Theater, Detroit, since 1922
Detroit Opera House
Standing and open
- Opened
- 1922
- Style
- Beaux Arts
- Standing
- 104 years
Designed by C. Howard Crane
The Detroit Opera House has stood on Broadway in Detroit since 1922, 104 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
More photos of Detroit Opera House
What is there now
Standing and open
- Plumbing permit Install 2 Elevator Sump Pumps Source: City and county building permits
- Electrical permit Install of temp gen for event that’s upcoming Source: City and county building permits
- Electrical permit Provide 70 kW generator for special event Source: City and county building permits
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.
The story
The Detroit Opera House opened in 1922, during the boom years when the auto industry turned Detroit into one of the fastest growing cities in America.
Credit the design to C. Howard Crane, working in Beaux Arts.
It still stands and still opens its doors.
Go see it at 1526 Broadway. Photos never get the scale right.
Timeline
- 1922 Built Designed by C. Howard Crane
- 1985 Closed
- 2025 2 building permits The latest September 8
- 2026 Electrical permit March 10, 2026
- 2026 Today 104 years and still standing
Where it is
1526 Broadway
On this map
- 1 Detroit Opera House This place
- 2 Holmes Building 90 ft
- 3 Simmons & Clark Building 120 ft
- 4 Eureka Building 120 ft
- 5 Hartz Building 130 ft
- 6 Wurlitzer Building 140 ft
- 7 Edelweiss Cafe 180 ft
- 8 Metropolitan Building 240 ft
- 9 Bleu Detroit (Telenews Theatre) 260 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
C. Howard CraneAmerican architect, 1885 to 1952. Designed the Fox Theater Building (1928) and 30 more in Metro Detroit
Also by C. Howard Crane
- Liberty Theatre 1871
- Adams Theatre and Fine Arts Building 1905
- Comique Theatre 1905
- Ralph E. Burnham House 1908
- Columbia Theatre 1911
- H. Cleland Allison House 1912
More from Detroit in the 1920s
-
Bethel Community Transformation Center
House of worship, built 1922, by Albert Kahn
Photo: paintings by Myron G. Barlow photography by Helmut Ziewers,, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Cadillac Place
Building, built 1920, by Albert Kahn
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
Hotel, built 1924, Neo-Renaissance, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Buhl Building
Skyscraper, built 1925, Neo-Romanesque, by Wirt C. Rowland
Photo: I, Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Chateau Frontenac
Building, built 1925, Mediterranean, by J. Will Wilson, demolished 1999
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Belcrest Apartments
Building, built 1926, Neo-Romanesque, by Charles N. Agree
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Holmes Building Building, built 1902, by Pollmar & Ropes, demolished 1967 90 ft
- Simmons & Clark Building Building, built 1908, Classical Revival 120 ft
- Eureka Building Building, built 1920 120 ft
- Hartz Building Building, built 1902, by Malcomson & Higginbotham 130 ft
- Wurlitzer Building Hotel, built 1926, Renaissance Revival, by Robert Finn 140 ft
-
![Edelweiss Cafe, [Edelweiss Cafe, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4440-2281-thumb-050a05b82b.jpg)
Edelweiss Cafe
Building, built 1913, Dutch Colonial, by Mildner & Eisen, demolished 1949
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
180 ft
- Metropolitan Building Hotel, built 1925, Neo-Gothic, by Harold Slaight Ellington 240 ft
- Bleu Detroit (Telenews Theatre) Theater, built 1942, by Cyril Schley 260 ft
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- Detroit Opera House, Detroit, Mich. Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
- [Detroit Opera House, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
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.