Alger Theater Meets Funding Goal, Will Receive $25K Grant

The Alger Theater's Patronicity crowd-funding campaign reached its $25K goal late last week, making the historic theater eligible for an additional $25K grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Friends of the Alger Theater, the group overseeing both the campaign and the restoration of the 80-year-old streamline moderne building want to add a rooftop deck and rehab the theater's interior.

When the Alger opened in 1935 under the direction of local impresario George Washington Trendle, its luxurious amenities—air conditioning, projection—wowed Detroit audiences.

When the Patronicity campaign ended on Sept 30, the group had raised $25,910—nearly a thousand dollars more than their target. Recently, Model D featured the theater and its patrons' struggles to bring it back into service. Kyle Hacias, a Friends of the Alger Theater board member told Model D that the theater's renovation might cost as much as $1.5 million, but that the theater has new allies, including a major donor in the Lear Corporation.

On Friday Oct 30, Friends of the Alger will host its annual Halloween party. If you want a chance to check out this great old theater in person, tickets to the party are $10, and the organizers are planning a fun evening, complete with a costume contest. All ticket sales benefit the theater.

·Alger Theater Screens its First Film in 30 Years [Metro Times]
·The Alger Theater: Restoring a Community Hub [Patronicity]
·Friends of the Alger Theater [Facebook]
·The Alger Theater [Friends of the Alger Theater]
·Alger Theater Seeks Public Support for Restoration
[Curbed Detroit]
·What it takes to save a neighborhood theater on Detroit's east side [Model D]