Park Apartments Redevelopment - Detroit, MI

[WALD0123]

My company is now marketing the "Park Apartments" at 114 W. Adams in Detroit.

"Marcus and Millichap is pleased to present The Park Apartments, a 17-story apartment building overlooking the West end of Grand Circus Park located in the Heart of Downtown Detroit. The Park Apartments are priced at $8,856,000 ($93.09/SF) and the adjacent parking lot, which was completely resurfaced in 2005, is priced at $644,000 ($28.00/SF or $1,238,462/Acre) for a total price of $9,500,000."

Who owns this and what was this building formerly?

[detroitfan]

I don't who owners are, but I know they're on drugs for thinking they can get that price.

As for it history it was orginally the Briggs Hotel, the Oriental Theater was attached to the building and is where the parking lot is now

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[url="http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/images/moviehouse/716/a%5EAs_The_Downtown_From_Dimitri_&_R

[statedude3]

I was wondering about the Park Apartments when I walked by this morning. I know nothing about them, but I would be interested in finding out more.

[detwaa84]

Isn't this a hotel now. It's says Park Hotel on the building, and I went in there once to the bar on the first floor during the Tiger playoffs and saw a receptionist with a box of room keys. Are we on the same page here?

[statedude3]

Isn't this a hotel now. It's says Park Hotel on the building, and I went in there once to the bar on the first floor during the Tiger playoffs and saw a receptionist with a box of room keys. Are we on the same page here?

[RustTown]

I thought this was a shady 'extended stay' apartment hotel-type dealey? I never really knew what it was, but was always under the impression that it was run by a skeleton crew.

[Allan]

Yep, I think it's time for a thread on the hotels of Park Avenue & vicinity.

The Park Apartments that is the subject of question in this thread was constructed as the Briggs Hotel. It was converted to apartments, if I remember correctly, in the mid 1960s. The building is owned by Milner Hotels, who also own the Milner Hotel on Centre Street, as well as the Milner Arms Apartments at 40 Davenport, just north of Mack. The Park Apartments is low rent (I haven't heard recently, but rents used to start at $290/mo.), and unfortunately has suffered from a lack of maintenance. Drug use is rampant in that building, and it's not uncommon to hear of apartments that have been broken into. And there's the issue of the two arsons that have occurred there in recent years. The building is a prime candidate for conversion or renovation. Now, the issue of price...$9.5 Million is a bit high, but remember that it is still a fully-functioning building, even if maintenance has been lacking. I know of a slightly larger abandoned building (can't say which one) that is valued at just over $5 million.

As for the other hotels around there....

The Hotel Charlevoix was constructed in 1905 and designed by William S. Joy. It had 150 rooms and 60 baths. One could stay there for as little as $1.50 per night. With the rise of hotels like the nearby Statler, Tuller, Briggs, & Royal Palms in the 1910s and 1920s, the Hotel Charlevoix quickly became obsolete. All of those hotels had baths in every room, as well as larger rooms than the Charlevoix had. I'm not sure when exactly the hotel folded, but the building was then converted into an office building, becoming known as the Charlevoix Building. It housed mostly union-related organizations in its later years, and finally closed in the 1980s.

The Royal Palms Hotel was constructed in 1924 by Lew Tuller (most well-known for the Hotel Tuller at Bagley & Park), who saw the need to expand his hotel presence in the Park Avenue area, which became Detroit's hotel district. The Royal Palms was designed by the firm of Louis Kamper. The hotel has seen few alterations since its construction, and holds the distinction of being the longest continuously operating residential hotel in downtown Detroit. The Royal Palms is today known as the Park Avenue Hotel.

The Hotel Eddystone sits at the northwest corner of Park and Sproat, and was the second of Louis Kamper's hotels for Lew Tuller. The building was in continuous operation as a hotel from the time it opened until it closed in the early 1990s. It is currently scheduled for renovation into lofts.

The Park Avenue Hotel sits at the southwest corner of Park and Sproat, and was the third of Louis Kamper's hotels on Park Avenue. It has 240 rooms, each with a bath, and was used as a hotel through the 1950s, when it was operated by Kilborn Management Corp. There's not much more info readily available on this one, but it was later used by the Salvation Army, and is known today as either the Salvation Army Building or the Harbor Light Center, depending on who you talk to. It is currently scheduled for renovation into lofts.

The Hotel Savoy stood at the southeast corner of Woodward and Adelaide. It contained 750 rooms with baths, and was constructed in the 1920s. It became the Hotel Detroiter around 1950, the name by which most people know it. It was later converted into senior housing, and was imploded in the early 1990s.

[RustTown]

Does anyone have any pictures of The Detroiter (Hotel Savoy)? I honestly don't remember it, and it was a significant high-rise.

[Jasoncw]

Very interesting stuff, those buildings aren't talked about a lot, thanks for the history.

[Michi]

Time for a clean sweep. That are is a gold mine and it needs to be taken fully advantage of. I don't care if each unit sold for a million dollars. I'd rather that than an out of control arsonry destroying the buildings by some drug turd running wild in the place.