Detroit Olympia — the brick-red arena Detroiters nicknamed ‘The Old Red Barn’ — stood at the corner of Grand River and McGraw avenues from 1927 to 1986 and served as the beating heart of Detroit hockey for more than five decades. It was the only home the Red Wings knew for the first 52 years of the franchise, and its ice hosted seven Stanley Cup championships, four NHL All-Star Games, and some of the most legendary concerts of the rock era.
This guide covers everything the name evokes: the building’s construction and Romanesque Revival design, exactly how big it was and how its capacity grew over time, every Stanley Cup won inside it, why fans called it the Old Red Barn, and what became of the site — and the arena’s famous rooftop lettering — after the wrecking ball arrived in 1986.
Quick Answer
Detroit Olympia was an indoor arena at 5920 Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, built by architect C. Howard Crane and opened October 15, 1927. Nicknamed ‘The Old Red Barn’ for its red-brick façade, it was the home of the Detroit Red Wings through the 1978-79 season, hosting seven Stanley Cup championships before the team moved to Joe Louis Arena. Olympia closed in February 1980 and was demolished on July 10, 1986; the Michigan National Guard’s Olympia Armory now occupies the site, while the original rooftop ‘OLYMPIA’ letters were reinstalled at Little Caesars Arena in 2017.
Location, Architect, and Design
Olympia Stadium sat at 5920 Grand River Avenue at the corner of Grand River and McGraw avenues on Detroit’s west side. The cornerstone was laid on March 8, 1927, and the building opened just over seven months later, on October 15, 1927, following a $2.5 million construction budget (roughly $34 million in today’s dollars).
Architect C. Howard Crane, best known for Detroit’s Fox Theatre, Orchestra Hall, and the Capitol Theatre, designed Olympia in the Romanesque Revival style with a distinctive red-brick exterior — the detail that earned the building its ‘Old Red Barn’ nickname. The arena stood 107 feet tall and enclosed roughly 77,393 square feet of floor space, with an underground refrigeration system running through 74,880 square feet of piping to freeze the ice. At its 1927 opening, Olympia’s rink — 242 feet by 110 feet — was the largest indoor ice surface in the United States, and the building’s steeply raked seating bowl put fans unusually close to the action for a venue of its era.
Home of the Red Wings Dynasty: Seven Stanley Cups
The NHL franchise that would become the Red Wings — first known as the Detroit Cougars, then briefly the Falcons before adopting the Red Wings name in 1932 — played its first Olympia game on November 22, 1927, in front of more than 14,000 fans. Over the next 52 seasons, the team won seven Stanley Cup championships while calling Olympia home: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955, including back-to-back titles in 1954 and 1955 during the Red Wings’ dominant Original Six run.
Olympia also hosted the NHL All-Star Game four times — in 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955 — and was where Gordie Howe built the bulk of his Hall of Fame legacy, playing for the Red Wings at the Olympia from 1946 until the franchise’s move to Joe Louis Arena. The final Red Wings game at Olympia came on December 15, 1979, a 4-4 tie against the Quebec Nordiques in front of 15,609 fans, closing out more than 50 years of NHL hockey at Grand River Avenue.
How Big Was Detroit Olympia? Capacity and Attendance
Olympia opened in 1927 with 11,563 seats. A 1965 renovation expanded seated capacity to roughly 13,000, plus standing room for about 3,000 more in the rafters during hockey games, pushing total capacity to approximately 15,000 for its biggest nights. That capacity held up well by the standards of its era: the arena’s very first event, a boxing card in October 1927, drew 15,000 spectators, and the Red Wings’ final game in 1979 packed in 15,609 fans — above the arena’s official seated capacity.
Concerts, Boxing, and Cultural Legacy
Detroit Olympia was never just a hockey rink. Beginning in the 1950s and accelerating through the ’60s and ’70s, it became one of the Midwest’s premier concert stops, hosting The Beatles on September 6, 1964, and again on August 13, 1966, along with Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson 5.
The building’s boxing cards drew huge crowds throughout its five decades, including bouts tied to Joe Louis in the 1930s, and professional wrestling was a regular draw as well. On the basketball side, the Detroit Falcons of the Basketball Association of America played there in 1946-47, and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons made Olympia their home from 1957 to 1961, with the league’s All-Star Game held there in 1959. Olympia also hosted the NCAA Frozen Four men’s college hockey championship twice, in 1977 and 1979.
Why Was It Called ‘The Old Red Barn’?
The nickname came straight from the building’s appearance: C. Howard Crane’s Romanesque Revival design was clad in deep-red brick that made the arena stand out along Grand River Avenue, and its boxy, barn-like massing reinforced the comparison. Over five decades the name stuck so completely that Detroiters used ‘The Old Red Barn’ almost interchangeably with ‘Olympia Stadium,’ and it remains the arena’s most affectionate and widely used nickname in hockey history books today.
Closure and Demolition
The Red Wings’ move to the new, larger Joe Louis Arena for the 1979-80 season left Olympia without its primary tenant, and the building closed permanently on February 21, 1980. It sat vacant for several years before being demolished on July 10, 1986, ending nearly 59 years on Grand River Avenue.
Before the wrecking crews arrived, preservationists salvaged the arena’s rooftop ‘OLYMPIA’ lettering. Those letters were kept in storage for decades and were finally reinstalled — restored and illuminated — atop Little Caesars Arena when it opened in 2017 as the Red Wings’ current home, giving the old building’s most recognizable feature a second life. You can find current Red Wings game and event information on the official Little Caesars Arena website.
What’s on the Site Today
The former Olympia footprint at 5920 Grand River Avenue is now occupied by the Michigan National Guard’s Olympia Armory, a working military facility that is not open for public tours. A historical marker on the property commemorates the site’s sports and entertainment legacy, but there are no remaining structures from the original stadium — the closest tangible link to Olympia today is the restored ‘OLYMPIA’ signage atop Little Caesars Arena, about three miles away in Detroit’s District Detroit district.
Detroit Olympia Stadium FAQs
When did Detroit Olympia open and close?
Detroit Olympia opened on October 15, 1927. The last Red Wings game was played there on December 15, 1979, the building closed permanently on February 21, 1980, and it was demolished on July 10, 1986.
Why was Detroit Olympia called ‘The Old Red Barn’?
The nickname came from the arena’s red-brick exterior, designed by architect C. Howard Crane in the Romanesque Revival style. The red façade and barn-like shape stood out on Grand River Avenue and became a beloved Detroit landmark.
How many Stanley Cups did the Red Wings win at Olympia?
The Red Wings won seven Stanley Cup championships while playing at Olympia: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955, including back-to-back titles in 1954 and 1955.
What was Detroit Olympia’s seating capacity?
Olympia opened in 1927 with 11,563 seats. A 1965 expansion brought seated capacity to about 13,000, plus roughly 3,000 standing-room spots, for a total capacity of around 15,000 for big events.
What happened to Detroit Olympia after it was demolished?
The site at 5920 Grand River Avenue is now home to the Michigan National Guard’s Olympia Armory. The original rooftop ‘OLYMPIA’ letters were preserved and reinstalled at Little Caesars Arena, which opened in 2017 as the Red Wings’ current home.
Who designed Detroit Olympia?
C. Howard Crane, the architect behind Detroit’s Fox Theatre and Orchestra Hall, designed Olympia in the Romanesque Revival style. Construction began with the cornerstone laid on March 8, 1927, and cost about $2.5 million.
Did the Detroit Pistons ever play at Olympia?
Yes. The Detroit Pistons of the NBA played home games at Olympia from 1957 to 1961, and the arena hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1959. The earlier Detroit Falcons of the BAA also played there in 1946-47.
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