The Leland Hotel (Detroit, Michigan) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Detroit-Leland Hotel
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 400 Bagley St., Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Rapp & Rapp |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000718 |
| Added to NRHP | July 20, 2005 |
The Detroit-Leland Hotel is a famous old hotel in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 400 Bagley Street. This hotel is special because it has been open longer than any other hotel in downtown Detroit. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, which means it is an important historical building.
Since 1983, a nightclub called the City Club has been in the hotel's ballroom. The hotel is now called The Leland. It no longer offers rooms for people to stay overnight.
Contents
History of the Detroit-Leland Hotel
In the early 1920s, two people named Edward A. Loveley and Harry A. Stormfeltz started a company. Their goal was to build new buildings on Bagley Street in Detroit. Their first project was the Michigan Building, which opened in 1926.
After that, they decided to build the Detroit-Leland Hotel. They hired the same architects, Rapp & Rapp, to design it. Construction began in 1926 and cost about $4.5 million.
Opening and Early Years
The Detroit-Leland Hotel opened in April 1927. It was named after Henry M. Leland, who founded the Cadillac car company. The hotel had 800 rooms that were air-conditioned. It also had a dining room, a coffee shop, a ballroom, and 11 stores on the street level.
By 1929, the hotel faced financial problems. It went through a difficult period until 1936, but it stayed open the whole time.
Changes Over Time
In the 1950s, the hotel was bought by Robert J. Sterling and his brothers. They updated the hotel in 1959 and 1960. This was because a new convention center, Cobo Hall, was opening nearby.
In 1964, the hotel was sold again to Robert K. and Donald Werbe. They changed some of the hotel rooms into 473 apartments.
The hotel changed owners a few more times in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, it became part of the Ramada hotel chain. In 2006, it went back to its original name, the Detroit-Leland. The same company, Leland House Limited Partnership, still owns it today.
How the Hotel Was Built
The Detroit-Leland Hotel is a tall building with 22 floors. It is covered with brick, granite, and terra cotta. It has a flat roof. The famous Chicago firm of Rapp & Rapp designed it in the Beaux-Arts style. This style often uses grand and formal designs.
Building Design
The bottom four floors of the hotel are shaped like a rectangle. The floors above them are shaped like a "U". The building looks like it has three main parts when you look at it from the side. There's a four-story base, a main middle section, and a two-story top part.
The street level of the building is covered with marble. This was likely added in the 1960s. The part of the base above that is covered in the original terra cotta. Large, round-arch windows on the second floor let light into the ballrooms and lobby. The third and fourth floors have pairs of windows with pretty terra cotta designs between them. The rest of the building, up to the top, is covered in light-colored brick.
Inside the Hotel
The main entrance on Bagley Avenue has three doors. One is a revolving door, and the other two are glass doors. All the doors have windows above them. Inside, a hallway leads to the stores on the ground floor.
A set of six stairs leads up to a wide, curving staircase. This staircase still has its original metal railings. It goes up to the main lobby on the second floor. The lobby is two stories high. From the lobby, you can reach a ballroom, a conference room, and other public areas.
On the upper floors are the hotel's guest rooms. These rooms have been changed over time. They now all have kitchens, sitting areas, and separate bedrooms. Floors 5 to 9 are used as rental apartments. Floors 10 to 17 are still hotel rooms. Floors 18 to 20 are also used as apartments. The basement has laundry rooms, repair shops, and a nightclub.
The Leland at Emporis The Leland at SkyscraperPage
See also
In Spanish: The Leland Hotel para niños
