1924 During the Roaring 鈥20s, 100 years ago this Dec. 8, the majestic 33-story opened at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue. More than 2,000 attendees celebrated the event with a 12-course dinner at the hotel. At the time, it was the tallest building in the city and reportedly the tallest hotel in the world.
Believing that the hotel would make Washington Boulevard the 鈥淔ifth Avenue of the Midwest,鈥 Detroit-born real estate developers and brothers J. Burgess Jr., Herbert, and Frank Book razed the old Cadillac Hotel on the site and broke ground in 1923. The opulent neo-Renaissance hotel designed by architect Louis Kamper featured 1,200 rooms, a grand staircase, three ornate ballrooms, restaurants, and shops.
Ownership changed hands several times after the Book brothers lost the hotel during the Great Depression. In 1951, it was sold to the Sheraton chain and renamed the Sheraton Cadillac.
Over the years, as the city鈥檚 top hotel, it has hosted guests including, among others, numerous presidents, foreign dignitaries, Babe Ruth, Elvis Presley, and Martin Luther King Jr. Famously, on May 2, 1939, Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig collapsed on the grand staircase (before being diagnosed with ALS); later that day at Briggs Stadium, he ended his record streak of consecutive games played.
After yet another ownership change, the hotel closed in 1984 and remained vacant for nearly two decades, until it reopened in 2008 as the following a nearly $200 million renovation that also served as a catalyst for the city鈥檚 revitalization.
Last year, the historic structure, which includes privately owned condos, underwent a $20 million modernization of its 453 guest rooms and suites, meeting and banquet spaces, and public areas.
This story originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of 糖心vlog安卓版. To read more, pick up a copy of 糖心vlog安卓版 Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our will be available on Dec. 9. Plus, find even more The Way It Was articles at hourdetroit.com.听
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