Good morning. On this day in 1925, Dr. Ossian Sweet and his wife moved into their Detroit home under police escort. The move sparked a protest against the Black family by white residents, leading to a historically significant civil rights case.

• A plaza near the house commemorates the history.

⛅ Today's weather: Partly sunny, with a high near 83 and a low of 70.

📣 Back the reporting that keeps your community informed by becoming a member today.

Today's newsletter is 1,053 words — a 4-minute read.

Volunteers running the century-old Senate Theater in southwest Detroit are plotting its future as many indie movie houses close.

Why it matters: It's a place for in-person connection and historic preservation that returns moviegoing to its social-event roots, Lindsay Robillard, the Senate's senior programmer, tells Axios.

State of play: The nonprofit theater is known for its 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ, originally from the Fisher Theater, and is one of few venues still showing organ-accompanied films.

• The venue hosts movies, concerts and community events — and gives organ chamber tours.

Driving the news: The Senate is celebrating 100 years on Oct. 7 with a glamorous, Roaring '20s-style screening of the same film it opened with in 1926.

• Patrons in festive garb will watch the silent film "The Volga Boatman," with live organ accompaniment by Detroit Theater Organ Society president Lance Luce.
• Doors at 6:30pm and film at 7:30pm. Tickets: $15.

Then, Saturday, Oct. 10, the Party of the Century will feature a vaudeville-inspired entertainment lineup with tap dancing, burlesque, circus performers and live music.

• Doors at 7pm and entertainment at 8pm. Tickets: $25–$150.

Flashback: The Senate's Mighty Wurlitzer — the eighth-largest ever built — left the Fisher Theater in 1961. These were designed so a single musician could replicate the sounds of an entire orchestra.

• An organ enthusiast named George Orbits bought the organ and created a club with friends that became the Detroit Theater Organ Society.
• The club restored the Senate Theater, reopening it in 1964 after it had closed in 1955. The society continues today.

Zoom in: The Senate avoids many costs because it owns its building and is volunteer-run, Robillard says, but it's in need of major repairs like roof replacement and water incursion.

• "I call it our beloved, nearly 100-year-old money pit," she adds.
• The nonprofit is seeking donations and volunteers.
• It's also shaping its future through a project with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center and pursuing a National Register of Historic Places designation.

The bottom line: "I hope people take away that we all have a role in building the future of film and music culture that brings us together," Robillard says. "To reflect on our past and build a future that we want."

Share this with a film buff

Rocket is extending its longtime sponsorship of the Lions for another five years, with a bigger focus on engaging fans beyond traditional sports advertising.

Why it matters: As the Lions' fortunes have risen, so has competition among companies seeking to associate themselves with one of Detroit's most prominent brands.

The big picture: The deal gives Rocket a range of sponsorship rights, including advertising at Ford Field, jointly produced content and branding behind Lions news conferences.

• Rocket declined to disclose the value of the five-year extension.

Zoom in: Rocket's brand will also be integrated into the Lions' third-down defense at Ford Field this season through its Third Down Town program.

• Every time the Lions make a third-down stop at home, Rocket will donate at least $300 to Humble Design Detroit, a homelessness support nonprofit.

The backstory: Rocket, the Detroit-based homeownership company, has sponsored the Lions since 2013, when it was still known as Quicken Loans. The latest iteration follows Rocket's acquisitions of Redfin and Mr. Cooper, which expanded its reach beyond mortgages into home search and loan servicing.

What they're saying: "A lot of it would be focused on logo placement," Doug Buser, Rocket VP of sports and entertainment, said of the previous approach. "The evolution of that is a lot more content. We'll be creating content together."

The bottom line: Rocket will measure the partnership partly by whether Lions fans increasingly see it as a brand they'd recommend, rather than simply whether they recognize its name, Buser tells Axios.

🌪️ Rebuilding continues for Detroit's east side after last week's tornado, the city's first in more than 30 years. Crews removed more than 250 trees and reopened 65 streets closed due to blockages. (Detroit News)

🔌 Nearly 10,000 Southeast Michigan residents were still without power as of yesterday morning after last week's severe weather. Around 450,000 total DTE Energy customers had been impacted. (CBS Detroit)

🥐 Portland pastry chef Marius Pop is opening up an outpost of his bakery and cafe Nuvrei in Detroit's Core City neighborhood. It's taking over the former Cafe Prince and Lady of the House spaces, opening in phases. (WXYZ)

Nothing has improved my work and life more than my new operating philosophy: Simplify, writes Axios co-founder Mike Allen.

• I've seen such a dramatic improvement at Axios, and in my personal life, that I co-wrote a new book explaining step by step how it works. It's called "Simplify: Do 50% More with 50% Less."

Why it matters: Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei, Roy Schwartz and I dig deep into real-world experience and science to show you why most people waste years of their lives doing needless stuff out of habit or inertia.

• You'll learn the three-step Simplify operating system we've personally stress-tested: Confront what you do, Delete what you shouldn't do, and Amplify what brings you joy and achievement.

💡 Simplify is a method and a mindset — a set of power tools to help you kill complexity in your life and work so you can be happier and more productive.

• Smart Brevity, our first book, was about simplifying how you communicate. Simplify extends that superpower to how you lead, manage, work and live.

Preorder Simplify today from a spot in your area like Schuler Books or wherever you get your books.

Our picks:

☕ Joe highly recommends the 5 Spice Draft Latte at Kitab. Perfect for this time of year.

🚲 Annalise tried out a substantial portion of the Joe Louis Greenway over the weekend. More to come soon!

Edited by Larry Graham.