The Riviera Theatre, circa 1970
The Grand Riviera Theater was a movie palace theater located at 9222 Grand River Avenue in western Detroit, Michigan. It took its name from Grand River Avenue and was built in 1925. At the time, it was one of the highest-cost facilities to complete, coming in at over a whopping one million dollars.
Theatres had patrons, and the expectation was those patrons would need somewhere to park their vehicles. Most folks did not travel by horse much any more and the automobile was the way to travel from faraway places to a destination. The Grand Riviera theatre, was definitely a beautiful destination indeed.
Parking for the Riviera was behind the theatre, and the patrons were invited to park there for free, compared to some entertainment venues that would charge for your "steel steed" to rest while you enjoyed the show.
Free Parking? Lets GO!
(Spoiler alert: This is also the Cache Location)
Parking lots are a key component of American landscapes and histories. While no reasonable preservationist or historian would advocate for saving every parking lot and retaining what are often critically characterized as “seas of asphalt,” there are merits to preserving the elements of the 20th-century built environment that captures part of our nation’s automobile-centered culture and the infrastructure required to support it.
Because of this component, this area was the parking for the Riviera. What once was a needed-space with a sign to guide you to park your vehicle, is the only physical remains here of the once majestic and beautiful Grand Riviera Theatre.
It may not be as architecturally appealing, but historically, it was a part of the theatre just as much as the doors, the screen, or the stage.
For more information on the Theatre itself,
please check out the nearby Geocache page:
"(DCH) The Riviera Theatre"
Enjoy the hunt,
be aware of your surroundings,
and happy caching! :)