National Theater, Detroit

More from the no beauty without danger and perfectly respectable adults behaving extraordinarily badly files: this weekend was host to an impromptu burnlab urban exploration expedition to the National Theater. Uncharacteristic of this group, *every* reasonable rule set up to help ensure the safety of life, limb and overall health of said explorers was broken. (don't ask.) Aside from one hell of a bruise, we all escaped unscathed and with some fine photos and ephemera!

The lone survivor of Detroit's original Theater District, the neo-baroque/art-nouveau National Theater was Designed by Albert Kahn and opened September 16, 1911. Its facade is rich with terra-cotta Pewabic tiles and although tattered to shreds, the original red velvet curtain still hangs above the splintered stage. The National began with silent films, vaudeville and burlesque acts and finished with adult films, finally closing its doors under the name of the Palace in 1975. The last assessment in 2002 values the theater at $616,600.00 and increasing every year. Quite a bargain!







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