Jazz in Detroit
In the twenties, the city grew faster than most American cities – Detroit was called “Dynamic Detroit” – due to the rising fortunes of the auto industry, and this created a large demand for recreation, including dancing. Detroit had at least ten ballrooms and most of them were on Jefferson and Woodward Avenues.
Fox Theatre
The Fox Theatre is an ornate performing arts center in the United States, located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, near the Grand Circus Park Historic District. It was built by William Fox and opened in 1928. It was the first movie theatre to have live sound.
The Purple Gang
The Purple Gang hiding their faces.
The Purple Gang was a mob of men who were bootleggers and hijackers. They were led by Abe Bernstein and got their start in the Hasting Street neighborhood known as Paradise Valley in Detroit's Lower East Side. By the 1920's Detroit had become a major port for running and selling alcohol products from Canada during Prohibition. They operated between Detroit and Chicago and would meet behind the Bohm Theatre or in secret places in houses of Albion.