Lost theater, Detroit, 1859 to 1950
Avenue Theatre
Demolished in 1950
- Opened
- 1859
- Torn down
- 1950
The Avenue Theatre stood in Detroit from 1859 until 1950. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
The Spirit of Detroit
Built 1958, Sculpture
Detroit's Avenue Theatre stood on this spot for 91 years. In 1958, eight years after it came down, The Spirit of Detroit rose in its place. It has now stood 68 years.
The Spirit of Detroit (1958) is a monument with a large bronze statue created by Marshall Fredericks, located outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the largest bronze statues in the United States, and was the largest bronze statue cast since the Renaissance at the time of its dedication. It is a major landmark in Detroit, and has become recognized as a symbol of the city.
- 1859 Opens Avenue Theatre
- 1950 Comes down Avenue Theatre
- 1958 Rises The Spirit of Detroit
- 2026 Today The Spirit of Detroit, 68 years on the site
How we know what stands there
- Wikidata at the same map point (9 m), opened 1958
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
The Spirit of Detroit
- Rose on the site Sculpture Source: Wikidata
- Avenue Theatre came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
In 1859, when Detroit was still a river town of timber, brick and church steeples, the Avenue Theatre went up.
It is gone now, demolished in 1950, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1859 Built
- 1950 Closed
- 1950 Demolished
- 2026 Today 76 years since it came down
Where it is
430 Woodward Ave.
On this map
- 1 Avenue Theatre This place
- 2 Citizens Building 180 ft
- 3 One Woodward Avenue 180 ft
- 4 150 West Jefferson 230 ft
- 5 Ford Auditorium 270 ft
- 6 Ally Detroit Center 300 ft
- 7 Newberry & McMillan Building 330 ft
- 8 Norton Hotel (second) 360 ft
- 9 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center 360 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
More from Detroit in the 1850s
-
St. John's Episcopal Church
House of worship, built 1861, Gotchic Revival, by Anderson & Jordan
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Academy of the Sacred Heart
School, built 1862, English Gothic, by James W. Wall, demolished 1920
Photo: Appraiser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Christ Church
House of worship, built 1863, Gothic Revival, by Gordon W. Lloyd
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Fort Street Presbyterian Church
House of worship, built 1855, Gothic Revival, by Albert H. Jordan
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Detroit Boat Club (third) Building, built 1858, demolished
- Marine Hospital Building, built 1857, by Anderson & Jordan, demolished
Around the block
- Citizens Building Building, built 1923, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1959 180 ft
-
One Woodward Avenue
Skyscraper, built 1963, International Style, by Minoru Yamasaki
Photo: Chris Woodrich, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
180 ft
-
150 West Jefferson
Skyscraper, built 1989, by Heller Manus Architects
Photo: V8americanpower at English Wikipedia, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
230 ft
-
Ford Auditorium
Building, built 1956, International Style, by Crane, Kiehler & Kellogg, demolished 2011
Photo: Goldnpuppy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
270 ft
-
Ally Detroit Center
Skyscraper, built 1993, Postmodern, by Philip Johnson
Photo: WMrapids, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
300 ft
- Newberry & McMillan Building Building, built 1879, Second Empire, by Gordon W. Lloyd, demolished 1928 330 ft
- Norton Hotel (second) Hotel, built 1918, Italian Renaissance, by Bonnah & Chaffee, demolished 1959 360 ft
-
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
Skyscraper, built 1955, International, by Harley, Ellington & Day
Photo: 42-BRT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
360 ft
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.