Bonstelle Playhouse Event Venue (Detroit, Michigan)

 theatre, interesting place

3424 Woodward Avenue in Detroit was originally home to the oldest synagogue in Detroit (Temple Beth-El), the theatre is a Beaux Arts Classical, domed structure erected from 1902 to 1903. Detroit architect Albert Kahn designed Temple Beth-El for the Reform Congregation, of which he was a member, and was used by the congregation until 1922.

In 1925, noted theater architect C. Howard Crane remodeled the former synagogue as a theater after Jessie Bonstelle, managing director of the Garrick Theatre, purchased the building. From 1925 to 1932, the building served as the Bonstelle Playhouse and presented programs of musical comedy, drama, and dance. In 1932, the theater became the Mayfair motion picture theater. Wayne State University rented the building in 1951 and purchased it five years later.

Today, this Broadway-style theatre presents the Wayne State University Theatre Department’s undergraduate student productions that feature the department’s aspiring and energetic young stars. It is now operated by Azul Hospitality.

www.bonstelleplayhouse.com/
historicdetroit.org/buildings/bonstelle-theatre
hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015009400931?urlappend=%3Bseq...