Detroit Opera House

Detroit Opera House is an opera house on Broadway Street in Detroit, United States, with a Renaissance facade and a large auditorium distributed across multiple levels. Inside, marble columns run through the foyers and gilded details decorate the walls and ceilings above the seating rows.

The building opened in 1922 as Capitol Theatre and was among the grand movie palaces architect C. Howard Crane designed around Grand Circus Park at that time. After decades of shifting uses, it was restored in the mid-1990s and converted into an opera venue.

The building carries its current name since reopening as home to Michigan Opera Theatre, which stages classic and contemporary productions for a broad audience. Beyond operatic performances, the stage hosts ballet evenings and concerts that make the building a living center for performing arts in the city.

Guided tours through the house last just under an hour and can be booked in advance online, with adults paying ten dollars and students eight dollars. Visitors reach the entrance via Broadway Street and should arrive a bit earlier for evening events to find their way through the foyers.

During the restoration in the mid-1990s, the organizers installed modern lighting and sound systems behind the historic walls without removing the original stucco and paintwork from 1922. This combination now allows contemporary productions in a space that preserves the atmosphere of the early cinema era.

Location: Detroit

Inception: January 22, 1922

Official opening: January 22, 1922

Capacity: 2700

Address: 1526 Broadway, Detroit, MI 48201

Website: https://michiganopera.org

GPS coordinates: 42.33640,-83.04860

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:31