Detroit Statler Hotel
Encyclopedia
Statler Hotel
The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton Statler in Buffalo, New York.- Early ventures :...
(demolished), a.k.a. the Detroit Hilton Hotel, was located at 1539 Washington Boulevard across from Grand Circus Park between the David Whitney Building
David Whitney Building
The David Whitney Building is a historic class-A skyscraper on the northern edge of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1553 Woodward Avenue, adjacent to Grand Circus Park. The building stands on a wedge-shaped site at the junction of Park Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Washington Boulevard....
and Hotel Tuller
Hotel Tuller
The Hotel Tuller once stood at Adams Avenue West, Bagley Street, and Park Avenue across from Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was one of the largest luxury hotels in Detroit, and the first one to be erected in the Grand Circus Park Historic District...
in the Foxtown neighborhood of downtown Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. In addition to Washington Boulevard, the hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
also fronted Bagley Street and Park Avenue.
George B. Post
George Browne Post was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition.-Biography:Post was a student of Richard Morris Hunt , but unlike many architects of his generation, he had previously received a degree in civil engineering...
and Louis Rorimer in the Georgian architectural style
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, with English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
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
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
of the building began in August 2005 and was completed in time for the Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
. 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 preservationistPreservationistPreservationist is generally understood to mean historic preservationist: one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects or sites from demolition or degradation...
s 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 BoulevardWashington Boulevard Historic DistrictWashington Boulevard Historic District is a multi-block area of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is bounded by Washington Boulevard between State and Clifford streets. In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places...
. - This hotel's architectural style was GeorgianGeorgian architectureGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, 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.