Broadway & big houses / Cadillac Square
Gayety Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1912–1958
Forty-six years of nothing but burlesque: the 1,362-seat Gayety on Cadillac Square ran from 1912 to 1958 and became the Detroit home of the Mutual Burlesque circuit in 1929.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1912
- Closed
- 1958
- Architect
- William H. McElfatrick
- Seats
- 1362
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The 1,362-seat Gayety opened on September 15, 1912, on Cadillac Square at Bates Street. New York theatre architect William H. McElfatrick designed it, though it was long wrongly credited to Fuller Claflin. It presented burlesque for its entire 46-year life, run at one point by Frank Bryan and Frank Engel. In December 1929 it became the Detroit home of the Mutual Burlesque circuit, which moved over from the Palace on Monroe Avenue. It closed on April 10, 1958, and was torn down shortly afterward.
- 46 years, all burlesque
- Detroit home of Mutual Burlesque from 1929
- Designed by New York's William H. McElfatrick
Plan your visit
The Gayety was torn down shortly after it closed in 1958. For live theatre downtown today, see the working stages in our guide.
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