The Gem Theatre in Detroit, pictured above, can entertain up to 300 guests.

Painstakingly restored to its original
glory in 1988 by the flitch family, the
Fox offers couples a variety of wed-
ding packages, some making use of the
5,000-square-foot Grand Lobby and oth-
ers allowing couples to wed and dine on
the Fox Theatre stage, beneath the domed
ceiling. The theater can accommodate up
to 800 guests. (313) 471-3333; olym.pi-
aentertainment.com .

THE GEM & CENTURY THEATRES

In 1903, the Century Club set a historic
precedent, holding Detroit's first building
permit issued in a woman's name. The
club was commissioned by the Twentieth
Century Association, a group of philan-
thropic women; and four years later, the
club added an adjoining building, the
Little Theatre of Detroit — which opened
with the first foreign film shown in De-
troit, Cyrano De Bergerac.
Since the Depression, the building
changed names and purposes several
times, until 1997, when developer Charles
Forbes saved the structure by moving it
five blocks. Using photos of the original
design, the Century Club structure was re-
stored to its original Arts and Crafts style,
while also preserving artifacts from sev-
eral demolished downtown buildings —
including leaded glass and stained-glass
windows and a limestone balustrade from
the YWCA and Pewabic tiles reclaimed
from the YWCA pool.

Charming and intimate, the Gem &
Century Theatres have presented record-
breaking shows, including Shear Madness
and Forever Plaid. The Gem Theatre can
accommodate up to 300 guests by join-
ing with the attached Century Grill, and
the Century Theatre holds 200 beneath
its ceiling of gilded frescoes and vintage
chandeliers.
In spring and summer, serve cocktails
on the wraparound garden patio sur-
rounding the rose garden. (313) 463-
4215; gemtheatre.com .

MAX M. FISHER MUSIC CENTER

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra
entered a new era in 2003, when "the
Max" became its new home. The elegant
and modern performing arts facility also
houses a four-story atrium, multiple lob-
bies, reception areas, dressing rooms, re-
hearsal space, the Music Box (an intimate
performance venue) and, of course, the
spectacularly renovated Orchestra Hall.
An acoustical legend of its time,
Orchestra Hall was designed by Detroit
architect C. Howard Crane and built in
1919, taking just four months to complete.
By 1970, however, the once-grand perfor-
mance space faced the wrecking ball, only
being saved through a series of marches
and sidewalk benefit performances.
The structure underwent a multimillion
dollar restoration, using Crane's original
notes and sketches as guidelines; the DSO

moved back into its restored home in
1989.
Most areas of the 135,000-square-foot
music center are available for you and
your guests to enjoy, accommodating up
to 500 people strolling and 350 seated.
(313) 576-5050; detroitsyrriphony.org.

MOCAD

Gaining a solid reputation among the
hip intelligentsia for "throwing the best
parties around town," the Museum of
Contemporary Art Detroit opened in
2006. Its avant-garde trappings can help
set the stage for quite a soiree.
Housed in a former auto dealership,

the cavernous 22,000-square-foot space
(holding up to 250 guests) is deliber-
ately sparse and industrial, with concrete
floors, cinderblock walls and a raw, urban
mood — a textured blank-slate backdrop
for you to shape.
Couples can embrace the unpolished
space with minimal changes or decorate
to their hearts' content; either way, ask
how to best use the hundreds of enormous
paper lanterns the museum has available
for rent. Note: The museum closes three
times a year for exhibition installations;
rental availability revolves around the
exhibition schedule. (313) 832-6622;
mocadetroit.org .

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAD), in Detroit, can accommodate up to 250 guests.

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RED MEAD I February 2011 21