Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (movie theater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (Also known as the Quo Vadis or the Penthouse Theater) is a now-shuttered movie theater in Westland, Michigan. It remains closed to the public since its closure in 2002 and the parking lot is occasionally rented out to the carnival or Christmas tree vendors.
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[edit] History
The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center is the fruit of Martin and Charlie Shafer's hard work and determination to build a movie palace. The structure was designed by Minoru Yamasaki (designer of the World Trade Center in New York City). The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center opened in 1966. Its outside features a very Modernistic appearance while its interior (now removed of all decoration and most seats) once featured a very Romanistic design. The Quo Vadis was often regarded as a Movie Palace for its plush environment and cocktail lounge. It was one of the first cinemas to offer cocktail drinks to its patrons and was well known for its "Over 21 Club" cocktail lounge on the second floor. Another unique feature that the Quo Vadis had to offer was that patrons of the "Over 21 Club" could rent headphones and watch movies at the (formerly adjacent) Algiers Drive-In through a "picture window wall". The Algiers Drive-In was demolished in 1985 to make way for a shopping center. [1][2]
[edit] Closure, Present and Future
It was owned by National Amusements from 1986 to the day it closed in 2002. The land is currently owned by a big-box fitness center.[3] Lake Bellaire Properties LLC has been contracted to develope said fitness center on the land.[4]
[edit] Preservation Effort
In late 2007, a group called "The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center Preservation Foundation" (also known as "the Quo Vadis Preservation Foundation", for short) founded by Don W. Gurka & Zachery S. Gizicki, has been created to try to save the theater and preserve/reopen the building with a practical application such as a movie theater, arcade, concert hall, live performing arts theater or a community center. [5] The Westland Observer and The Livonia Observer have posted front page articles upon the Preservation of the Quo Vadis. [6]
