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Down with Detroit Rowdies ladies retro ringer style clothing

Junior's Ringer Tee

The 4,038-seat Michigan Theatre was the only theater by famous Chicago architects Rapp & Rapp in the city of Detroit (the Fisher Theatre was a 1960s renovation by the firm). The Michigan was designed in French Renaissance in 1925 for the Kunsky circuit of theaters and cost more than $5 million. It was the third largest theater Rapp & Rapp had designed. The theater was connected to the Bagley Avenue Building (now called the Michigan Building). The theater was extremely detailed, from its auditorium to its four-story lobby, complete with columns, paintings and sculptures imported from Europe. The huge auditorium featured a Wurlitzer organ, side boxes, and stage with orchestra pit. The Michigan opened Aug. 23, 1926, with the film "You'll Never Know Women." Kunsky later sold it to the Paramount-Publix chain, who then sold it to United Detroit Theaters in 1933. By then the Michigan's Wurlitzer organ and live stage were gone, and the theater featured only movies. The Michigan's large, vertical, blade marquee was condemned by the city and later removed in 1952, and was replaced with a less exciting standard marquee. To keep up with the times, a wide screen was installed in 1954, in turn damaging the proscenium arch. The theater's attendance started to decline during the 1960s, and the theater became unprofitable for United Detroit, and it soon closed in 1967. Nicolas George bought the theater and attempted to run it later that year, but it also struggled to keep patrons, and closed three years later, in 1970. The theater was renamed the Michigan Palace in 1973 and converted into a nightclub and concert venue. Many bands performed there, including David Bowie, Aerosmith, Sly and the Family Stone and Kiss, who also did live recordings and album covers at the Palace. The Michigan Palace closed in 1976. Tenants in the adjoining office building needed secure parking, and were threatening to leave for another office building if something was not done. The building owners decided to demolish the theater portion for parking, since it was no longer in use. The theater had to be carved into a parking garage because studies on the building showed it would endanger the soundness of the adjoining office building. Because of this, much of the theater remains today, such as its ticket booth, four-story lobby, proscenium arch, part of the upper balcony, and even the red curtain.