Paul could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday morning.
Last year he said the expansion would mark the first new theater of size built in Detroit in decades. The new concert venue would expand the demographic Music Hall serves, he said, building on its mission of bringing different communities in Detroit together by presenting every conceivable genre, from Bollywood, contemporary ballet, hip hop and Broadway to Johnny Mathis and family theater.
Paul said at the time he expected Music Hall to launch a fundraising campaign in fall 2022 to support the undisclosed cost.
The historic venue opened its doors in 1928 for live performances after its founding by Matilda Dodge Wilson originally as the Wilson Theatre. It hosted renowned musicians including Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday before shifting for a time to a movie theater, Paul told Crain’s when he joined Music Hall in 2007.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra moved into the Art Deco venue in 1946, changing its name to Detroit Music Hall. Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera) also called the building home from 1971-1985, according to the Detroit Historical Society. The building dodged the wrecking ball in 1974, completing a comprehensive renovation in 1995 with support from Detroit Renaissance (which evolved into Business Leaders of Michigan), the Kresge Foundation and the Music Hall Board of Trustees.
Music Hall then returned to its performing arts roots in dance, theater and music, with a focus on jazz, and educational programs, operating as Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts.
