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Southeastern Michigan Mid-Michigan |
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The Century Club facility was built in 1903 to house The Twentieth Century Club, a group of Detroit's cultural and civic-minded women of social prominence. In 1927, they added a two-story theatre, now known as the Gem Theatre, to adjoin their Club, and called it The Little Theatre of Detroit. |
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During the years, the building has served as a showcase for sophisticated film screenings, bawdy vaudeville acts and live theatre. In the late 30s and throughout the 40s, the building was known as the Russian Bear Restaurant, featuring an authentic Russian menu and balalaika music. In 1959, The Gem housed a residential professional troupe. When the theatre finally closed in 1978, developer Charles Forbes purchased it, and began a complete restoration of the Gem Theatre in 1990 that was completed in 1991. In 1997, the Gem Theatre was shut down and was faced with extinction in view of the City of Detroit's plan to construct new stadiums in the area. The Forbes family began preparations to relocate the Gem/Century building and preserve this historic structure for a second time.
McDowell & Associates provided environmental and geotechnical consulting services for the proposed new site including the following:
On November 10, 1997, the Gem Theatre successfully completed its five-block journey, breaking the 1986 Guinness Book world record as the heaviest building ever moved on wheels. The Gem reopened at its new location in September 1998, and in April 1999 the Century Club building also reopened with a 200-seat theatre.
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