El Tovar Apartments
Encyclopedia
The El Tovar Apartments is an apartment building located at 320 East Grand Boulevard
in Detroit, Michigan
, in the East Grand Boulevard Historic District
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1991.
/Art Deco
style. The El Tovar Apartments is a 4-and-a-half-story building, containing 73 apartments, constructed from orange brick with limestone trim, orange terra cotta
accents, and a Spanish tile roof. The entrance is within the center pavilion, reached by a sidewalk flanked by carved lion figures. The name El Tovar is carved on a scroll above the entrance. Minaret-like towers project from the gabled roof, and there are arched openings at the corners of the front facade, chimney stack-like projections, pseudo-flying buttresses, and stylized crenellations.
housing in 1992. Messiah Housing also owns the nearby Saint Paul Manor Apartments
and Kingston Arms Apartments
.
Grand Boulevard (Detroit)
Grand Boulevard is a thoroughfare in Detroit, Michigan, running east to west in some places and north to south in other places. It once constituted the city limits of Detroit. Grand Boulevard is named the "Berry Gordy, Jr...
in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, in the East Grand Boulevard Historic District
East Grand Boulevard Historic District
The East Grand Boulevard Historic District is a historic district located along East Grand Boulevard between East Jefferson Avenue and Mack Aveue in Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999....
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1991.
Architecture
The El Tovar Apartment building is an excellent example of Spanish MoorishSpanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
/Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. The El Tovar Apartments is a 4-and-a-half-story building, containing 73 apartments, constructed from orange brick with limestone trim, orange terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
accents, and a Spanish tile roof. The entrance is within the center pavilion, reached by a sidewalk flanked by carved lion figures. The name El Tovar is carved on a scroll above the entrance. Minaret-like towers project from the gabled roof, and there are arched openings at the corners of the front facade, chimney stack-like projections, pseudo-flying buttresses, and stylized crenellations.
Significance
Built in 1928, the apartment building represents a significant change in Detroit from low density to higher density housing. In 1988, the Messiah Housing Corporation purchased the building; they rehabilitated the apartments and opened them for Section 8Section 8
Section 8 or Section Eight may refer to:*Section 8 , a United States military form of discharge due to mental illness and/or problems*Section 8 , a U.S...
housing in 1992. Messiah Housing also owns the nearby Saint Paul Manor Apartments
Saint Paul Manor Apartments
The Saint Paul Manor Apartments is an apartment building located at 356 East Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, in the East Grand Boulevard Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.- History :...
and Kingston Arms Apartments
Kingston Arms Apartments
The Kingston Arms Apartments is an apartment building located at 296 East Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, in the East Grand Boulevard Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.- Description :...
.