Detroit Part II. Opera house, downtown, and the best pub ever

miketoronto · #1 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 11:42 PM**

Some more pics from my weekend in Detroit.

The Old Shillelagh pub in downtown Detroit. We met up with Tony and Eric there, and it is the coolest pub ever. Singing, dancing, yelling. TABLE 2 SUCKS, TABLE 2 SUCKS

Campus Martius. Downtown Detroit's new public square/park has won awards for its design.

We went on a tour of the Detroit Opera House, which is just an amazing building. This building has been restored by the Michigan Opera.

Guardian Building. One of the best examples of Art Deco anywhere.

Driving through Brush Park, Downtown Detroit.

Homes being restored in Brush Park.

Steam rising from the downtown streets.

Woodward Ave, Downtown

David Stott Tower.

Michigan Central Terminal

Hart Plaza, Downtown Detroit.

Fox Theatre, one of the many live theatre venues in downtown Detroit. Downtown Detroit is home to one of the largest collections of historical theatres in the USA, and most of them are in use today.

Greektown, Downtown Detroit.

hudkina · #2 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 12:00 AM**

Beautiful shots.

Today while driving around I noticed that Brush and John R have been reverted back to two way streets in the Brush Park area. Brush is open but John R is still closed to traffic. I can't wait to see the neighborhood in the summer with all of the new streetscapes and landscaping completed.

Hysteria · #3 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 12:15 AM**

The picture right after the shots of the Guardian Building looks like a movie set.

Tombstoner · #4 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 1:01 AM**

Please tell me there are plans to restore the Michigan Central Terminal!!!

Wheelingman04 · #5 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 2:43 AM**

Brush Park looks rough, but the rest of the downtown is looking better. It looks more vibrant than when I was there in 2002.

xzmattzx · #6 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 2:53 AM**

Great pictures! I love the architecture.

James Bond Agent 007 · #7 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 3:21 AM**

Wow, great pics! But it's rather depressing to see some of those old buildings just sitting there, abandoned.

hudkina · #8 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 3:28 AM**

Brush Park is actually seeing a renovation and new construction frenzy.

Evergrey · #9 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 3:43 AM**

spooky!

soleri · #10 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 4:00 AM**

Question: Is the Detroit Opera House an old movie palace?

I've never been to Detroit, and I've been warned off by many people. But even for the ruins alone it looks fascinating. If only this city wasn't frozen in time, say around 1950. To think about what's been lost is really numbing.

hudkina · #11 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 4:34 AM**

Yup.

Quote:

Located on the corners of Broadway and Madison at Grand Circus Park, the theater was originally opened January 12, 1922, as the Capitol Theater. At the time of its gala premiere, the 4,250-seat theater claimed to be the fifth largest in the world. The theater was the first in a series of palatial vaudeville and moving picture houses built in the Grand Circus Park area in the 1920s. Designed by renowned Detroit architect C. Howard Crane, whose genius for theater design took him to cities around the nation, the building was constructed with superb acoustics and in the style of the grand European opera houses. Crane also designed such Detroit landmarks as the Fox Theater, State Theater, and the acoustically perfect Orchestra Hall.

Source: http://www.motopera.org/doh/history.html

the dude · #12 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 4:54 AM**

great photos. where is that train station? is it in a viable enough neighbourhood that it could be renovated? beautiful stuff.

hudkina · #13 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 4:58 AM**

It's about 1 mile west of downtown on the west end of Corktown. The neighborhood is in good shape with Michigan Ave seeing a lot of renovations.

LMich · #14 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 5:36 AM**

But, it's mostly in an industrial area. It seems just that too far outside of the core, currently, to see it being renovated any time soon.

hudkina · #15 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 5:48 PM**

I'm sure it will eventually be renovated, but it may take a decade or two. Either that or it will collapse in on itself.

illmatic774 · #16 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 8:14 PM**

That thing will never collapse.

I would give MCS about 15 years before its even touched. As much as everybody wants to see something done with it, it is not currently a priority

DetroitSky · #17 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 8:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by soleri

Question: Is the Detroit Opera House an old movie palace?

I've never been to Detroit, and I've been warned off by many people. But even for the ruins alone it looks fascinating. If only this city wasn't frozen in time, say around 1950. To think about what's been lost is really numbing.

The Opera House formerly was the Capitol Theatre. I'm not sure if it showed movies, but it probably did at one time.

Don't listen to the people that warned you off, come visit Detroit! A lot of the buildings downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods are under renovation, and the Detroits pretty safe if you stay in the right areas.

Michi · #18 Posted **Jan 17, 2007, 1:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by soleri

Question: Is the Detroit Opera House an old movie palace?

I've never been to Detroit, and I've been warned off by many people. But even for the ruins alone it looks fascinating. If only this city wasn't frozen in time, say around 1950. To think about what's been lost is really numbing.

What does one say to warn you off? There's nothing to be afraid of in Detroit just as there is nothing to be afraid of in say Seattle or San Francisco.

The sooner one can visit Detroit, the better. One of Mike's friends was actually disappointed that Brush Park no longer had the deep depression of abandoned and dilapidated buildings like it did just a few years ago. Someday soon, Brush Park will have no such thing, and the current fascination with abandonment and collapse will not be able to be attained here again.

Michi · #19 Posted **Jan 17, 2007, 2:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by soleri

Question: Is the Detroit Opera House an old movie palace?

I've never been to Detroit, and I've been warned off by many people. But even for the ruins alone it looks fascinating. If only this city wasn't frozen in time, say around 1950. To think about what's been lost is really numbing.

What does one say to warn you off? There's nothing to be afraid of in Detroit just as there is nothing to be afraid of in say Seattle or San Francisco.

The sooner one can visit Detroit, the better. One of Mike's friends was actually disappointed that Brush Park no longer had the deep depression of abandoned and dilapidated buildings like it did just a few years ago. Someday soon, Brush Park will have no such thing, and the current fascination with abandonment and collapse will not be able to be attained here again.

giantSwan · #20 Posted **Jan 17, 2007, 4:25 AM**

Wow - detroit looks amazing...I've never been...I presume because of the blight there's been a lot of tear downs of beautiful buildings similar to the train station? BTW, that building is a real gem...