Michigan Building
The Michigan Building is a historic Detroit office building that incorporates the surviving structure and interior remains of the former Michigan Theater.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Michigan Building is a 13-story Renaissance Revival office and commercial building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Constructed in 1925 and opened on August 23, 1926, it was designed by the Chicago architectural firm Rapp & Rapp for Detroit philanthropist and theater operator John H. Kunsky. The building originally contained the Michigan Theater, a 4,050-seat movie palace and concert hall that ranked among the largest entertainment venues in Michigan. Kunsky reportedly promoted a capacity of approximately 4,500 seats. The building's exterior is faced with brick and detailed with terra-cotta and granite accents. Its ground floor retains large retail windows framed by decorative metalwork from the original design. The most unusual feature is the vast arched window above the entrance. It is essentially a false window: the former theater lobby is set approximately 40 feet behind it, creating a deep vertical chamber whose curved rear wall was decorated with more than 50 mirrors. The original tall chandelier has disappeared, but later lighting continues to illuminate the five-story space. During its principal theater years, the Michigan hosted films, touring performers, concerts, and live appearances. Artists and acts associated with the venue included bands led by John Philip Sousa, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, and Harry James, as well as performers such as the Marx Brothers, Betty Grable, and Bob Hope. In the 1960s, the venue was also used for closed-circuit broadcasts of Detroit Red Wings hockey games for audiences unable to attend games at nearby Olympia Stadium. During the 1970s it operated as a nightclub and rock concert venue, including appearances by David Bowie and early performances by KISS. The theater ceased operations in 1976 after its final period under the name Michigan Palace. The auditorium was then gutted and converted into a parking garage after office tenants demanded additional parking. Complete removal was not practical because the theater was structurally integrated into the office building. As a result, substantial remnants survive inside the converted space, including the ornate plaster ceiling and grand lobby at approximately the ninth-floor level, portions of the mezzanine, second- and third-balcony foyers, related staircases, and the projection booth. In its current form, the Michigan Building combines office, retail, food-and-beverage, parking, and shared-workspace uses. The building contains a bar, restaurant, retail areas, office accommodation, a parking garage, and Cowork at The Michigan. Its cultural profile has been reinforced by appearances in films and television productions, including 8 Mile, The Island, Street Kings: Motor City, Alex Cross, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Detroit 1-8-7, and Only Lovers Left Alive. The ninth floor was also used for a donut-contest sequence in the third series of The Grand Tour. The property has faced redevelopment and market challenges. In 2014, its then-owner, Bagley Acquisitions Corp., offered it at auction with a minimum bid of $1 million, but the auction received no offers. Despite the theater's conversion and the building's changing commercial uses, the Michigan Building remains a distinctive example of Detroit's historic theater architecture and adaptive reuse.
History
The Michigan Building was developed in downtown Detroit during the city's major early twentieth-century expansion. Construction began in 1925 under the direction of John H. Kunsky, a Detroit philanthropist and movie-theater operator, with design work by Rapp & Rapp. The project combined a high-rise office structure with a large theatrical venue. The building was completed in 1925 and the theater opened on August 23, 1926. Construction of the theater was reported to have cost $5 million, a figure that contemporary and later references place at roughly $62 million in 2008 dollars. The Michigan Theater was designed as a major movie palace and concert hall. It could seat approximately 4,050 people, although Kunsky promoted a larger figure of 4,500. In addition to motion pictures, the theater presented concerts, stage and variety appearances, and touring entertainment. Its historical programming included performances associated with orchestras and bands led by John Philip Sousa, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, and Harry James, along with live appearances by the Marx Brothers, Betty Grable, and Bob Hope. The venue continued to adapt as Detroit's entertainment economy changed. Ownership changed several times during the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1960s, the theater carried closed-circuit television presentations of Red Wings hockey games, giving spectators an alternative way to watch games played at nearby Olympia Stadium. In the 1970s, it operated as a nightclub and concert venue under the name Michigan Palace. Its rock-era programming included a 1974 appearance by David Bowie and early Detroit performances by KISS in 1974 and 1975. The theater closed in 1976. Its closure did not lead to complete demolition because the auditorium and lobby were structurally embedded in the larger office building. Instead, the interior auditorium was stripped and converted into a parking structure. The conversion responded in part to office tenants who threatened to leave unless the property could provide adequate parking. The resulting space is an unusual example of commercial adaptation: vehicles occupy the former auditorium while important architectural fragments remain above and around the garage. Surviving elements include the ornate plaster ceiling and grand lobby at approximately the ninth-floor level, sections of the mezzanine, the second- and third-balcony foyers, their staircases, and the projection booth. The building's monumental entrance composition also remains notable. The large arched window visible from the street is not a conventional exterior window into the lobby; the lobby lies roughly 40 feet behind it. Its curved rear wall, once fitted with more than 50 decorative mirrors, helped reflect chandelier light toward the street. Although the original narrow chandelier is gone, replacement lighting has been installed in the tall chamber. The broader structure remains a 13-story Renaissance Revival building with brick walls and terra-cotta and granite detailing. Its current uses include offices, retail, food-and-beverage businesses, parking, and coworking through Cowork at The Michigan. In 2014, owner Bagley Acquisitions Corp. attempted to sell the property by auction with a minimum requested bid of $1 million, but no offer was received. The Michigan Building has also become a recognizable production location. It appears in or provided locations for films including 8 Mile, The Island, Street Kings: Motor City, Alex Cross, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Only Lovers Left Alive. Several episodes of Detroit 1-8-7 used the building, and the ninth floor hosted a donut-contest sequence in the third series of The Grand Tour. These appearances have helped preserve public awareness of the site as both a surviving theater landmark and a symbol of Detroit's architectural change and reuse.
- 2014
Unsuccessful property auction
[1]Bagley Acquisitions Corp. offers the building at auction with a $1 million minimum requested bid, but receives no offers.
- 1976
The theater closes
[1]The Michigan Palace, the theater's final operating identity, ceases operations.
- 1976
Auditorium converted to parking
[1]The former theater auditorium is gutted and adapted into a parking garage to support office occupancy.
- 1974
Rock concert era
[1]The venue hosts David Bowie and early KISS performances during its nightclub and concert period.
- 1960
Closed-circuit Red Wings broadcasts
[1]During the 1960s, the theater presents closed-circuit television views of Detroit Red Wings hockey games.
- 1926
Michigan Theater opens
[1]The Michigan Theater opens on August 23 with seating for approximately 4,050 patrons.
- 1925
Construction of the Michigan Building begins
[1]The 13-story Renaissance Revival building and its large theater complex are constructed for theater operator and philanthropist John H. Kunsky.
Products and positioning
A historic downtown Detroit commercial property and adaptive-reuse landmark whose office, retail, hospitality, coworking, parking, and entertainment-location functions coexist with major surviving elements of a former movie palace.
Commercial real estate
Office space
The Michigan Building continues to provide office accommodation within its historic downtown Detroit high-rise structure. The office function was important to the post-theater conversion, since the parking adaptation was undertaken to retain office tenants who required additional vehicle capacity.
Historic entertainment space · 1926
Michigan Theater interior remnants
The former theater's surviving architectural components include the ornate plaster ceiling and grand lobby, portions of the mezzanine, second- and third-balcony foyers, staircases, and projection booth. These remnants function as a distinctive heritage and production resource even though the original theater no longer operates.
Parking · 1976
Parking garage
The former theater auditorium was converted into a parking structure after the theater closed. The garage occupies a space that could not simply be demolished because the theater was structurally integrated into the surrounding office building.
Coworking
Cowork at The Michigan
Cowork at The Michigan is a shared coworking facility operating within the building, extending the property's commercial offer beyond conventional offices, retail, hospitality, and parking.
Production location
Film and television location
The building's unusual surviving theater spaces and Detroit architectural character have made it a location for films and television productions, including 8 Mile, The Island, Street Kings: Motor City, Alex Cross, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Detroit 1-8-7, Only Lovers Left Alive, and The Grand Tour.
Brand decisions
2014
Offer the property at auctionOtherBackground
Bagley Acquisitions Corp. sought to sell the Michigan Building and set a minimum requested bid of $1 million.
Action taken
The owner placed the property into an auction process.
Aftermath
No offers were received at the auction.
Minimum requested bid. $1 million (2014 auction)
1976
Convert the former theater auditorium into parkingStrategyBackground
After the theater closed, office tenants sought adequate parking and threatened to leave without it. The theater could not be fully demolished because it was structurally integral to the office building.
Action taken
The auditorium was gutted and repurposed as a parking structure while selected historic interior elements were left intact.
Aftermath
The building retained its office function and gained parking, but the theater ceased to exist as an operating entertainment venue. Its surviving decorative spaces later became an important architectural and filming resource.
Sources2 sources
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