National Register of Historic Places

Majestic Theater

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Listed
July 1, 2008
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
08000577

About this property

The Majestic Theatre is a theatre located at 4126-4140 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Today, the theatre is mainly a music venue. It hosts a variety of musical concerts in three separate areas of the building: The Majestic, The Majestic Cafe, and The Magic Stick. The Majestic Theatre, designed by C. Howard Crane, opened on April 1, 1915. The theatre originally seated 1,651 people (at the time the largest theatre in the world built for the purpose of showing movies), and the facade was designed in an arcaded Italian style. In 1934, the front 35 feet (11 m) of the theatre were removed when Woodward Avenue was widened to its present size. The entire facade was redesigned into its current striking Art Deco motif by the firm of Bennett & Straight. The theater now boasts the largest enameled metal panel Art Deco facade in the Detroit metropolitan region. The theatre eventually closed, and the building was used as a church for a time, and later as a photographic studio. It lay vacant for ten years. The present owner purchased the building in 1984. There is a myth that legendary magician Harry Houdini gave his last performance on stage here, on Halloween night 1926. In fact, Houdini last performed at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit and died a few days later of peritonitis at Detroit's Grace Hospital on October 31, 1926. The Majestic Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. In 2018 the venue's owners announced a renovation plan and pledged to put $1,000,000 into the building. On October 25, 2019, The Majestic Theatre unveiled its new marquee facing Woodward Avenue. The Majestic Theatre operates as part of the Majestic Theatre Center, which includes the attached Garden Bowl bowling alley, The Majestic Cafe, The Magic Stick, and Sgt. Pepperoni's.

Location

4126-4140 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
42.35166, -83.06053

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Majestic Theater

This page lists Majestic Theater. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Majestic Theater report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Garden Bowl
Industrial
0.1 mi
Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station
Industrial
0.1 mi
Newberry, Helen, Nurses Home
Industrial
0.1 mi
Whitney, David, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Graybar Electric Company Building
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Pontiac's War – Battle of Bloody Run July 31 1763
1763Colonial
0.9 mi
Battle of Bloody Run (Pontiac's War, 1763)
1763Colonial
1 mi
Pontiac's War — Battle of Bloody Run
1763Colonial
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Majestic Theater listed on the National Register?

Majestic Theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 1, 2008.

What type of historic resource is Majestic Theater?

Majestic Theater is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Majestic Theater?

The period of significance for Majestic Theater is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Majestic Theater?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Majestic Theater will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Wayne County

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

Explore WayneCounty ›

More historic places in Michigan

Browse all historic places in Michigan.

View Michiganhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Michigan history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Michiganhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Majestic Theater will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report