Historic movie palaces / Grand Circus Park / Downtown
Oriental Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1927–1950
The only atmospheric movie palace ever built in downtown Detroit, opened in 1927 with a Middle Eastern theme, a house orchestra and a Kimball organ. Its crystal chandeliers hang today in the Redford Theatre's lobby.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1927
- Closed
- 1950
- Architect
- Percival R. Pereira
- Style
- Atmospheric, Moorish
- Seats
- 2,950 at opening (later 2,680)
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Oriental opened on September 26, 1927, as the only atmospheric-style movie palace ever built in downtown Detroit, with a Middle Eastern theme, a house orchestra and a three-manual Kimball organ. Percival R. Pereira designed it, his only downtown Detroit theatre, and it opened with 2,950 seats. RKO bought it in 1930 and renamed it the RKO Downtown. In 1933 the management was ordered to pay damages after refusing to seat an African-American couple on the main floor. It became simply the Downtown Theatre in 1936 and closed in 1950 under the H & E Balaban chain. The auditorium was razed three years later, but its crystal chandeliers were rescued and hang today in the lobby of the Redford Theatre.
- Downtown's only atmospheric movie palace
- Middle Eastern theme, house orchestra, Kimball organ
- Its chandeliers now hang in the Redford Theatre
Plan your visit
The Oriental's auditorium was razed in 1953. You can still see its rescued crystal chandeliers in the lobby of the Redford Theatre, which is in our guide.
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