Hotel Tuller architect?

**buildingsofdetroit** · June-17-09, 01:32 PM

Anyone know for sure who it was? Everything I see on it, whether be book or Web site, just says Lew Tuller erected the hotel or built his hotel, yada yada. Was Tuller an architect?

**rsa.313** · June-17-09, 02:27 PM

sorry BOD; can't find the architect for the tuller. but it was a series of additions [[started in 1906, 4 story vertical addition in 1914, second half in 1926, and last addition was in 1929) so i have a feeling there might've been several architects. of course, his later three hotels were all designed by louis kamper - all of which still stand today...sort of.

**Patrick** · June-17-09, 02:32 PM

I assume he was, although Louis Kamper did some work for him. It has been said that L.W. Tuller was both the architect and the contractor for the hotel.

**65memories** · June-17-09, 02:37 PM

http://books.google.com/books?id=3xg...esult&resnum=2

**Krawlspace** · June-17-09, 02:45 PM

Not to thread jack, but I have been looking for any interior photos of the Arabian Room at the Tuller if anyone can help. I have checked Virtual Motor City and HABS/HAER to no avail. I have several sconces that were purported to come from there, and the postcard image of the room would seem to confirm that. The postcard is a paint over photo linen however, which makes details difficult to make out.

**buildingsofdetroit** · June-17-09, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by Krawlspace

Not to thread jack, but I have been looking for any interior photos of the Arabian Room at the Tuller if anyone can help. I have checked Virtual Motor City and HABS/HAER to no avail. I have several sconces that were purported to come from there, and the postcard image of the room would seem to confirm that. The postcard is a paint over photo linen however, which makes details difficult to make out.

Krawlspace,
I have a pre-linen card of the Arabian:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1245269591
Not ideal, but it's what I've got.

Upon further reflection, that might be linen after all... Sorry.

**Krawlspace** · June-17-09, 04:18 PM

BOD:
Yeah that's the linen I have as well. Appreciate the effort however.
You can make out the sconces I have on the right hand wall.
They are almost 4 feet tall, with white art glass panels, and a wonderful curved art glass top. The card would indicate they are the ones I have, but a photo would be great to remove any doubt.

**buildingsofdetroit** · June-17-09, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by Krawlspace

BOD:
Yeah that's the linen I have as well. Appreciate the effort however.
You can make out the sconces I have on the right hand wall.
They are almost 4 feet tall, with white art glass panels, and a wonderful curved art glass top. The card would indicate they are the ones I have, but a photo would be great to remove any doubt.

Where'd you score those, Krawl?

**Krawlspace** · June-18-09, 09:44 AM

I got them [[four in total) from a theater I worked at around 2002. They were purchased by the theater's previous owner when the Tuller was liquidating fixtures prior to demolition. They were installed in an area that was redecorated while I worked there, and I was able to rescue them from the roll off dumpster. They are currently painted in blue, red, and green crayola colors unfortunately, but that's easy to rectify. Most of the glass is intact except a few of the flat panels which will be easy to replace. All the curved pieces are there. They're in storage at the moment, but I'll see if I can get some pics to post.

**buildingsofdetroit** · January-12-10, 01:37 PM

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the answer! ... Sorta.
I contacted the Library of Congress about this because the Tuller was part of the Historic American Buildings Survey before it was torn down. Usually, the forms have the name of the architect. Here's what the librarian e-mailed me back:

"I consulted the undigitized data pages for the HABS survey of the Tuller Hotel in Detroit, Michigan for the information you're seeking, and was partially successful. From page 2 of the data pages, under Part I. Historical Information., 2. Architect:

"The identity of the architect who designed the two oldest buildings is unknown. William H. Adams, a Detroit architect/engineer, designed the 1923 addition."

Later in Part I. Historical Information., 4. Builder, contractor, suppliers:

"There is no direct evidence that Lew W. Tuller was the builder of the major segments of the hotel completed in 1906, 1910, 1914, and 1923, but may have been because Tuller had been a building contractor in Detroit since 1896 and built three major apartment buildings before the Tuller Hotel and three other major Detroit hotels before 1925."

From Part I. Historical Information., 5. Original Plans and construction:

"No original plans have survived for the 1906/1910 or 1914 buildings." "

**Gsgeorge** · January-12-10, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by buildingsofdetroit

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the answer! ... Sorta.
I contacted the Library of Congress about this because the Tuller was part of the Historic American Buildings Survey before it was torn down. Usually, the forms have the name of the architect. Here's what the librarian e-mailed me back:

"I consulted the undigitized data pages for the HABS survey of the Tuller Hotel in Detroit, Michigan for the information you're seeking, and was partially successful. From page 2 of the data pages, under Part I. Historical Information., 2. Architect:

"The identity of the architect who designed the two oldest buildings is unknown. William H. Adams, a Detroit architect/engineer, designed the 1923 addition."

Later in Part I. Historical Information., 4. Builder, contractor, suppliers:

"There is no direct evidence that Lew W. Tuller was the builder of the major segments of the hotel completed in 1906, 1910, 1914, and 1923, but may have been because Tuller had been a building contractor in Detroit since 1896 and built three major apartment buildings before the Tuller Hotel and three other major Detroit hotels before 1925."

From Part I. Historical Information., 5. Original Plans and construction:

"No original plans have survived for the 1906/1910 or 1914 buildings." "

Great research, thanks for finding this, but it's incredible to me that the architect is unknown and the plans lost.

**buildingsofdetroit** · January-12-10, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by Gsgeorge

Great research, thanks for finding this, but it's incredible to me that the architect is unknown and the plans lost.

Hard to believe, but Planning Dept. doesn't have it on record either. I'm going to hit the Burton again to see if there's an article that has it that I missed. In talking with many experts on Detroit architectural history, even with Tuller's background as a builder, it is universally assumed that he wouldn't have had the skill or ability to design the original Tuller. Still, at least we now know the architect of the second building.