Detroit Statler Hotel

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The Detroit Statler Hotel, 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. The hotel was designed by George B. Post and Louis Rorimer in the Georgian architectural style, with English Renaissance Revival roots clearly showing. It consited 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 proceded to remodle 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 American Automobile Association (AAA) 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 AAA Building roof.

[edit] Facts

The Detroit Statler Hotel was vacant for 30 years, was demolished following approval by the Detroit Historic District Commission.
A lawsuit from 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.