Overview

One of Detroit's few treasures saved from the wrecking ball by ardent preservationists, Orchestra Hall, the beautifully restored home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, boasts top-notch acoustics and a fascinating history. It opened in 1919 and was the home of the symphony until World War II. The symphony could not afford to stay here, so, from 1941 to 1951, it was called the Paradise Theatre and was an acclaimed venue for such jazz greats as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Count Basie. By 1960, it was abandoned. Benefits and marches saved the hall from destruction, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It took 19 years of painstaking renovations, plagued by funding problems, before the hall reopened in 1989. It's a real historical gem.