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Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings
The Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings, also known as the Monroe Block, is a historic district located along a block-and-a-half stretch at 16-118 Monroe Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, just off Woodward Avenue at the northern end of Campus Martius. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The thirteen original buildings were built between 1852 and 1911 and ranged from two to five stories in height. The National Theatre, built in 1911, was the oldest surviving theatre in Detroit, a part of the city's original theatre district of the late 19th century, and the sole surviving structure from the original Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings historic period.
The early buildings on the block were constructed in Victorian commercial style, designed by architects such as Sheldon and Mortimer Smith during the mid-to-late 19th century. The Johnson block, in particular, constituted what was at the time one of the last remaining blocks of pre-Civil War buildings in Detroit. In the nearby Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District, the building at 1244 Randolph St. is a rare survivor from the 1840s. The Victorian styled Odd Fellows Building (1874) is located at the corner of Randolph and Monroe.
The Monroe buildings were occupied by numerous short-term tenants through the years, including grocers, confectioners, and saloons. In the early 20th century, a wave of European immigration brought jewelry shops, pawn shops, and tailors to the area.
At around the same time, the Campus Martius area was developing into the entertainment center of Detroit. The Detroit Opera House, then located on the north side of the Campus across Monroe Avenue from the buildings in this district, anchored the area, and, in 1901, the Wonderland vaudeville theatre moved next door.
The early 20th century was the dawn of the movie age, and in Detroit it began on Monroe Avenue. The first movie theater in Detroit, the Casino, was opened on Monroe Avenue in 1906 by John H. Kunsky. It was reputedly the second movie theatre in the world, and it propelled Kunsky to a 20-theatre empire worth $7 million in 1929. Later in 1906, Detroit's second movie theatre, the Bijou, opened literally two doors down from the Casino. These were the first of a string of theaters along this section of Monroe; three new movie theatre buildings were constructed in the area in the next five years: the Star (1907), designed by Frank G. Baxter and Henry A. O'Dell; the Columbia (1911), designed by the noted theatre architect C. Howard Crane; and the National Theater (1911), the only theatre designed by Albert Kahn. In addition, the Family Theater opened in 1914 in an older building in the district. Other nearby theaters included the Temple Theater at Woodward Avenue across Monroe, the Liberty (located behind the Star), and the Palace at 130-132 Monroe.
In the 1920s, the Detroit cinema hub centered around Grand Circus Park, with nearby Monroe Avenue receiving less attention.
The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In early 1990, most of the aging structures were cleared away, leaving only the National Theater as a reminder of the history of the area.
The buildings that once stood in this site were a mix of pre- and post-Civil War architecture, along with a group of movie theaters from the early 20th century.
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Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings
The Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings, also known as the Monroe Block, is a historic district located along a block-and-a-half stretch at 16-118 Monroe Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, just off Woodward Avenue at the northern end of Campus Martius. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The thirteen original buildings were built between 1852 and 1911 and ranged from two to five stories in height. The National Theatre, built in 1911, was the oldest surviving theatre in Detroit, a part of the city's original theatre district of the late 19th century, and the sole surviving structure from the original Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings historic period.
The early buildings on the block were constructed in Victorian commercial style, designed by architects such as Sheldon and Mortimer Smith during the mid-to-late 19th century. The Johnson block, in particular, constituted what was at the time one of the last remaining blocks of pre-Civil War buildings in Detroit. In the nearby Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District, the building at 1244 Randolph St. is a rare survivor from the 1840s. The Victorian styled Odd Fellows Building (1874) is located at the corner of Randolph and Monroe.
The Monroe buildings were occupied by numerous short-term tenants through the years, including grocers, confectioners, and saloons. In the early 20th century, a wave of European immigration brought jewelry shops, pawn shops, and tailors to the area.
At around the same time, the Campus Martius area was developing into the entertainment center of Detroit. The Detroit Opera House, then located on the north side of the Campus across Monroe Avenue from the buildings in this district, anchored the area, and, in 1901, the Wonderland vaudeville theatre moved next door.
The early 20th century was the dawn of the movie age, and in Detroit it began on Monroe Avenue. The first movie theater in Detroit, the Casino, was opened on Monroe Avenue in 1906 by John H. Kunsky. It was reputedly the second movie theatre in the world, and it propelled Kunsky to a 20-theatre empire worth $7 million in 1929. Later in 1906, Detroit's second movie theatre, the Bijou, opened literally two doors down from the Casino. These were the first of a string of theaters along this section of Monroe; three new movie theatre buildings were constructed in the area in the next five years: the Star (1907), designed by Frank G. Baxter and Henry A. O'Dell; the Columbia (1911), designed by the noted theatre architect C. Howard Crane; and the National Theater (1911), the only theatre designed by Albert Kahn. In addition, the Family Theater opened in 1914 in an older building in the district. Other nearby theaters included the Temple Theater at Woodward Avenue across Monroe, the Liberty (located behind the Star), and the Palace at 130-132 Monroe.
In the 1920s, the Detroit cinema hub centered around Grand Circus Park, with nearby Monroe Avenue receiving less attention.
The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In early 1990, most of the aging structures were cleared away, leaving only the National Theater as a reminder of the history of the area.
The buildings that once stood in this site were a mix of pre- and post-Civil War architecture, along with a group of movie theaters from the early 20th century.