Fox Theater Marquee gets a high tech upgrade with new LED signage and neon lit Griffins

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) – Olympia Entertainment held a behind-the-scenes look at several of the large new elements set to be installed as part of the renovation of the marquee at the historic Fox Theatre. The new signs were built by Fairmont Sign Company in Detroit (3750 East Outer Drive).

Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings Inc., said in a news release, “We’re excited to renovate this important community icon as so many other exciting developments are taking place throughout Detroit and its main street, Woodward Avenue.”

The sneak peek allowed Tell Us Detroit to see one of the new LED reader boards, measuring 8.4 feet high by 20.4 feet wide, designed to provide content zoning to show one large image or multiple windows for any combination of show information, graphics or sponsorship messaging. Also on display was the 14-foot Griffins equipped with custom-made neon lighting, along with the large neon lit “Fox” sign measuring 81 feet tall.

The LED reader boards, standing at approximately 8 feet high by 20 feet wide, will be anchored on both sides of the horizontal canopy. "The colors are going to be vibrant. The neon is going to be vibrant. Everything about it is going to be new, state-of-the art, and vibrant," said Roger Briddick, project manager at Detroit-based Fairmont Sign.


Photo by HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit

Everything will be new on the marquee, but the only thing that will be notably different to passersby will be the LED-lit reader boards to advertise current and upcoming shows. They will no longer require the letter-by-letter placement of shows and times. The new digital message boards will allow photos to advertise upcoming shows and intricate light displays, Briddick said.

The renovation began in June with the removal of the existing marquee, which has hung above the Fox Theatre since 1988. Plans for the new marquee include two LED reader boards, new animation Griffins on top of the marquee allowing the venue’s guardians to flap their wings along with improvements to audio and the structural foundation of the marquee.

The large pieces are set to be installed on the front of the Fox Theatre around the third week in July and to be fully operational by the beginning of August.

In 1988 the theater was acquired by the current owners, Mike and Marian Ilitch, who fully restored the Fox at a cost of $12 million. Their company, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., is headquartered in the Fox Theater Office Building. The downtown area near Grand Circus Park which encompasses Fox Theatre is sometimes referred to as Foxtown after the theater.

Detroit’s Fox Theatre was originally billed as “the most magnificent Temple of Amusement in the World.” Ever since its opening night in 1928, audiences have been awed by the venue’s grandeur and colossal expanses. The imposing ten story structure was was designed by C. Howard Crane and was built as part of the theater empire of film mogul William Fox. The upgrades to the marquee are just another piece put in place in the development of the new "District Detroit".