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Michigan Theater Parking Garage


Mallard

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I think I mentioned it in the the Chrysler 200 thread, but it looks like some of the press pics were taken in the Michigan Theater. I once lost my car in downtown Detroit and stumbled on this place by accident. If you're into urban ruins and come for the auto show, this place is worth a look.

 

http://24flinching.com/word/headline/the-michigan-theater-2010/

 

http://24flinching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/michigan_theater-2010-1024x377.jpg

 

http://24flinching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/img_1340.jpg

 

http://24flinching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/img_1401.jpg

 

Part of the balcony is still there

http://24flinching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/img_1378.jpg

 

http://24flinching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/img_1407.jpg

 

It's made more interesting by the fact that the theater was built on the site of Henry Ford's original garage.

Edited by Mallard
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I may send you a pm. I may be up there for the auto show and want to take some photos

 

No problem.

 

It is an active parking garage, and honestly it's probably not a terrible walk to COBO from there.

 

238 BAGLEY AVE., DETROIT, MICH.

 

I'm meeting my parents at COBO on MLK Day for the auto show and may swing by there (if it's not cold as hell).

 

Then again, you just got rid of your SRT for a Toyota. Maybe I shouldn't associate with your kind ;)

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Ok, so let me wrap my head around this. They have an abandoned theater, very ornate and beautiful in it's day. So they took it and said, "don't level it, we'll gut it, cut holes in the walls and BAM we can park shit in it."

 

"Leave the balcony though. That shit was cool."

 

 

 

Edit, after viewing the other pics it looks like it would not be financially viable to demolish the building given that the city is bankrupt, but it does seem like there would be safety issues.

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Ok, so let me wrap my head around this. They have an abandoned theater, very ornate and beautiful in it's day. So they took it and said, "don't level it, we'll gut it, cut holes in the walls and BAM we can park shit in it."

 

"Leave the balcony though. That shit was cool."

 

 

 

Edit, after viewing the other pics it looks like it would not be financially viable to demolish the building given that the city is bankrupt, but it does seem like there would be safety issues.

 

The parking lot was built ~30+ years ago. Apparently the company next door needed parking and was threatening to leave, so they had to build a parking lot. The entire theater would have been torn down, but they thought it might cause structural issues for the neighboring buildings so they built the garage inside the existing building.

 

Detroit actually had a large number of old theater's back when is was considered "the Paris of the West," but most are abandoned or demolished at this point.

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The parking lot was built ~30+ years ago. Apparently the company next door needed parking and was threatening to leave, so they had to build a parking lot. The entire theater would have been torn down, but they thought it might cause structural issues for the neighboring buildings so they built the garage inside the existing building.

 

Detroit actually had a large number of old theater's back when is was considered "the Paris of the West," but most are abandoned or demolished at this point.

 

Fascinating. It'd be really cool to tour these places.

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