War Memorial: groundbreaking on the Patriot Theater rebuild

GROSSE POINTE FARMS. The War Memorial broke ground Sept. 22 on its rebuild of the Patriot Theater, destroyed in the 2021 flood. The theater opened in 1962 and once hosted major touring performers along with the local Grosse Pointe Theatre group. The rebuilt hall will carry a new name, the Veronica Alger Theater, and is projected to reopen next summer.

The $100 million plus restoration is funded almost entirely by Fred Alger, who named the theater for his wife. Grosse Pointe Farms Mayor John Gillooly called the project a vital part of the community's identity. The Algers said in a statement that the work is about more than the building: it's about bringing back a place for neighbors to gather.

Five years after the flood, the ground is moving again.