The Vanity Ballroom Abandoned in Detroit for 30 Years

00:00 Intro & History // 03:00 Exterior // 03:30 Ground Floor Retail Space // 07:00 The Ballroom // 10:45 The Stage // 14:40 PhotoBook

In this video we briefly discuss the history of the Vanity Ballroom before venturing inside the abandoned & dilapidated structure.

The story of the Vanity Ballroom actually starts at another Detroit venue, the Grande Ballroom.
The Grande was built in 1928 by architect Charles Agree, for a pair of dance hall entrepreneurs named Edward Strata and Edward Davis.
Big bands, jazz and ballroom dancing were very popular, and the Grande was such an immediate success that Mr. Strata and Mr. Davis contracted with Charles Agree again, to build a second ballroom on the city's eastside.
The Vanity was built in 1929, just a year after the Grande was complete.
The architect was a little more flamboyant on this one! Both buildings were two-story structures, with retail shopping spaces on the ground floor and ballrooms on the second floor. The huge dance floors of both ballrooms were constructed of maple and installed with springs, which would compact more & more as couples filled the floor, designed to give people a floating sensation as they danced the night away.
But while the Grande was designed in a Moorish Deco style, Mr. Agree mixed Art Deco with an Aztec theme into the Vanity Ballroom.
It was an incredible scene, and it was incredibly popular...for a while.
But times and pop culture trends change, and in the 1950s, kids just didn't go out dancing to big bands anymore.
Both ballrooms wound up closing down, re-opening, trying to reinvent themselves and survive. The Grande was bought by Russ Gibb and turned into Detroit's hottest night club of the '60s, hosting bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Byrds, Cream, Janis Joplin...
Whereas the Vanity reopened for just one night a week, hosting nostalgic swing dances for older folks who wanted to re-live their youth.
In 1971, a small group of investors bought the Vanity and brought in some rock acts. The Velvet Underground played there, the MC5, the Stooges, Ted Nugent's band played there. But it was nothing like its westside sister the Grande. Throughout the 1980s, the Vanity Ballroom was occasionally rented out for rock & roll birthday parties and raves, but by the early '90s it was completely abandoned.

Huge thanks to @lradiantlyloud296 for coming along on this historic tour!

#abandonednightclub #abandonedconcerthall #detroitmusic

Disclaimer: Pinetop Jackson does not break into buildings.
Every location we document is open with no sings warning against trespassing present at the time of visit. We do not vandalize. While we do respect some of the graffiti encountered, we do not practice this art.
Our goal and our intent is to document these historically significant locations for posterity, and we enter them with respect.
We take nothing but photos (and video!) and leave nothing but footprints.

[cherylatkinson]

Cool footage of the abandoned Vanity Ballroom.

[animoetprudentia]

I played there in 87'. Someone was attempting to get it off the ground again, and somehow we got hired as the opening act. The headliner was a guy named Nigel something. He had major label ambitions and brought a camera crew to record footage for a video.
Very few paying attendees were there if memory serves. The surrounding neighborhood was half decayed and crumbling. The local PD patrol were like "what the hell are you doing here, are you crazy?"
Detroit was in bad shape then.
The venue was stunning inside. I was 19. I'd never seen anything like it, and still really haven't since. From 89 to 91 (and the early 2000's) I played other Detroit staples like St Andrews and such,
but the vanity sorta haunted my memories. I couldn't remember what it was called, or where it was located. It wasn't until the Internet age that I was able to find it, and see pictures of it. I played the majestic in May of 17' and visited the vanity and it's neighborhood. I'm grateful to have experienced it when it was still a functioning venue.

[carlhencsie]

I grew up several blocks away from the Vanity, the door was always locked because the were only open at night. The Cinderella Theater was a few blocks away also on Jefferson.

[SunshineBlonde]

Thank you! Finally was able to see inside my favorite building!

[mikewynne]

Wasn’t it pronounced just Grand and not Grand-eee.

[ianruddoch]

Like the use of the old authentic image's to compliment your video, narration was good and information was accurate too.
Thanks for sharing, Pinetop. 😃