The National Theater opened in 1910 as an 800 seat vaudeville house in Detroit’s first theater district. Albert Kahn and Ernest Wilby designed the theater in the Baroque-Moorish-Beaux-Arts style. Two minarets topped by gilded domes frame the white terra cotta facade with a large arch in the center. National Theater’s terra cotta tiles were created by the (1) Pewabic Pottery factory. Pewabic Pottery tiles were used in several Detroit buildings with the Guardian Building being the most moteable example.
The National showied movies and functioned as a burlesque house till the name was changed the the Palace Theater in the 1960’s. The theater was closed in 1975. The front exterior still seems to still be in good condition but the inside is a mess due to water damage.
References
(1) Pewabic Pottery Detroit (MI)
www.pewabic.com/
cinematreasures.org/theater/2090
Reference
A59-1 Archive
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Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned heritage theater in Detroit, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit photography, fine art prints, historic Albert Kahn theater in Detroit, historic preservation, historical Detroit theater built in 1910, manual photography, Michigan, modern ruins, National Burlesque Theater Detroit, National Theater Detroit, Pewabic Pottery, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton