The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (also known as the Quo Vadis or the Penthouse Theater) was a movie theater in

Westland, Michigan Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094. It is the 10th largest city and 12th largest municipality in Mich ...

. Opened in 1966, it closed in 2002 and then remained vacant until it was demolished in 2011. It was noted for its

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

exterior designed by architect

Minoru Yamasaki was an American architect, best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward ...

, as well as for being one of the first cinemas to offer cocktail drinks.

History

The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center was the fruit of Martin and Charlie Shafer's hard work and determination to build a movie palace. The structure was designed by

, who had previously completed the designs for the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

in 1964. The Quo Vadis Entertainment Center opened in 1966. Its exterior is in the

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

style, while its interior made use of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

design motifs. The Quo Vadis was regarded as a " movie palace" for its plush environment and cocktail lounge. It was one of the first cinemas to offer cocktail drinks to its patrons and was well known for its "Over 21 Club" cocktail lounge on the second floor. The Quo Vadis also offered patrons of the "Over 21 Club" headphones to watch movies at the adjacent Algiers Drive-In through a "picture window wall". The Algiers Drive-In was demolished in 1985 to make way for a shopping center. The Quo Vadis theater closed in 2002. National Amusements purchased the property in 1986 and was still the owner as of October 2010. Despite attempts by local groups to preserve the building, demolition began in March 2011 and was completed by June 2011.

References

External links

Cinema Treasures page on the Quo VadisQuo Vadis Demolition Photos and Videos by Michael LavanderCinema Treasures Article on the effort to save the Quo Vadis
{{Minoru Yamasaki Former cinemas in the United States Cinemas and movie theaters in Michigan Theatres completed in 1966 Minoru Yamasaki buildings Demolished buildings and structures in Michigan Buildings and structures demolished in 2011