Detroit Statler Hotel

Above photo shows Statler in background and below photo shows empty space after demolition, looking towards the Neudeck Building

The Detroit Statler Hotel (demolished), a.k.a. the Detroit Hilton Hotel, was located at 1539 Washington Boulevard across from Grand Circus Park between the David Whitney Building and Hotel Tuller in the Foxtown neighborhood of downtown Detroit, Michigan. In addition to Washington Boulevard, the hotel also fronted Bagley Street and Park Avenue.

Statler Hotel c. 1915

The hotel was designed by George B. Post and Louis Rorimer in the Georgian architectural style, with English Renaissance Revival roots evident. It consisted of 18 floors: sixteen above grade and two basement floors. Construction began on the original 800-room portion in 1914 and was completed in 1915.

Harry Houdini stayed at the hotel in October 1926 during his last performance at the nearby Garrick Theater.

The Detroit Statler became part of the Hilton Hotel chain in 1954 along with all other former Statler Hotels. Hilton proceeded to remodel and modernize the hotel's interior during the 1960s. In 1974, Hilton ceased their management, and the structure was renamed the Detroit Heritage Hotel until it was abandoned in 1975.

Demolition of the building began in August 2005 and was completed in time for the Super Bowl XL. The demolition took months due to the hotel's strong concrete structure. During the demolition process, a vacant four story building once occupied by the Automobile Club of Michigan also known as the DAIIE (Detroit Automobile Club Inter-Insurance Exchange) building on a neighboring lot caught fire. The fire destroyed much of the structure's roof and upper floor. The cause of the blaze was determined to be hot metal material that had been dropped from the Statler Hotel onto the Automobile Club building's roof.

Facts

• The Detroit Statler Hotel, vacant for 30 years, was demolished following approval by the Detroit Historic District Commission.
• There were complications with the demolition process since excessive amounts of explosive where used. Fortunately there was no disasters.
• A lawsuit by preservationists temporarily delayed the city's plans to demolish the former hotel building.
• The hotel had proven so popular that 200-room addition was added onto the back of the hotel along Washington Boulevard.
• This hotel's architectural style was Georgian, which is a subset of English Renaissance Revival.
• According to the original blueprints, one of the penthouse roof levels lies at 226' above the street, and Sanborn Maps list the other at 232' above the street. The full structural height is unclear.

External links

• Hotel Statler Detroit details at Emporis.com
• SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on the Hotel Statler Detroit

Coordinates: 42°20′08″N 83°03′07″W / 42.3355°N 83.0519°W / 42.3355; -83.0519