Ernest Wilby
Architect, 1869 to 1957
The National Theatre leads Wilby's work on record here, the theater that stood in Detroit from 1911 until it came down in 2024. Another 3 of Wilby's works are on record across Detroit, built from 1907 to 1917, each on the map below.
- works on record in Metro Detroit
- 4
- of work here, 1907 to 1917
- 10 years
- demolished
- 3 of 4
Every Wilby building here, side by side
All 4 of Wilby's works on record, oldest at left. None has a height on record, so each is drawn at one standard size in the shape of its kind.
All 4 of Wilby's works on record, oldest at left. None has a height on record, so each is drawn at one standard size in the shape of its kind.
National Theatre
1911, Detroit, height not on record, drawn at one standard size
Demolished in 2024
Open its page- Standing
- Lost
- Tap or point at a building
The story
Ernest Wilby was born in 1869 and died in 1957. The work that leads Wilby's record here is the National Theatre, built in Detroit in 1911 and demolished in 2024.
The record opens in 1907 with the Owen Building, in the years Detroit became the Motor City and built like it meant to stay on top, and closes in 1917 with the Lincoln Hotel. No decade kept Wilby busier here than the 1910s, with 3 works.
Of Wilby's 4 works here, 3 are gone, the Lincoln Hotel in 1949 and the Owen Building in 1957 among them. The Detroit Trust Co. Building still stands.
On the Owen Building and the National Theatre and 2 more, Wilby shares credit with Albert Kahn. The Detroit Trust Co. Building still stands at 201 W. Fort St, and the best way to know Wilby is to stand in front of it.
Ernest Wilby in Metro Detroit, oldest first
- Owen Building 1907, Detroit, Building Demolished in 1957
-
National Theatre
1911, Detroit, Theater
Demolished in 2024
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Detroit Trust Co. Building 1915, Detroit, Building Standing, closed
- Lincoln Hotel 1917, Detroit, Hotel Demolished in 1949
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Where their buildings stand
4 works on the map
Loading the map
- Standing
- Demolished
- Altered
- 4Works close together
4 works on the map
Who Wilby worked with
- Albert Kahn on the Owen Building, the National Theatre and 2 more
Where the work stands
Photo credits
The photo on Ernest Wilby's page, each with its author, license and the original.
- The National Theatre at 118 Monroe, Detroit, Michigan. Historic district contributing property Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
The facts on Ernest Wilby come from Historic Detroit; Rebuild Detroit wrote the story above from them, and each photo names its license.