Bijou Theatre - Detroit MI

Address: 62 Monroe
City: Detroit
State: MI
Zip: 48226
County: Wayne
Open: 1906
Capacity: 314
Owner History: Wesley Schram
Theater Type: Neighborhood House
Number of visits to this page: 5228
Disclaimer:

Please note that location entries may feature older photos or post card views that may not represent the current appearance, features, addresses, phone numbers, or contact names of the attraction. This site is intended to be a historical as well as current record of various attractions but it is not always possible to have up-to-date information due to the vast number of locations featured here. We ask you consult the propietor for current information.

General Information:

Source: Cinema Treasures

The Cent Odeon opened in early 1906, as a nickelodeon, not long after the city's first nickelodeon, just down Monroe, Detroit's first theater row. Designed by the firm of Mildner and Eisen, it could seat just over 300. In 1908, it was renamed the Bijou, and its auditorium moved from the second to the first floor during a remodeling of the interior.

Over the decades, as the city's movie houses moved from Monroe to Grand Circus Park, along Woodward, the Bijou continued to thrive. It graduated to feature films, to sound films, and finally to widescreen films. In 1966, it received another new name, the New Gayety, and in two years, yet another name, the Ciné X, when it switched to pornographic films. The theater closed in the mid-70s, having one of the longest runs of any of the downtown theaters. It has since been demolished.

Info Updates:
12/18/2003 - Box Office Magazine
July 1959 - Robert Wetherell, operator at the just-closed Bijou, will vacation to recuperate from arthritis.
 Photos:2
Bijou Theatre - From George Conte
From George Conte
Bijou Theatre - November 1912 Ad (newer photo)
November 1912 Ad (newer photo)
WaterWinterWonderland.com © 2024 Over 70,991,582 Served