Detroit Opera House - Photos

Detroit Opera House

A grand view at the auditorium in Jun 2023

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

At the time of its gala premiere on January 12, 1922, the 4,250-seat theater claimed to be the fifth largest in the world.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Today, the main auditorium seats over 2,700 opera goers

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

The view of the proscenium arch and stage from the balcony.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

The restored elegance of the Detroit Opera House's Great Hall.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Chandelier reflections on the second floor of the Great Hall

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Designed by renowned Detroit architect C. Howard Crane, whose genius for theater design took him to cities around the nation, the building was constructed with superb acoustics and in the style of the grand European opera houses.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Box Seating at its finest. There are 17 boxes in the theater.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Beautiful developed glass and hundreds of rosettes in the ceiling above the box seating area.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Looking up at the auditorium's dome ceiling

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Looking down from above the dome's ceiling

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A look at the balcony section from above the "big oval"

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Roof construction from a time without the support of advanced software

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Roof construction from a time without the support of advanced software

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A peek inside the former projector room

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A peek inside the former projector room

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

The stage and a peek at the incredible rigging used to handle large stage shows.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

The Center of Dance at the Detroit Opera House

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A view at the skyline from the dance floor

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A view at the skyline from the dance floor

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A different view at the Great Hall

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A different view at the Great Hall from the second floor

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A different view at the Great Hall from the second floor

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A view from the 3rd floor

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Elaborate entrance lobby off of Broadway. This lobby wasn't restored until two years after reopening in 1996. The funding to restore wasn't available until after Ford Motor Company issued a grant. The chandelier was stolen during abandonment but Ford provided a beautiful chandelier out of the Ford Museum which is now on a permanent loan to the Opera House.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

Entrance lobby on Madison Ave.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

The Cadillac Cafe at The Detroit Opera House. The light fixtures inside the Cadillac Cafe were saved from a Masonic Temple in Toledo which was demolished shortly after.

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A peek inside one of the star dressing rooms near the stage

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

View at the auditorium from stage

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A view at the Mr. & Mrs Lynn Townsend lobby on the 2nd floor

Photo (©) by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

A view at the auditorium from the stage

Opera House Great Hall during Holiday season

Opera House auditorium filled with people - Dec. 2022

Opera House Grand Hall Chandalier

Another viewpoint for the stunning entrance lobby on Broadway

A view at the auditorium from backstage

A beautiful display of what a theater candy bar used to look like - Photo from July 2023

This is what used to be the gentleman's smoking lounge right under the Grand Staircase. This section of the building was completely under water before the renovation.

The original all-plaster fireplace was completely rebuilt, same with the ceiling beams which are all-plaster too. Today, the room is part of the man's restrooms. Here's a view from the fireplace toward the sitting area with beautiful glass windows.

A view from the Grand Hall into the auditorium

The Theater's history on display

The box office today (on the right) is very similar to the original box office. It's a combination of marble and plaster.

Historic Detroit

Every building in Detroit has a story — we're here to share it

Detroit Opera House - Photos

Detroit Opera House