transportation," along with an audio-partnered news reel to show off the new-fangled equipment, and a series of other shows. The Fox served as Detroit's top-dollar movie palace until it's 12 million dollar restoration in the 1980's, but has continued to be the go-to venue for live entertainment and presidential debates for the state of Michigan to this day.
And it hasn't lost a touch of that regal, ostentatious 1920's styling. After getting through security, guests enter a multiple-story lobby, walls decorated with ornate stain-glass windows and columns sculpted with eagles. Strategically placed lights bathe every facet of the theater in a golden haze. A sweeping marble staircase leading to club-levels splits the lobby, and leads the eye to a stunning hand-painted blue and gold ceiling. After passing through the glass-ceilinged hallway, we were shown to our seats by a tuxedoed attendant, in the left-hand quadrant of the auditorium, a sloped, U-shaped set-up that unfortunately is still fashioned for the average 5'6" height of the 1920's patronage, and the average of height of an imaginary coach flyer of your average airline. (Your knees are the perfect headrest, after all.) But if you can't see the stage, there is still plenty to keep the eye occupied. The lobby's carefully structure columns continue into the auditorium, each column proudly portraying a posed predatory feline of some variety, reds and golds covering every inch of the walls, target-framed ceiling, and even the club-level balcony, each section sporting a pair of sculpted phoenix.
Each detail easily fools the eye into believing it's larger than it really is - seating only 5,000. The view, however, is huge.
Even the restroom area is hand-crafted and stunning.
Quite frankly, they just don't make theaters like this anymore. I'm afraid my phone photos of the interior don't do it a bit of justice. (Alas! Photographers ARE still relevant! Mystery solved!)
Michiganders seem to commonly believe they are a forgotten state, with stock drops and recent scandals painting a less-than portrait of the Lake State and its residents. But with historical landmarks like the glamorous Fox Theater, Detroit is anything but irrelevant. I highly recommend a visit.
The 2Cellos, by the way, were spectacular, as always!
What are your favorite Michigan historical landmarks? Should I check them out?
Next in MI Bucket List: A Faygo Taste Test.
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