On Saturday, Detroit celebrated the grand reopening of its historic bandshell — saved from demolition and relocated from the former Michigan State Fairgrounds across Woodward Avenue to Palmer Park — with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a sunny afternoon jazz concert.
The stage had hosted dozens of notable acts since it first opened in 1938, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Johnny Cash, Bob Seger, the Who, Alice Cooper, the Stooges, MC5, and many others. But it closed after the final Michigan State Fair was held in Detroit in 2009 due to funding cuts, and its fate seemed sealed when it was slated for demolition after retail giant Amazon purchased the site in 2020 to construct a $400 million distribution center.
A community organization named the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition advocated for the bandshell to be saved, as did an open letter published by Metro Times. A change.org petition to save the bandshell garnered more than 60,000 signatures.
After the backlash, Amazon said it was “working closely with the developer to assess every possibility to try to preserve the structure,” and in his 2021 State of the City address Mayor Mike Duggan announced the bandshell would be saved.
“There’s a lot of emotion,” Duggan said. “I saw concerts at this bandshell. A lot of folks remember this, and they said, ‘Can’t we do something about the history of the Fairgrounds?’”
LaJuan Counts, the City of Detroit’s Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations, tells Metro Times that “to be able to preserve that portion of the city’s history, that resonated with the administration.”
She says the structure was deconstructed and placed in storage while the city looked for a new home. “In the beginning, there was some question about where exactly it would go,” Counts says. “A couple of locations, a couple of different parks had kind of been batted around. But from the beginning, Palmer Park had always kind of been where they felt it should have landed.” A site was selected in the northwest section of the park, one of the largest in Detroit.
When it came time to reconstruct the bandshell, the city determined that much of its exterior was too deteriorated to save — so a smaller version of the bandshell was made using salvaged material based on the original design, a series of white concentric arches. “I remember as a kid — of course, everything seems bigger when you’re a kid,” Counts says. “I would say it was probably at least three quarters bigger.” The original structure’s wooden trusses can be seen in the redesign, showcased behind windows set along the outermost ring.
“The previous structure was not really in the best of shape,” Counts says. “So, we salvaged those trusses to be able to build the new [bandshell].”
The reconstruction was made possible by $3.5 million from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act. In addition to the bandshell, the funds were also used in the construction of a backstage area, public restrooms, landscaping, and about 60 new parking spots.
On Saturday, the restored bandshell hosted its first concert with a performance by saxophonist Marcus Elliot as part of his “Sounds From The Park” series, which features compositions inspired by and performed in Detroit’s parks. The theme of the concert was “Legacy & Mentorship,” with Elliot joined by Marion Hayden and Jaribu Shahid on bass, Gayelynn McKinney and Sean Dobbins on drums, and Roger Jones on piano.
Beyond the restored structure, Counts says there are other improvements to what is now known as the Palmer Park Bandshell.
Previously, the bandshell was generally only utilized during the days that the Michigan State Fair was open. “Now we’re able to have events well throughout the summer and the fall,” Counts says. “If somebody decides they want to do something, some kind of fireside concert, you could do that as well.”
The people who fought for the bandshell to be saved declared its grand reopening to be a victory.
“The rebirth of the historic bandshell in Palmer Park is cause for great celebration by music fans in Detroit, Southeast Michigan and beyond,” the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition said in a statement. “This historic day was not guaranteed. Had the venerated Bandshell’s future been left up to the city’s decision makers, we wouldn’t be here today.”
The group added, “Ordinary people can be catalysts for extraordinary change, as we witness today in the beautiful respirated Bandshell.”
Information about booking events at the bandshell is available at tinyurl.com/thebandshell.
This article was updated with additional information from the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition.
