Historic movie palaces / Northwest Detroit
Mercury Theatre
Closed – archive entry · 1941–1993
A Streamline Moderne neighborhood house on Schaefer Highway from 1941 to 1993, with astronomical and astrological murals, brass plaques of stars' autographs, and the first 70mm screenings outside downtown Detroit.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1941
- Closed
- 1993
- Architect
- Ted Rogvoy
- Style
- Streamline Moderne
- Seats
- 1500
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Mercury opened on June 11, 1941, with Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve, a Streamline Moderne house by Ted Rogvoy run by Paramount's United Detroit Theaters. Its lobby displayed brass plaques etched with Hollywood stars' autographs, and both lobby and auditorium had modernist murals with astronomical and astrological themes. It was the first theatre outside downtown Detroit to show 70mm, with Porgy and Bess in 1959, and one of the first neighborhood houses to get first-run films. Twinned in 1985 as the Metro Mercury I & II, it was one of the last four neighborhood family cinemas operating in the city in the mid-1980s. It closed in late 1993 and was demolished in 1997.
- Astronomical and astrological murals
- Brass plaques with stars' autographs
- First 70mm screenings outside downtown
Plan your visit
The Mercury was demolished in 1997 and no longer stands on Schaefer Highway. For a movie night, check the working Detroit cinemas in our guide.
Cinemas nearby
Back to cinemas ↗
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