8.29.07Will Ilitch Holdings take over Masonic?
Company has had talks, but there's no deal yet
BY MARTIN F. KOHN
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Ilitch Holdings, which owns the Tigers, Red Wings, Fox Theatre, Motor City Casino and chunks of undeveloped Detroit real estate, has an eye on the landmark Masonic Temple. "We have had conversations but there's nothing imminent," Ilitch spokeswoman Karen Cullen said, responding to reports that a deal is near. "There is nothing finalized or signed."
Phone calls to Masonic Temple Association president William Betz were not returned Tuesday afternoon. The Masonic Temple Association owns the building, noted for its 4,444-seat Masonic Temple Theatre. The building also houses the 1,500-seat Scottish Rite Theatre.
Reportedly, Ilitch Holdings is looking at a long-term agreement to operate, but not buy, the building and its theaters.
As an entertainment venue Masonic Temple Theatre has great potential, given the right show. When the Nederlander Co. brought in the musical "Wicked" to Masonic from May 31, 2006, to June 18, 2006, it sold more than $1.6 million in tickets a week, outgrossing any show on Broadway or on tour.
But how many such shows are there? "There's no shortage of venues. There's plenty of shortage of product. There are only so many shows the market can support," says Alan Lichtenstein, executive director of Nederlander Co. LLC in Detroit, the firm that brings touring Broadway shows to the Fisher Theatre and, until last year, to Masonic.
For shows and concerts Masonic would compete, just in Detroit, with the Fisher, the Fillmore Detroit (the new name of the State Theatre), the Detroit Opera House and the Ilitches' own Fox Theatre.
"Wicked" was the last show the Nederlanders produced at Masonic. The company's main Detroit venue is the Fisher Theatre. From this year on the firm also has a deal to bring shows to the Detroit Opera House, including "The Lion King" in November and the eventual return of "Wicked."
"What else is there to go into Masonic? I don't know," says Lichtenstein. "The issue is what it costs to operate the building. Can the revenue of the theater pay the cost of the entire building? It's not an office building; it's not a residential building. ... It's unique. It's a big clubhouse."
Nearly all of the Masonic organizations once headquartered there have moved to the suburbs, he notes.
Lichtenstein's office is in Masonic's basement, but he plans to move to the Fisher.
Contact MARTIN F. KOHN at 313-222-6517 or mkohn@freepress.com
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