TAKE A SEAT: The historic Fox Theatre in Detroit recently debuted new seats and a new wayfinding system, reopening after 12 weeks of work over the summer. (Courtesy 313 Presents)
Detroit’s Fox Theatre is sitting a little differently with patrons these days.
Or, rather, they’re sitting a little differently at the historic 5,000-seat venue in the city’s downtown entertainment district.
Fox owner Ilitch Sports and Entertainment has replaced all of the seats in the theater and modernized the facility’s wayfinding system. The move took place over the summer, when the Fox was closed for 12 weeks, reopening with a Sturgill Simpson concert on Sept. 28.
Officials with 313 Presents, which produces and promotes events at the Fox, would not disclose project costs.
Sources in the seating industry estimated the investment could run as high as $3.5 million, including installment, given Irwin Seating Co. input in producing the seats retained the same vintage look and feel of the old seats.
“It was time to take this step,” said Howard Handler, president of 313 Presents. “It’s a bold move, but there is a philosophy of continued investment and maintaining a standard of excellence, especially with the Fox. This is the crown jewel, the premier stage for these unforgettable experiences.”
The Fox, with its elaborate Byzantine detailing, opened in 1928 as one of the era’s grand movie and entertainment palaces. It operated throughout the decades, but fell into disrepair until it was purchased by Ilitch Holdings, which reopened the Fox during late 1988 after a $12 million restoration. It’s the second largest proscenium theater in the country, behind New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
The seats that were removed over the past summer were part of that project.
Irwin Seating looked to replicate the red crushed velvet look of the Fox’s original seats. (Courtesy 313 Presents)
The new Fox seats replicate the red crushed velvet look of the previous seats, but with upgraded fabrics embedded with the original Fox Theatre logo. Seat number tags have been moved from the armrests to the bottom of each seat, while cup holders have been installed on the seat backs.
Seats on the end of each row now feature illuminated row letters and the Fox has instituted a new portal-style entry system similar to that at the arena to help guide patrons to their seats.
“All this makes for a smoother, more efficient and enjoyable experience,” Handler said. “It’s clear how to find your seats, and there’s a connection between the Fox and Little Caesars Arena (another Ilitch Sports venue). If you are a regular patron at the Fox Theatre, you’re going to walk in and go, ‘Wow, look at that!’ But this is what we’ve come to expect in a venue like that.”
Ilitch Sports has donated 2,000 of the old seats to local nonprofits and is auctioning others to benefit Detroit area charities. Custom jewelry firm Rebel Now will be making specialized items using materials from the seats.
The Fox has a full slate of concerts and other productions on its schedule in the coming months, including a recording of NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” performances by comics Jim Gaffigan and Kevin Hart, and holiday productions such as Cirque du Soleil’s “‘Twas the Night Before…”
