8952 Grand River Avenue
The Grande Ballroom, Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church
The Grande Ballroom at 8952 Grand River Avenue was designed by Charles N. Agree and opened in 1928. It would operate as a wholesome dancing venue through the 1950s and rebrand under the guidance of Russ Gibb in 1966. Local bands like the MC5, Stooges, Amboy Dukes, SRC, The Frost, and more would make names for themselves on the stage at the Grande, which would host its final show on New Year's Eve in 1972.
The property hosted various businesses after closing, none of which were lasting. It would eventually be abandoned and fall into disrepair. Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church purchased the building on May 5, 2006, for $60,000 with plans to renovate it into a church building. No major renovation work ever happened, and the building fell further into disrepair.
The Friends of the Grande Ballroom was organized in January of 2006 to preserve the history held within the building. Led by Leo Early, author of 'The Grande Ballroom: Detroit's Rock 'n' Roll Palace,' there were efforts to have the structure added to the National Register of Historic Places. For years the church wouldn't cooperate, but after over a decade of action, the Friends of the Grande Ballroom had the structure added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018 with collaboration from Chapel Hill.
In the Fall of 2019, a portion of the roof collapsed and exposed the main staircase and ballroom floor. Leo Early quickly organized a fundraiser and crowdfunded nearly $7,000 to secure the roof. The work completed was temporary and funded by donors.
In 2022, Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church put the Grande Ballroom on the market. As you may recall, they purchased the property for $60,000 in 2006. Their listing price in 2022 was $5,000,000. That's $304.25 per square foot. To put that in perspective, Ford purchased Michigan Central Station from Matty Moroun for $90,000,000, or $180 per square foot. MCS is located in Corktown, one of Detroit's trendiest neighborhoods. The Grande Ballroom is located in Petoskey-Otsego, a neighborhood that hasn't seen as much investment as other areas since the city’s 'resurgence.'
I live within walking distance of the Grande Ballroom and am one of many local residents that donated to the fundraiser to stabilize the property. The price tag feels like a slap in the face, and the structure falls further into disrepair every day.
To add insult to injury, the marketing materials for the sale were placed directly on the mural that graces the front of the building. The art piece was completed in 2018 by Gabe Gault, with funding and inspiration coming from Wayne Kramer, the guitarist from the MC5. For this reason, the mural cannot be added to the city's new mural database due to the marketing.
I genuinely hope that the Grande Ballroom will be saved, but with such a steep price tag and no investment from its current owners, I'm not as hopeful as I once was.
These photos were shot on a walk around the neighborhood on October 9, 2022.
