Renowned “movie palace” architect C. Howard Crane designed Detroit’s historic Garden Theater, after he opened his own firm in Detroit in 1908. In addition to the Garden Theater, Crane has 250 theaters to his credit, 62 of which were built in Detroit, like The Majestic, The Fox, Orchestra Hall, the Detroit Opera House, and The Fillmore Detroit. One of the city’s earliest neighborhood theaters, the Garden Theater opened to the public in 1912. With its 900-seat capacity, it was one of the largest theaters built outside downtown; it originally hosted live stage shows and motion pictures. As the name implies, Crane cleverly incorporated vines, birds and other garden-style decorations in its design to immerse patrons in an outdoor-like experience. After decades in ruin, the theater underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration and was rededicated in 2013, a century after its initial debut, as part of Midtown’s vibrant resurgence.
