The iconic David Whitney Building is set to reopen to the public in December.
Designed by renowned Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and constructed in 1915, the building at 1 Park Ave. in downtown Detroit has been empty since 1999, when it last served as an office building.
After being left vacant for more 12 years, the journey to restoration started in March 2011, when Whitney Partners LLC, a joint venture between Detroit-based developer The Roxbury Group and Farmington Hills-based hotel investment firm Trans Inns Management Inc., bought the building for $3.3 million.
Whitney Partners has preserved the building’s historical touches, including its terra-cotta, mahogany and marble surfaces. The building’s exterior is also being restored to bring its façade as close as possible to the original 1915 design.
“We are in the final stages of redeveloping one of Detroit’s most celebrated buildings and returning it to Detroiters and visitors to enjoy,” David Di Rita, principal of The Roxbury Group, told a 50-person crowd during a media tour and update of the building’s $94.5 million redevelopment project.The building includes:
- a four-story atrium;
- The Residences at the David Whitney, 108 one-, two- and three- bedroom apartments;
- Aloft Detroit, a 136-room boutique hotel that is part of the Sherwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. chain; and
- Grand Cirque Brasserie, the building’s signature restaurant.
The building will also be a transportation hub, with second-floor access to the Grand Circus Park Detroit People Mover station, which has been closed for renovations, and an M-1 Rail stop outside the building
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