David Whitney Building to become Hotel and Apartments

**andrew.w** · June-28-11, 11:49 PM

I did some quick google measuring and calculations. Even with the light court excluded, David Whitney has 3 times the footprint of Broderick. Making the Whitney roughly 300,000sqft to Brodericks 200,000.

That said, 280-310 units means only 1000sqft average per unit, including public hallways, elevators, and ground floor retail space. Saying a hotel room is 400sqft or so, it could be done, but all of the units would have to be about 600sqft 1bdrms and studios.

[[Hi, long time reader, who lived in metro Detroit for 4 years while going to school and finally decided to speak up).

**andrew.w** · June-28-11, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by esp1986

They did in fact say that restoring the building's decorative cornice will be part of the renovation, but my curiosity is more surrounding the rest of the facade. In the 1959 renovation, they also removed decorative pieces above the 5th floor windows, as well as a couple stories worth of decoration near the top of the building, beneath the cornice. Looking at the building now, the brick that was added in these spots as part of the renovation is noticably lighter than the original. My wonder is whether or not all of this will be restored, or if just the cornice along with the building's decorative nameplate will be restored. Time will tell.

For the building to look right [[i.e. not a 60s building with a classical cornice), I think some of the other horizontal lines and the conjoined upper stories would need to be recreated - at the very least. Otherwise, the proportions just won't be right.

**cramerro** · June-29-11, 07:02 AM

Thanks for the work, andrew. I guess it's easy to forget that the Whitney takes up the whole 'block' fronting GCP, while Broderick is only 1/2. Along the lines of posts to the Broderick thread, I wonder what the parking situation would be. With a hotel, valet can be used to discount the need for attached parking... but what about the residential units. Only so many spaces under GCP to connect to with tunnels... perhaps it will really be closed for public parking.

**Gistok** · June-29-11, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by cramerro

Thanks for the work, andrew. I guess it's easy to forget that the Whitney takes up the whole 'block' fronting GCP, while Broderick is only 1/2. Along the lines of posts to the Broderick thread, I wonder what the parking situation would be. With a hotel, valet can be used to discount the need for attached parking... but what about the residential units. Only so many spaces under GCP to connect to with tunnels... perhaps it will really be closed for public parking.

I could see that one day all of the 900 space in the GCP Parking Garage will one day be for private use. Currently 200 are dedicated to the Kales Building, which leaves 700 spaces. Since the Michigan Mutual Building has its' own parking garage attached, that will not be a problem. Ditto for the Detroit Opera House.

And if the Statler and UA/Tuller blocks are developed ever, then they have space [[maybe underground in the case of the Statler) for parking decks.

If Ilitch builds something behind the surviving Fine Arts Building facade... then he's got the former Adams Auditorium site to handle parking.

That would leave 700 space [[potentially) for the Whitney and [[can't remember ever reading about this) Broderick Towers. The Madison still has space behind fit for a small garage, and maybe some space in the GCP garage.

But public parking in the GCP garage will be diminishing...

**esp1986** · June-29-11, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I could see that one day all of the 900 space in the GCP Parking Garage will one day be for private use. Currently 200 are dedicated to the Kales Building, which leaves 700 spaces. Since the Michigan Mutual Building has its' own parking garage attached, that will not be a problem. Ditto for the Detroit Opera House.

And if the Statler and UA/Tuller blocks are developed ever, then they have space [[maybe underground in the case of the Statler) for parking decks.

If Ilitch builds something behind the surviving Fine Arts Building facade... then he's got the former Adams Auditorium site to handle parking.

That would leave 700 space [[potentially) for the Whitney and [[can't remember ever reading about this) Broderick Towers. The Madison still has space behind fit for a small garage, and maybe some space in the GCP garage.

But public parking in the GCP garage will be diminishing...

I believe I read the Broderick will have a tunnel built over to the GCP Garage for their tenants.

**mikeg19** · June-29-11, 04:48 PM

Who would have ever in a million years would have though we would be talking about the lack of parking spaces in Detroit?

**Gistok** · June-29-11, 04:59 PM

I have the Arcadia Book on Detroit's Downtown Movie Palaces, and one picture shows the big hole in the ground that used to be West GCP in 1955. They took everything out of the park and dug a deep hole [[not sure how many levels) built the garage, and then re-sited all the monuments and fountains, and planted new trees. When looking at old 1940s postcards... the trees in GCP were already getting pretty tall and full. It looked almost like a forest before the 1955 dig.

I like the park where you can see between the trees at the architecture beyond... except of course in the direction of the Statler/Tuller no-mans land ... where fully mature trees would be a welcome sight....

**wolverine** · June-29-11, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

Who would have ever in a million years would have though we would be talking about the lack of parking spaces in Detroit?

Still a long way to go...I long for the day when all the apartments and condos around GCP have access to zero parking spaces, and everyone is okay with that.

**EL Jimbo** · June-29-11, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

Still a long way to go...I long for the day when all the apartments and condos around GCP have access to zero parking spaces, and everyone is okay with that.

the M1 line could go a long way toward that.

**gthomas** · June-30-11, 10:47 PM

I truly believe the W hotel will be David Whitney's new tenant. W hotel is my vote! That would be hot there on that corner! In a couple months we will know...?

**corktownyuppie** · July-01-11, 01:07 AM

A hotel full of 20 and 30 somethings can be very rowdy. Why not focus on being a well-run hotel that caters to all?

Downtown is going to have to cater to 20- to 30-somethings because right now they are the only demographic that will consider living, playing, and staying down here in any real number. Most of the 40- and 50- year olds I know of out in the burbs look at me skeptically when I speak of all the redevelopment in the last 5-10 years. Some of them haven't been in the city limits since the mid-1980s.

Funny, they tell me stories from back then, and I look at them skeptically lol.

In any case, I hope in due time their perceptions change. But until then, most of downtown development will cater toward the higher income and the young. Which is fine, because they're an element who can help financially support the city with very little drain on its resources.

And if you want quiet, go stay at the Westin Book Cadillac or the Fort Shelby. Those places will price out most of the youth

**buckster1986** · July-01-11, 01:38 PM

It would be amazing to see the buildings that surround Grand Circus Park to all be occupied and getting this building back is a step in that direction. I hope that a hotel like this can survive...the location id phenomenal form a theater/sports prospective.

I hope they can pull it off.

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