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Historic movie palaces / Washington Boulevard / Grand Circus Park

Fox Washington Theatre

Closed – archive entry · 1913–1928

The forerunner of the Fox Theatre: a red-brick movie house on Washington Boulevard from 1913 to 1928. William Fox took it over, then closed it once his great Woodward palace was on the way.

Quick facts

Opened
1913
Closed
1928
Architect
Frederick T. Barcroft
Style
Renaissance Revival
Seats
1862

02 / The story of this place

Make time for these

The red-brick Washington Theatre opened on July 21, 1913, at Washington Boulevard and Clifford, one of the first theatres built near Grand Circus Park, away from the old Monroe Street district. It was designed by Frederick T. Barcroft, though it was long misattributed to Arland W. Johnson. Guests of the Statler Hotel next door often filled its 1,862 seats. William Fox took it over in 1919 and renamed it the Fox Washington. Once Fox commissioned C. Howard Crane's 5,041-seat palace on Woodward, the old house closed on June 3, 1928, and was demolished soon after.

  • One of the first theatres near Grand Circus Park
  • Filled by guests of the Statler next door
  • The forerunner of the Fox Theatre

Plan your visit

The Fox Washington was demolished soon after it closed in 1928. Its successor, the Fox Theatre on Woodward, is in our guide.

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