** Thanks to SCook and CITOcacher for the suggestion on this cache **
Detroit Cinema History:
The Norwest Theatre
17630 Grand River Ave - Detroit
OPEN: 1936 | CLOSED: 2000
SEATS: 1366 (1936) - 1100 (2000)
The Norwest Theatre - 1936
The Art Deco style Norwest opened in 1936 and was designed by Hector Payne, who also designed other theatres in the city of Detroit and was owned by a group called "United Detroit Theatres". Payne had also designed the Varsity at 6 mile and Livernois (which opened the same year as the Norwest), The Ramona at 6 mile and Gratiot, and The Alger located at East Warren and East Outer Drive. The Alger is the only one to be designed by Payne that remains in 2013.
When it opened, it was advertised as representing the most modernistic type of neighborhood house possible to build. With exterior design in various colored shades of gleaming brown and mauve Macotta, it presented a striking front face for a theatre of the time.
It also was one of the few theatres in Detroit residential districts with modern air-conditioning equipment and a cooling plant. This allowed it to have comfortable temperatures throughout all four seasons of Metro Detroit weather.
Pre-opening view of the Lobby - 1936
The marquee was octogonal-shaped and flashed with neon-tube signage of the latest design and could be seen for a great distance along Grand River Avenue.
The screen was wide-range and the sound-equipment was the "most-modern" available at the time.
The openening of the Norwest was expected to be the beginning of a great amound of new businesses to the Rosedale Park district of Detroit and add great value to the area. The expectation was fulfilled and the Norwest operated as a valued member of the community and was a draw for many of it's residents for many years after it opened.
The Norwest was within walking-distance for many of the patrons who lived in the area. It was a nice cozy neighborhood theatre with the newest shows to offer and of course the Saturday Matinees which were relatively inexpensive for a day's entertainment.
Younger folks would cut lawns and saving wisely so they could visit the Norwest with their friends. The movie-house with the red velvet seats were a second-home to many, who enjoyed their theatre-treats like chocolate-covered raisins, non-pariels, and licorice along with the popcorn and soda-pop.
1940's view of the Norwest, looking east beyond Southfield Road.
It was a very special place to many for many reasons, and still is to those that remember it. Whether it was the ambiance, the shows that were seen there, or just the entire movie-going experience that was part of the Norwest, those memories have kept the spirit of the Norwest alive and going to this day.
The theatre would change management around the early 1960's and be operated by a group called "Suburban Detroit Theatres".
Robert Sloan was the son of the head of Suburban Detroit Theatres and purchased the Norwest after a remodeling in 1960-61. Once he purchased the theatre, he refered to what the Norwest was showing as "ethnic-themed pictures". These were films that were aimed to appeal to a specific racial group.
In 1978, some of the last double-features to play at the Norwest were "The Devil Times Five" and "Creature from the Black Lake" followed by "Disco Fever" and "Monkey Hu$tle", all of which were aimed at a specific ethnic or racial group.
1976 film "Monkey Hu$tle" poster
Even though these features catered to much of the clientele that was now patronizing the Norwest, increasing crime and gang activity in the area (including spray-painted tags on the outside of the building) kept jittery moviegoers away and business declined evern more.
As more entertainment sources began appearing in the form of home video and cable-tv, times changed and many small businesses were forced to make some very hard decisions about what they offered vs. what their expenses were.
Sloan had operated several Metro Detroit Theatres including the RenCen Theatre (Downtown Detroit), The Abbey (Madison Heights), Beacon East (Harper Woods), The Maple (Birmingham) as well as the Mercury Theatre at 6-mile and Schaefer in Detroit.
In early 1979, Sloan made the difficult decision to close the Norwest because of declining ticket sales. The reaction from the local businesses and residents was not well-received as the Norwest was a community-staple and those same businesses and residents along with some local churches protested the closing.
These protests lasted about three-months and because of this, Robert Sloan decided to re-open the Norwest as a "Second-Run" theatre instead and charge admission of $1 for a show. This was slightly less than the $1.25 or $1.50 that the similar-sized theatres around in both the City as well as Suburbs were charging for the same shows.
1983 front view of the Norwest Theatre
"American Gigilo" and "Breathless" were both playing.
Unfortunately, patrons were still not flocking-back to the Norwest, despite all of the protests that had taken place while it was closed.
The 1,400-seat theatre was only serving an average of 400 patrons per day, which was far-below what the expectaion was in order to keep the business running effectively, but business was steady at the Norwest.
The mid-1980's brought a remodeling to the Norwest in that it would be divided from a single-screen theatre to a "twin" and be able to offer twice the entertainment for the patrons who would come.
1985 night view of the front of the Norwest after it was "twinned"
This remodel did reduce the seating capacity from 1,400 to 1,100 and the business-plan was that this change would draw more patrons to the theatre and give more entertainment for the money to the customers.
The advertising budget for the Norwest was as big as any other major movie theatre and the patrons kept coming in on a steady basis, but there were still issues with the neighborhood as well as the parking for those patrons, which was usually behind the bulding and those patrons would have to walk about a block to get to the theatre.
Business would decline for the next decade-plus because of the emergence of other entertainment sources such as multi-screen theatres, home-video and the internet, and this would not be good to try to keep the ailing theatre open.
Front of the Norwest Theatre - Early 2000's after it closed.
In 1997, the theatre was the center of a lawsuit because of rules stating that it had banned children under 6 years of age from attending any evening shows. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission ruled in favor of the parents who sued, however a Wayne County Circuit Court judge ruled that the theatre was within its rights to have this restriction.
The parking was dark and tucked-away behind the theatre and many of the businesses began to take steps to increase security including installing razor wire and plexiglass. Patrons that did attend began to express fears to the theatre staff about coming and going to their cars. Employees began keeping the doors locked during business hours, allowing patrons in only after they knocked. The management refused to install metal detectors as some of the other nearby theatres (both city and suburb) had done in their facilities due to some violent incidents.
This led to further decline in attendance and the end was not far-off for the Norwest. The movies would change, the patrons would visit, but the eventual end would come in the form of the closing of the Norwest in 2000.
And yet another view of the front, 2003
The building remained and there was talk of possibly re-opening this westside neighborhood gem once again, but the same-level of protests that had brought it back before from closing just weren't there this time and the theatre was shuttered for the final time, never to reopen again.
The Detroit News reported on July 15, 2004 that the Norwest would be demolished to make room for a fast-food restaurant. Area residents had asked to revisit the Norwest prior to its demolition, but those requests were declined due to "mold and smoke" inside the building since it had not been maintained for a few years prior.
Inside view of one of theAuditoriums, prior to demolition.
The demolition was expected to take approximately three-weeks due to the design and construction methods used when it was built in the 1930's that was a testament to it's durability and expectation that it would be around for a very long time.
The demolition began, with workers wearing hazmat suits because of the mold and contaminants inside. There was nearly 7-feet of water in the basement of the building that had to be pumped-out before the process got too far along.
During the demolition, one resident comments, “You used to be able to walk to get your groceries and walk for a movie. But every piece of good is being torn down for fast food and strip malls. It’s just disappointing.”
Half-gone (2004)
The demolition was completed on August 26, 2004 and construction began on the fast-food business shortly thereafter.
Thousands of old theatres around the country have closed, become new businesses, or even just been demolished, leaving vacant-land where once-magnificant houses of the imagination once-stood.
At least the memories and photos of these places remain and will for years to come.
The end... of the Norwest
Those that remember the Norwest do so with warm memories and fondness that will live-on for a long time to come.
The Norwest Theatre was a wonderful part of Metro Detroit...and was a beautiful sight to behold in its day.
This is what makes it part of Detroit Cinema History.
IF you have any more information or details on this theatre,
please email me and i will include it in the description.
Thank you.
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