Detroit’s Dirty Dozen | Then and Now
On Monday, February 16, 2004, the Detroit Free Press published an article titled ‘Towers of Neglect,’ which highlighted 12 abandoned skyscrapers spread out throughout downtown. The list resulted from the city’s efforts to crack down on dangerous buildings in the city’s core that had become infamous musings for newspapers across the globe.
At this time, Detroit wasn’t nearly as popular a place in general, including for urban explorers. The trespassing-for-sport scene would peak roughly a decade later, but those in the Motor City took the Detroit Free Press article as a challenge.
The Detroit Free Press from April 16, 2004.
In Nailhed’s post on the David Whitney Building, he explains how the piece quickly became a checklist for explorers to see who could hit all twelve the fastest. They were referred to, lovingly, as the ‘Dirty Dozen.’ This may be a reference to or derived from the rap group from Detroit, D12.
This is a roundup of those twelve buildings and their current status. Over half have been saved, but the rest weren’t so lucky. Let’s see how we got to this point!
This article was originally published on October 9, 2016. It has since been updated.
The Book-Cadillac Hotel
Current Status: Renovated
The Book-Cadillac Hotel opened in 1924 under the watchful eye of legendary architect Louis Kamper. The Book brothers were building like crazy downtown at the time, and the structure was built on the former site of the Cadillac Hotel. This resulted in the new name of the operation, the Book Cadillac.
It would operate under a few names until it finally closed in 1984. Vandals, thieves, and Michigan winters shook the structure's interior to its core, although the bones remained in good shape. Many wanted the building torn down, but historic preservationists won, saving it.
In 2006 it was sold, and its renovation was underway. It would reopen in 2008; however, much of the opulence it had when it opened nearly a century before is gone. Its sturdy construction and location just outside the main downtown area ensured this structure could hold out until its renovation.
The Broderick Tower
Current Status: Renovated
The Broderick Tower is one of Detroit’s most iconic skyscrapers due to its location near Comerica Park. However, when it was built, it had a different name and was a part of a growing downtown core.
The architect was Louis Kamper, who was a busy man in the 1920s. The structure was completed in 1927, and the building was called the Eaton Tower until it was sold and renamed the Broderick Tower in 1944. At one time, the building was primarily doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals. It would close in the mid-to-late 1980s as the downtown core continued to erode.
There were plans to renovate the Broderick numerous times over the years, but work wouldn’t finally begin until 2010 and would be complete by 2012. The structure now contains over 100 apartments and offers one of the finest views in Detroit.
The David Whitney Building
Current Status: Renovated
David Whitney was a lumber baron and one of the wealthiest men in Michigan at the turn of the century. His son would use his inheritance to build one of Detroit’s finest buildings.
The architect was Daniel Burnham, and the building had fancy shops and office space when it was completed in 1915. The building would chug along until it closed around the new millennium. The Grand Circus Park district that had once dazzled thousands was now quiet and desolate, albeit still busy for Tiger’s games after Comerica Park was completed in 2000.
Renovation work started around 2011, and the job was completed in 2013. Today, there are apartments and a hotel in the structure with first-floor retail and restaurants. The lobby is open to the public and more than worth a visit.
The Farwell Building
Current Status: Renovated
Although the Farwell Building is one of the smallest on this list, the interior is one of the most unique. The structure opened in 1915 under architects Rogers & Bonnah. The interior features a rotunda-like design; there’s a large skylight and railings on each floor, allowing natural light to shimmer into the hallways from above.
Tiffany glass was embedded around the interior, and a priceless chandelier hung in the lobby that would later be stolen. The Farwell closed in the mid-1980s and was donated to the Detroit Historical Society and later sold to a private citizen.
The State of Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority purchased the structure in 2009 and began renovations. The structure was still open for trespass until around 2016, but it would reopen in 2019 as apartments with first-floor retail and a rooftop that overlooks Capitol Park.
The Fort Shelby Hotel
Current Status: Renovated
The Fort Shelby Hotel was built in two parts. Schmidt, Garden, and Martin designed the first 10-story portion, which was completed by 1916. Albert Kahn would get the nod for the addition, which is 21 stories and opened in 1927.
As most hotels do, the Fort Shelby changed hands numerous times over the years before eventually closing in 1974. It would fall into disrepair and be walloped by scrappers, vandals, and environmental issues.
Although the structure is a short walk outside of Detroit’s downtown core, the Fort Shelby was renovated in 2007 and reopened as a hotel with apartments in 2008. It was one of the first large redevelopment projects in Detroit after the year 2000 and wasn’t the last.
The Lafayette Building
Current Status: Demolished
All of the demolitions on this list are sad, but this one seems like a huge miss by the city. The Lafayette Building opened in 1925 and was designed by famed Detroit architect C. Howard Crane. It had a triangular shape and towered above the coneys, American and Lafayette, in it’s later years.
The building owners almost always had money issues, causing it to change hands numerous times. Tenants were even left without heat, electricity, and water at times. This led to it’s closure in 1997. Historic preservationists fought valiantly for its life, but eventually, the city got its way.
Demolition began in 2009 and was completed the following year. The city promised that the land wouldn’t become another parking lot–as many feared, so it was turned into a garden. If they had held out even a year or two longer, I believe the Lafayette Building would have been renovated and open today.
The Madison-Lenox Hotel
Current Status: Demolished
There is no historic preservation story in Detroit more notorious than the Madison-Lenox Hotel saga. Initially, this structure was two independent hotels with a small building in the middle connecting them.
The Madison Hotel was completed in 1900 by architect F.C. Pollmar. The Lenox Hotel would be completed two years later with A.C. Varney as the architect. Eventually, all three structures came under the same ownership, and the Madison-Lenox Hotel was born.
The hotel would close in the early 1990s and fall into the hands of the Ilitch family in 1997. They wanted to demolish it for a parking lot for their new baseball stadium. They sent multiple requests to the historical commission, who continued to deny their requests. Albeit tattered, the structure was savable.
In May 2005, construction crews showed up without permission and began tearing down the Madison-Lenox. By the time they were forced to stop, the damage was done. The law was broken, and nobody was held accountable.
Today, the site of the Madison-Lenox is a parking lot.
The Metropolitan Building
Current Status: Renovated
The Metropolitan Building was designed by Weston & Ellington and completed in 1925. Most of the structure was utilized by jewelry-related businesses, but there was other retail. The building closed around 1980 and quickly fell into disrepair.
In 1997, the structure was cleaned of contaminants with the hope that it would entice a developer. It wouldn’t come quickly, and the Metropolitan became a favorite for graffiti artists and photographers.
In 2017, redevelopment work began, and in 2018 a hotel opened inside. It features a rooftop bar and is a gem of the downtown area.
Michigan Central Station
Current Status: Renovation Ongoing
Although many of the structures on this list are well known, there’s none as famous as Michigan Central Station. For decades it was a symbol of Detroit’s decline, and it has become an icon for what money can do with old Detroit Buildings in recent years.
The station opened rushed to open in 1913 after a fire in the old station halted service there. It would be dedicated a week later. As quickly as it opened, cars and highways curbed the station’s usefulness into the 1950s. Amtrak took over from inception, and Conrail sold the station in the 1980s but continued to rent space. The last train left the station in ‘88.
Matty Maroun, one of Detroit’s most infamous billionaires, purchased the structure in 1995. There were various redevelopment plans raised, none of which came to fruition. City Council wanted to tear it down around the same time they tore down the Lafayette Building, but level heads prevailed. Matty Maroun, who would pass away in 2020, sold it to Ford in 2018 for an undisclosed price.
Ford quickly started the redevelopment process as a part of their autonomous vehicle campus in Corktown. It’s set to be complete by 2024, and certain areas will be open to the public.
The Statler Hotel
Current Status: Demolished
The 15-story Statler Hotel opened in 1915 and was designed by George B. Post. It was one of the fanciest offerings in Detroit at the time and would be an anchor of Grand Circus Park for decades.
After changing hands numerous times, the Statler closed in 1975. In the late 90s, work was completed to prep the structure for a potential renovation project that would never come. Detroit demolished several historic structures to clean up before it hosted Super Bowl XL. It would be demolished between 2004 and 2005, and the site would sit vacant for over a decade.
In 2018, work began to build apartments with first-floor retail. It would be complete in 2021.
The United Artists Theatre
Current Status: Selective Demolition, Renovation Ongoing
The United Artists Theatre was one of the finest in Detroit and included an attached office tower. The facade had a large marquee that would get replaced in the 1950s. After a few management changes, the theatre closed for good in the early 1970s. Everything inside was sold off, leaving behind an empty shell of a building.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra used it to record in the late 70s and early 80s, citing its near-perfect acoustics. In 1997, the Ilitch family purchased the structure with plans to demolish it as a part of their new Tiger Stadium project. After they settled on the stadium's current location, the United Artists Theatre was saved.
Plan after plan was presented by the Ilitch family, none of which came to fruition until 2022, when the historic theatre, the crown jewel of the building, was torn down. The office tower is to be converted into apartments, and the former theatre site will be used as parking for residents. As the demolition progressed, you could see ornate details peeking through the wreckage.
The Wurlitzer Building
Current Status: Renovated
The Wurlitzer Building was designed by Robert Finn and built for the sons of Rudolph Wurlitzer, the founder of the piano company that bears his name. Wurlitzer organs could be found in numerous Detroit theatres and across the country.
The building saw modernization as the Wurlitzer company grew, but they eventually left, and an oddball group of leasees occupied the building until it closed in the early 1980s. Starting in the 1990s, chunks of the structure were notorious for falling onto the street below. This continued into the 2010s, leaving many worried the structure would be demolished.
However, it was purchased in 2015 and renovated into a hotel. It would reopen in 2018, complete with a first-floor coffee shop in a walkable area of downtown Detroit.
If you want to learn more about historic buildings in Detroit, check out the locations I’ve highlighted here and the Historically Significant Interactive Map. I document structures I think are important to the history of Detroit and its neighborhoods that are often overlooked. If you’re into cars, check out the index of cars I’ve taken photos of and written about here. Thanks for reading!
