La Parisien

Info Updates:

11/21/2012 - Glenn Leclercq

I notice that there are a few people on this site that mention the bowling alley in the area of Middlebelt and Ford Roads. the were two of them. One on the southwest side of the intersection, behind were McDonald's now sets called the 'Kegler House. ' Then the 'Kegler House' was gutted and became a VFW. That too was demolished. The other, north of Ford Road, on the west side of Middlebelt next to Garden City Auto Parts was Silver Lanes. Silver Lanes was gutted and is now 'Albert's on the Alley. ' For those of you with no real memories, 'Garden City Auto Parts' was located in a building that was originally an A&P back in the fifties. How do I know this' you ask? I have lived almost my entire life in the City of Garden City. I am a month from turning sixty three ( 63 ).

8/15/2011 - Ed K.

Me and my late father used to see movies there back in the eighties. We would shop at the nearby K-Mart and then walk across the street. The memories.

4/8/2011 - glenn

In the fifties and early sixties, the place to go was 'The Shafer' in Garden City. It was located on Ford Road, just east of Middlebelt. It cost 35 cents! You could see two or three movies for that 35 cents too. On Saturdays there were some kids that would spend their entire day in that theatre. So, for fifty cents we had a fun filled outing. 35 cents for the show, and 15 cents to spend on candy, popcorn and pop. In the late fifties when I was eight or nine, I remember seeing the 'House of Wax' with Vincent Price. Those were the days when movies seemed actually scary. Sometime in about the early to mid sixties The Shafer' was converted into 'The Lapriesian. ' That is where I saw the movie 'Gold Finger. ' I was fourteen then. In 1969 a couple of buddies and myself parked over at McDonald's and walked over to the 'Lapriesian' to see 'Bob, Carol, Ted, and Alice. ' Those were the days! Thanks for the memories.

5/23/2010 - Xann Foster

I worked at the La Pa 1982-1983. I was in the ticket sales booth and candy sales but, I wanted to learn all the other jobs. I was most interested in usher because I wanted to change the marquee. We also had a restroom attendant also. We did not pop the popcorn on site but had it brought in form another location. I remember manager Michael Ward fondly. I would like to get in touch with him.

7/29/2009 - Patrick Boland

I know I went to La Parisien on a number of occassions, and the last of which may have been to see ''Birdy'' with Nicholas Cage and Matthew Modine (music by Peter Gabriel)...and that was like 1983 I am guessing. So it was open til at least this point in time. I recall it did close shortly thereafter. My insurance agent was on the opposite side of Platos (State Farm)...not sure if he''s still there.

1/14/2007 - Michael Ward

When the Garden City Shafer closed, I wanted to cry....I could ride my bike, and they had Big Saturday Matinees that would keep me all day, and movies changed on Sunday. On Saturday I could be watching The Blob, and on Sunday John Wayne in the Searchers, or a Elvis Film. The theater closed in 1964 to be turned into Michigan's most luxurious theater, featuring Rocking Chair seats, plush carpet, a smoking lounge with a real fire place. The wall paper was all in Gold...and the opening movie was to be "Goldfinger" for the Christmas of 64...but the theater was finished a month ahead of schedule and opened with "Becket" I'll bet Mr. Shafer don't remember that. I got a Job at the theater in August of 1966. We were playing Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" We must of played that movie for 6 months. I even had Richard Burtons line memorized. Later I became Manager at the same theater, when I traded places with Mr. Sweeney. But I will always have memories as a Usher....we were the best...Ed; Greg; Al; Georgette; John; Paula; Maxine. If I missed anyone I'm sorry... Every Friday after work, we would go to the Algiers Drive In.

5/9/2006 - Joe Otlewski

I started going to the Schafer-Garden City Theater in the 1950s. It was located next to the bank (now Orin Jewlers) just west of Middlebelt. The ticket was .35 cents for children and Mr. Schafer seemed to be there all the time. Pop was 5 cents and popcorn was a dime. They didnt have buttered popcorn until late in the 50s. There was a pay phone between the bank and the show and it cost me 5 cents to call for a ride home. On the southwest corner of Middlebelt and Ford Rd was a great hamburger joint that went out of business when they opened this fancy drive thru called McDonalds. One day I noticed the telephone wire was exposed and when I touched it to the phone I got a dial tone. That was 5 cents more for candy. Garden City was a great place to grow up with sidewalks everywhere. We moved there about 1949. Joe

12/17/2004 - Fredrick George Ryan

The La Parisien was built by Walter Shafer somewhere around 1939 and was opened as the Shafer-Garden City. It was the second theater that the Shafer family owned, the other being the Shafer-Wayne. The Shafer-Garden City was remodeled and renamed a short time after the Quo Vadis opened, sometime around 1966. There was a small hotel next door to the theater and above the current location of Platos Coney Island. There was a bowling alley on Middlebelt, just north of Ford Rd. Orin Jewelers was orginally a bank. The Mazzoni family now owns both Orin Jewelers and the former theater. Interesting fact, the La Pa (as it was know by those that worked there) was one of the first theaters in Detroit to have rocking chair seats.

12/9/2004 - Sean Doerr

I have seen another photo on a site that showed the location as the bowling alley located near-by. Can anyone verify?

11/18/2003 - Charles Kanelos

Prior to the major renovation and name change, the La Parisien was known as the Schafer-Garden City Theater. The La Parisien was the areas first luxary indoor theater. The concept probably was the brainstorm of the Schafer family who owned many theaters in this area and presenly own the Ford-Wyoming drive in.

8/7/2003 - Joe Miller

There was an indoor theater in Garden City named La Parisien. It closed in the early 1980s and is now an Army Recruitment office. It was located next to Orin Jewlers at the corner of Middlebelt and Ford Road. As a kid I remember it to be one of the "Fancy" theaters...sort of like the old Mai Kai theater. I dont have any pictures, just memories of the place. I just thought Id let you know because I didnt see it listed on your list of Michigan indoor theaters.

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