16300 Fort Street (Southgate, Michigan)
| Meijer #123 | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Supercenter |
| Location | 16300 Fort Street Southgate, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°11′20″N 83°11′08″W / 42.188869°N 83.185514°WCoordinates: 42°11′20″N 83°11′08″W / 42.188869°N 83.185514°W |
| Construction started | 1993 |
| Opened | August 30, 1994 |
| Owner | Meijer |
16300 Fort Street has been used as an address for two separate locations on Fort Street in Southgate, Michigan. The building currently using this address houses Meijer 123.
History[edit | edit source]
Fort Drive-In Theatre (1950–1990)[edit | edit source]
| Fort Drive-In Theatre (1950–1958) Fort George Drive-In Theatre (1958–1984) Fort Drive-In Theatre (1984–1990) | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Drive-in theater |
| Location | 16300 Fort Street Southgate, Michigan |
| Construction started | 1950 |
| Opening | May 4, 1950 |
| Closed | September 3, 1990 |
| Demolished | 1991 |
| Owner | Nicholas George Theatres (1958–1984) |
The Fort Drive-In Theatre opened on May 4, 1950, as the second drive-in theater in what was then Ecorse Township, just outside of Wyandotte's city limits, with a showing of the 1949 comedy musical Love Happy, the final film to star the Marx Brothers.[1] The venue originally had a capacity of 1,200 cars.[2]
In 1958, the theater was acquired by Nicholas George Theatres and was renamed the Fort George Drive-In Theatre. During that same year, the area in which the theater was situated was incorporated as the city of Southgate. Nicholas George Theatres opened the Southgate Theatre indoor theater next to the drive-in theater in 1969, and the two cinemas began splitting film product. A major renovation in 1977 added 100 new spaces for a total capacity of 1,300 cars.[2]
At the beginning of the 1984 season, the theater was sold by Nicholas George Theatres to an unknown owner and reverted to it's original Fort Drive-In Theatre name, though it was still advertised as the Fort George Drive-In Theatre.
The Fort Drive-In Theatre ended the 1990 season without fanfare on September 3, with showings of Pump Up the Volume and Navy SEALs.[3] The theater had planned to reopen for the 1991 season, but a March windstorm severely damaged the screen beyond repair, forcing the venue to permanently close.[4][2]
Meijer #123 (1990–present)[edit | edit source]
Around 1990, Walker-based supercenter chain Meijer began considering opening a store in Southgate, and was planning to erect the store on the site of the then-abandoned E.J. Korvette shopping center across the street. Following the Fort Drive-In Theatre's screen damage, the city of Southgate persuaded Meijer to instead build their store on the site of the drive-in and the neighboring AMC Southgate 4 theater. However, this plan was initially met with heavy backlash from residents, some of whom even used profanity against City Council members.[5]
Despite the opposition, Meijer proceeded to purchase the Fort Drive-In Theatre and AMC Southgate 4 Theatres properties in December 1991. After the Southgate 4 building was demolished in 1993, construction of the Meijer store began.
The Meijer store, store #123, opened on August 30, 1994.[6] The store was the first Meijer in Michigan to incorporate a "Food Fair" section consisting of three specialty restaurants, each serving Chinese, pizza, and hamburgers, and two expanded cafe areas, a concept that Meijer had already been offering in it's first stores in Indiana, which opened earlier in 1994.[7]
Huntington Bank took over the bank alcove space on July 20, 2015.[8]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Advertisement, Detroit Free Press, May 4, 1950, page 22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Fort George Drive-In", cinematreasures.org.
- ↑ Movie Guide, Detroit Free Press, September 3, 1990, page 26.
- ↑ "Fort George Drive-In Theatre", waterwinterwonderland.com.
- ↑ Lewis, Kelly. "City Council asks Southgate to watch its mouth", Detroit Free Press, September 19, 1991, page 2B.
- ↑ Cecilia, Deck. "Supermarket sweepstakes", Detroit Free Press, August 30, 1994, page 1E.
- ↑ "Meijer", Detroit Free Press, August 14, 1994, page 2D.
- ↑ The Huntington National Bank, Southgate Fort Street Meijer Branch, 16300 Fort St, Wayne County, Southgate, Michigan MI, 48195, theusbanks.com.