Historic movie palaces / Monroe Street theatre district
Liberty Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1913–1926
A movie house carved out of an 1871 Presbyterian church in the Monroe Street district, complete with a steep church gable and a pipe organ in the high rear gallery. It showed silent films from 1913 to 1926.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1913
- Closed
- 1926
- Architect
- C. Howard Crane (conversion)
- Seats
- 700+
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Liberty was carved out of the 1871 Central (Scotch) Presbyterian Church at Bates and Farmer, which is why it kept a steep church gable and housed its pipe organ in the high rear gallery. C. Howard Crane converted it for John Kunsky's chain for about $50,000, the second of his three theatres in the old Monroe Street district. It opened on September 15, 1913, with more than 700 seats and screened silent films next door to Kunsky's Theatre Royale. It closed in 1926, around the arrival of sound films, and was demolished.
- Carved out of an 1871 church
- A pipe organ in the high rear gallery
- Converted by C. Howard Crane for Kunsky
Plan your visit
The Liberty closed in 1926 and was demolished. For a movie or a show downtown today, see the working venues in our guide.
Cinemas nearby
Back to cinemas ↗
Multiplexes / Detroit
Bel Air Luxury Cinema
The only first-run multiplex inside Detroit's city limits: ten screens on East Eight Mile with luxury rockers, recliners and a giant custom chandelier. No need to drive out to the suburbs for the new releases.
IMAX & giant screens / Detroit
Michigan Science Center – Immersive Dome Theater
Midtown's science museum runs three screens: the giant Immersive Dome Theater, the Penske Planetarium and the 3D Toyota Engineering Theater. The museum calls the dome the largest theatre in Michigan.
Film festivals / Detroit
Detroit Black Film Festival
Independent films directed, written or produced by Black filmmakers, at a Detroit festival Lazar and Marshalle Favors started in 2020. The 7th edition in September 2026 screens 89 films from 30 countries, with the Charles H. Wright Museum as its hub.