Historic movie palaces / 14th Street / LaSalle Gardens
LaSalle Garden Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1920–1954
An auditorium dressed up as a walled garden on 14th Street: the LaSalle Garden showed films from 1920 to 1954, and with nearly 2,000 seats it was one of Christian W. Brandt's biggest Detroit movie houses.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1920
- Closed
- 1954
- Architect
- Christian W. Brandt
- Style
- Garden-themed interior
- Seats
- 1990
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The LaSalle Garden opened on August 29, 1920, with an auditorium decorated as a walled garden, in the manner of C. Howard Crane's earlier Garden Theatre on Woodward. With 1,990 seats it was one of the largest of Christian W. Brandt's many Detroit movie houses. It belonged to Charles W. Munz's group, which Munz sold to Paramount's Publix chain in 1929. It was renamed the Century on March 8, 1930, and operated until 1954. In the 1970s its shell was rebuilt as a car wash.
- An auditorium dressed as a walled garden
- 1,990 seats, one of Brandt's largest
- Renamed the Century in 1930
Plan your visit
The shell became a car wash in the 1970s, and it hasn't shown films since 1954. For a movie night, see the working cinemas 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.
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