A large claw poked through the stage today of the Eastown Theatre, the once-elegant movie palace and rock venue that crumbled from years of neglect and scrapping.
The city hired a demolition company, Adamo, to tear down the deteriorating building at Van Dyke and Harper, where a strong blue-collar neighborhood began a precipitous decline in the late 1960s and 1970s.
That’s when the stage was graced by The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Cream, Yes, Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf, King Crimson and MC5.
The ornate theater, which opened in 1930, is the last surviving neighborhood movie palace in Detroit, according to HistoricDetroit.org.
Demolition began last week on an adjacent apartment building that had collapsed from a fire.
Today marked the first day that crews began demolishing the theater.
Demolition is expected to continue Tuesday.
Join us on Periscope for live video of the demolition this week.
All photos by Steve Neavling.
Photos: Demolition begins on legendary, crumbling Eastown Theatre added by Steve Neavling on
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Steve Neavling
Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.
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