Lost theater, Detroit, 1871 to 1926
Liberty Theatre
Demolished in 1926
- Opened
- 1871
- Torn down
- 1926
Designed by C. Howard Crane
The Liberty Theatre stood in Detroit from 1871 until 1926. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
A construction site
Detroit's Liberty Theatre, designed by C. Howard Crane, stood on this spot for 55 years. It came down 100 years ago. Today the spot is a construction site.
- 1871 Opens Liberty Theatre
- 1926 Comes down Liberty Theatre
- 2026 Today Construction site
What is there now
A construction site
- Today Source: OpenStreetMap
- Liberty 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
The Liberty Theatre went up in 1871, in Detroit's Gilded Age, when stove works, shipyards and railroads made the city's first fortunes.
The design came from C. Howard Crane.
It is gone now, demolished in 1926, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1871 Built Designed by C. Howard Crane
- 1926 Closed
- 1926 Demolished
- 2026 Today 100 years since it came down
Where it is
1020 Farmer Ave.
On this map
- 1 Liberty Theatre This place
- 2 Pochelon Building 70 ft
- 3 Detroit Police Headquarters (old) 130 ft
- 4 National Theatre 160 ft
- 5 Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings 170 ft
- 6 Water Board Building 180 ft
- 7 Palace Theatre 190 ft
- 8 Burns Hotel 280 ft
- 9 St. John’s German Evangelical Church 290 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
- Adams Theatre and Fine Arts Building 1905
- Comique Theatre 1905
- Ralph E. Burnham House 1908
- Columbia Theatre 1911
- H. Cleland Allison House 1912
- Thomas E. Currie House 1913
More from Detroit in the 1870s
-
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Monument, built 1872, Classic Revival
Photo: JJonahJackalope, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
St. John's-St. Luke's Evangelical Church
House of worship, built 1872, Late Victorian
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
House of worship, built 1870, Late Gothic Revival, by Donaldson & Meier
Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
![Griswold Hotel, Griswold Hotel [lobby, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4523-2324-thumb-15fabace68.jpg)
Griswold Hotel
Hotel, built 1868, demolished 1961
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Central United Methodist Church
House of worship, built 1867, Gothic Revival, by Gordon W. Lloyd
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory
House of worship, built 1875, Italianate
Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Pochelon Building Building, built 1923, Neoclassical, by Mildner & Eisen, demolished 70 ft
- Detroit Police Headquarters (old) Building, built 1884, by Gordon W. Lloyd, demolished 1928 130 ft
-
National Theatre
Theater, built 1911, Baroque-Beaux Arts, by Albert Kahn, demolished 2024
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
160 ft
-
Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings
Historic district, demolished
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
170 ft
-
Water Board Building
Building, built 1928, Art Moderne, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
180 ft
- Palace Theatre Theater, built 1914, Italian Renaissance, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1953 190 ft
- Burns Hotel Hotel, built 1908, by Joseph G. Kastler, demolished 1925 280 ft
- St. John’s German Evangelical Church House of worship, built 1853, demolished 1878 290 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.