Alger Theater

About this property

The Alger Theater is an historic neighborhood movie theater located at 16451 East Warren Avenue in the Morningside neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It is one of only two remaining intact and unchanged neighborhood theaters in the city of Detroit (the second being the Redford Theatre). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The Alger Theater, presumably named for Michigan governor Russell A. Alger, was built by Detroit theater developers Saul and Hattie Sloan, and designed by architect Charles Easton Allen. The Sloans leased the theater to Detroit theater magnate George Washington Trendle, and it first opened on August 22, 1935. The Alger was equipped with modern amenities such as the latest sound and projection equipment, comfortable seating, and air conditioning. It continued as a movie house for forty years. However, as the surrounding neighborhood suffered socioeconomic changes, attendance began dropping off. In the mid-nineteen seventies, ownership changed hands, and the theater was used for live performances and music in addition to movies. However, the theater closed its doors in 1981. In 1984, ownership changed hands again, and the Alger was re-opened as a B-movie house. However, profits were slim, and the theater closed again in less than a year. In 1986, the theater was purchased by Friends of the Alger Theater, a nonprofit community-based organization composed of neighborhood residents and businesses dedicated to preserving the Alger Theater. They are developing programming for the community while raising funds to restore and reopen the theater. The Alger sits at the corner of Warren Avenue and Outer Drive. It is constructed of structural steel faced with brick. A two-story square-plan tower structure with an instepped parapet stands at the corner, dominating the building's facade. The tower houses the theater entrance and box office. A vertical sign with the theater's name extends from the tower toward the street. Along the Warren facade, four single-story commercial spaces faced with painted yellow brick line the sidewalk; the facade of the theater proper above is set back. On the interior of the theater, the inner and outer lobby and the balcony-less auditorium still show much of their historic finish. The auditorium is constructed of concrete block with horizontal banding in smaller concrete brick; it originally sat 1182 people but now seats 825. The stage was extended into the seating area to provide for theatrical performances. Stepped metal sconces with rounded ends adorn the walls. The Friends of the Alger Theater were awarded historic designations for the theater on the state, federal and local levels. In March 2009, the city's Historic Designation Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend that the City Council approve the designation. The Detroit City Council approved the formal local historic designation on Oct. 21, 2009. The state and federal designations were granted in 2005.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

More in Wayne County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Wayne County.

More historic places in Michigan

Browse all historic places in Michigan.

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Michigan history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.