Alger Theater on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Alger Theater is a theatre located at 16451 East Warren Avenue in the MorningSide neighborhood of
from the Friends of the Alger Theater When the Alger Theater opened, it was a luxury theater, and included amenities such as sound and projection equipment, seating, and air conditioning. It continued as a movie house for forty years. However, as the surrounding neighborhood suffered socioeconomic changes, attendance began dropping off. In the mid-nineteen seventies, ownership changed hands, and the theater was used for live performances and music in addition to movies. However, the theater closed its doors in 1981. In 1984, ownership changed hands again, and the Alger was re-opened as a B-movie house. However, profits were slim, and the theater closed again in less than a year. In 1986, the theater was purchased by Friends of the Alger Theater, a nonprofit community-based organization composed of neighborhood residents and businesses dedicated to preserving the Alger Theater. They are developing programming for the community while raising funds to refurbish and reopen the theater.
The Friends were awarded historic designations for the theater on the state, federal and local levels. In March 2009, the city's Historic Designation Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend that the City Council approve the designation. The Detroit City Council approved the formal local historic designation on Oct. 21, 2009. The state and federal designations were granted in 2005.
In order to provide cultural opportunities and build community in the surrounding neighborhoods, the Friends provide free off-campus programming including a theater arts class at local Detroit Public Schools in partnership with Matrix Theater Company and the summertime outdoor movie series, Film on the Hill, at Balduck Park on the third Saturdays of June, July and August.
In 2014, the theater was surveyed for asbestos and underwent abatement, clearing a large barrier to restoration. The group is currently raising funds for repairs to stabilize the theater, planning events and fundraising for full renovation of the 825-seat Art Moderne space.
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. It is one of only two remaining intact and unchanged neighborhood theaters in the city of Detroit (the second being the Redford Theatre
The Redford Theatre in Detroit, Michigan has served as an entertainment venue since it opened on January 27, 1928. It is owned and operated by the Motor City Theatre Organ Society (MCTOS), a 501(c)(3) organization. Architects Ralph F. Shreive alo ...
). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2005.
History
The Alger Theater, presumably named for Michigan governorRussell A. Alger
Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War.
He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...
, was built by Detroit theater developers Saul and Hattie Sloan. The Sloans leased the theater to Detroit theater magnate George Washington Trendle, and it first opened on August 22, 1935, as a neighborhood cinema.The Historic Alger Theaterfrom the Friends of the Alger Theater When the Alger Theater opened, it was a luxury theater, and included amenities such as sound and projection equipment, seating, and air conditioning. It continued as a movie house for forty years. However, as the surrounding neighborhood suffered socioeconomic changes, attendance began dropping off. In the mid-nineteen seventies, ownership changed hands, and the theater was used for live performances and music in addition to movies. However, the theater closed its doors in 1981. In 1984, ownership changed hands again, and the Alger was re-opened as a B-movie house. However, profits were slim, and the theater closed again in less than a year. In 1986, the theater was purchased by Friends of the Alger Theater, a nonprofit community-based organization composed of neighborhood residents and businesses dedicated to preserving the Alger Theater. They are developing programming for the community while raising funds to refurbish and reopen the theater.
Description
The Alger sits at the corner of Warren Avenue and Outer Drive. It is constructed of structural steel faced with brick. A two-story square-plan tower structure with an instepped parapet stands at the corner, dominating the building's facade. The tower houses the theater entrance and box office. A vertical sign with the theater's name extends from the tower toward the street. Along the Warren facade, four single-story commercial spaces faced with painted yellow brick line the sidewalk; the facade of the theater proper above is set back. On the interior of the theater, the inner and outer lobby and the balcony-less auditorium still show much of their historic finish. The auditorium is constructed of concrete block with horizontal banding in smaller concrete brick; it originally sat 1182 people but now seats 825. The stage was extended into the seating area to provide for theatrical performances. Stepped metal sconces with rounded ends adorn the walls.An anchor for community building
Friends of the Alger Theater is a 25-year-old nonprofit organization.
The Friends were awarded historic designations for the theater on the state, federal and local levels. In March 2009, the city's Historic Designation Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend that the City Council approve the designation. The Detroit City Council approved the formal local historic designation on Oct. 21, 2009. The state and federal designations were granted in 2005.
In order to provide cultural opportunities and build community in the surrounding neighborhoods, the Friends provide free off-campus programming including a theater arts class at local Detroit Public Schools in partnership with Matrix Theater Company and the summertime outdoor movie series, Film on the Hill, at Balduck Park on the third Saturdays of June, July and August.
In 2014, the theater was surveyed for asbestos and underwent abatement, clearing a large barrier to restoration. The group is currently raising funds for repairs to stabilize the theater, planning events and fundraising for full renovation of the 825-seat Art Moderne space.
See also
*Theatre in Detroit
The performing arts in Detroit include orchestra, live music, and theater, with more than a dozen performing arts venues. The stages and old time film palaces are generally located along Woodward Avenue, the city's central thoroughfare, in the ...
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Unused buildings in Detroit Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Art Deco architecture in Michigan Theatres in Detroit National Register of Historic Places in Detroit 1935 establishments in Michigan Theatres completed in 1935