(DCH) The Lasky Theatre Traditional Cache
Hidden : 6/29/2015
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

The Detroit Cinema History (DCH) caches are dedicated to the local creation,
viewing, or enjoyment of cinema-related items in the local area.

This can include, and is not limited to, people, places, and things
relating to Cinema or both past-and-present.
This series is a companion to
the Michigan Cinema History (MCH) and
the Ontario Cinema History (OCH) series.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
 Detroit Cinema History:
The Lasky Theatre
13320 Joseph Campau Ave., Detroit, MI 48212
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •



OPENED: 1926 | CLOSED: 1953 | SEATS: 998

One of the streetcars that ran along
Joseph Campau with the Lasky to the right (1951).

The films showing when this photo was taken were
"Jungle Headhunters" and "South of Caliente"
On Sunday, June 20, 1926, a new movie theatre opened on the 13000 block of Joseph Campau in Detroit, just north of the "border" with Hamtramck.  This was the Lasky Theatre, owned and operated by Jacob C. Lasky, his son, Lou Lasky, and then later his son in law, Isadore Berman.

The building itself had been completed in 1911 and featured a facade that was relatively plain and devoid of ornamentation.  Its Art Deco-era design was fitting for the time and this design remained fairly intact and unchanged through the years that the building was here.  The design of the building was interesting as it was built to sell furniture and contain a furniture store and theatre together in one location.  This unique combination made for an unusual business mix, even to this day.

The architect was George D. Mason, who had also designed the Great Lakes Theatre on Grand River and the Gem Theatre in Downtown Detroit. 

The Grand Opening of the Lasky Theatre would wait for a few years, only because the owners wanted to make sure everything was "just right" for this new "palace of the cinema".


  AGeneva-Marr & Colton Organ, currently installed
in the ARCADA THEATRE in St. Charles, Illinois

For the Lasky, a Marr & Colton theater organ would be installed to accompany the silent movies that were being shown at the time.  Nobody wanted to really see a show if there was no sound to accompany the film.  This beautiful organ was a sight to behold on it's own, as most theatre organs are, with their many buttons, switches, and keys to enable the many sounds that a theatre organ can generate.

The theatre finally opened and had seating available or almost a thousand patrons to sit and enjoy a show.  As most theatres of the time were appealing on the exterior, the interior was also very ornate and beautiful with green cove ceilings featuring gold-leaf rosettes. 

The Lasky was also one of the first theatres to feature air-conditioning for its patrons to keep cool inside while enjoying the show during the warmer weather that does come to the southeast Michigan region.  This a/c system was powered by a V8 automobile engine which remained with the building until at least 2003.


The Lasky Theatre - Marquee and facade
(as Furniture Express, early 2000's)

There were "cutouts" in the ceiling as well, which were common with many of the theatres designed and built in this era like the Fox, the State, the Grand Circus as well as the Grande and Vanity Ballrooms.  It's believed that the cutouts were part of the air-conditioning system.

The theatre itself faced south, with the stage at the southeast corner of the complex.  There were windows that were darkened with drapes for daylight performances.

Many folks would go to the Lasky on a Saturday to watch 2 movies and get popcorn and a drink for just a few bits of pocket-change. 

The late 1940's began to see changes to the public's attention towards entertainment and business began to decline for the Lasky Theatre, as it did for many theatres around that time.

According to some sources, the theatre closed between 1949 and 1951 due to being "a victim of the growing popularity of television."


After the building was closed in 2004.

After the theatre closed, the building was remodeled inside, the theatre organ removed, and the furniture store would expand to take up the rest of building for showroom floor and warehouse space.  This remodeling would hide all evidence of there being a theatre here wiht only the marquee from the theatre remaining as unique-signage for Lasky Furniture.  The marquee remained a local landmark that folks would recognize and use for giving directions to people unfamiliar with the area.

Lasky Furniture did well over the next few decades, but declining population in the area forced Lasky to finally stop the retail operations and close the building on Jan 1, 2004.

Decendants of the Lasky family still owned the building when another furniture chain ("Furniture Express") decided to reopen a storefront here.  This was wonderful news for the building and the area as it gave a boost to the local economy with a new store opening in an area that had seen its share of down times.

Before long, however, the new store suffered from the same declining economy that the Lasky Furniture had and eventually closed a couple of years later.


View of the "stage area" of the old theatre, prior to May 2009

The last business to occupy the Lasky Theatre building was a "cold storage" facility which did not have any retail space, only storage for things.

It was while the building was occupied as this storage facility that disaster struck on the weekend of May 9, 2009.

A fire began inside and heavy damage was done to the building and structural supports.  It was such a massive fire that the structure was immediately deemed unsafe to occupy and condemned by the Fire Marshall.  Demolition of this historic building soon began within a few days of the fire, in order to protect the public from a now unsafe building.



What remained of the "stage area" of the original theatre, after the fire in May 2009

Today, what remains is memories, photos, and stories, of a very unique and memorable part of Metro Detroit.

One thing can be said of this historic location, for many folks it is definitely a wonderful and history-filled part of Metro Detroit that has memories that will live on for many years to come.



• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
IF you have any more information or
details on this theatre, please email me
and i will include it in the description.

Thank you.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ernpu sbe Zntargvp

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Attributes

No attributes available

Advertising with Us