Paradise Theater
The Paradise Theater venue building was constructed in 1919 as the home for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). After the DSO relocated to Orchestra Hall, the venue was reopened as Paradise Theater under the ownership of brothers Ben and Lou Cohen, but direction of Black businessmen including "Andrew Sneed, Everett Watson, John Roxborough, and Irving Roane" (Nailhead). The Theater thrived in the jazz and rhythm and blues scenes in Detroit. The location regularly hosted Black entertainers and enjoyed a successful yet brief run from 1941 to 1951. The club quickly gained notoriety, and attracted famous artists such as: Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington (Zlatopolsky, 2015). The club became a crucial development hub for jazz, bebop, blues, and other popular music genres. Although it was forced to close in 1951, the musical connections and genre experimentation that took place in the club were significant contributions to the development of popular music and jazz. The venue is once again home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The location and venue is often the source of a contested debate regarding the boundaries of Paradise Valley.
