Historic movie palaces / Broadway / Downtown
Broadway-Strand Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1913–1929
A $400,000 silent-era picture palace on Broadway near Gratiot that opened with great fanfare in 1913 and closed in 1929, when talkies and the new Grand Circus Park palaces took over.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1913
- Closed
- 1929
- Architect
- Arland W. Johnson
- Style
- Beaux-Arts, Renaissance Revival
- Seats
- 1600
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Broadway-Strand opened with great fanfare on January 26, 1913: it cost $400,000, had 1,600 seats and was designed by Arland W. Johnson. It was one of downtown Detroit's early silent-era picture palaces, on Broadway near Gratiot Avenue. Universal Pictures' theatre chain ran it in 1926 and 1927. Renamed simply the Broadway, it closed in 1929 as sound films and the new Grand Circus Park palaces took over. It was demolished soon afterward.
- A $400,000 silent-film palace from 1913
- 1,600 seats on Broadway
- Run by Universal Pictures in 1926–27
Plan your visit
The Broadway-Strand was demolished soon after it closed in 1929. For a night out downtown, see the theatres and cinemas in our guide that are still open.
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.
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