1961 : Detroit’s Fisher Theater Opens as Live Theater Venue

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When:
October 2, 2021 all-day
2021-10-02T00:00:00-04:00
2021-10-03T00:00:00-04:00

Fisher Theatre

venue exterior

Detroit’s Fisher Theatre, previously a vaudeville and movie palace, opened as a venue for live theater performances on Oct. 2, 1961.

The Albert Kahn-designed building — the largest marble-exterior building in the world, with 325,000 square feet, and the first building on the planet to boast an attached garage — opened in 1928 and could seat 3,500 people. It bears the name of its funders, the Fisher brothers.

It was shuttered at the end of 1930 and spent the next three decades as a movie house. In 1961, Nederlander Theatrical took over management and redecorated it as part of a $3.5-million overhaul to transform it into a venue for top-notch musicals and plays. The seating was reduced to 2,089.

For the full article, see Zlati Meyer, “This week in Michigan history: Detroit’s Fisher Theatre opens for live performances”, Detroit Free Press, September 29, 2013.

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