Plan to Restore Vanity Ballroom Emerges

[Lowell]

John Gallagher of Freep is reporting that plans to restore and repurpose the fabulous Vanity Ballroom on East Jefferson are underway.


It is very early stage but another encouraging episode in the saga of saving Detroit's architectural masterpieces. And as it is enough to get Gallagher's attention, I figure it has a chance.

I've always thought that end of Jefferson was prime for recovery. It has the solidity of the Grosse Pointes to the east and a great deal of quality old homes and new residential activity south of Jefferson.

Elling is figuring out what to do with the building, which the city has agreed to turn over to the civic group. He’s working with community partners to help him envision what it might become. The ground floor is likely to be mixed retail, but he’s open for ideas on the legendary second-floor ballroom space.


“We’re very cognizant of the deep historical significance,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of ideas come into play that would say, could it be some sort of restaurant, could be it some sort of brewery, but I think the consensus is given the history of this building, we need to somehow maintain the integrity of that ballroom, to have it come back as sort of a community performance space in some way.”