Discover The Rich History Of The National Theatre

The National Theater building in Detroit was built in 1911. It was designed by Albert Kahn and was one of the finest examples of the art nouveau style in the United States.Mr. Kahn is called the father of architecture in Detroit. He is best known for designing twenty percent of the factories in the United States that was designed by an architect. Mr. Kahn is best known for using reinforced concrete in his buildings. Most buildings at the time were built of wood. This building is the only theater that Mr. Kahn ever designed. The National Theater originally could seat 2,200 people. It featured one of the largest stages in the United States. The theater had a simple, yet elegant dcor. The exterior was covered entirely in blue and white terra-cotta pewabic tiles. Kahn put a massive arched window on the front of the theater. The front of the theater also contained hundreds of lightbuilbs that were built directly into the front of the theater.
The building has served several purposes over its lifetime. The first was as a vaudeville house. Then it became a movie theater. It subsequently became a burlesque house. Then it became an adult film venue. The property was last used in 1975. Since its closure, the property has belonged to several people. The city of Detroit became the owner of the property in 1980, since the taxes on the building were not paid. In 1990, the city tore down all other buildings on the block. Plans still resurface from time to time for the National Theater to be restored. It is believed that the theater would cost between five and seven million dollars to be restored. The building is beautiful, however, in these tight economic times it seems unlikely that anyone would spent the money to restore the theater to its former state.