Today’s Photo Du Jour is from a Detroit promotional Booklet from 1929. This is part 1 of a series showing all the major Detroit Hotels.
The most amazing fact to me from this booklet is the following:
“More than 12,000 modern hotel rooms are located within a five minute walk of Grand Circus Park, in the heart of downtown hotel, theatre and shopping center. Another 13,000 additional rooms are available within less than a mile of the City Hall. Detroit ofers more than 25,000 modern downtown hotel rooms.”
Where did they all go?
Some of these Hotels are stil standing, some are demolished, and some I’ve never heard of. I need some reader feedback to help me pin down the location of some of these….
The Hotel Norton. This was Jefferson & Griswold, where One Woodward, now stands.
The recently demolished Statler… RIP. At least the Superbowl visitors will have a nice gravel lot to look at.
The Lee Crest? Anyone have any history/ideas on this one?
The Imperial, at Peterboro & Woodward.
The Detroit Leyland, now the Ramada on Cass.
The good old Book Cadillac. It looks like maybe, finally, renovation may be coming.
From the Border Cities Star - December 6, 1924, almost a century ago to the…
Built in 1929, the house at 2177 Victoria Avenue was originally numbered 1545 Victoria, pre…
Crescent Lanes first opened on Ottawa Street in 1944 at 1055 Ottawa Street, opposite Lanspeary…
Above is a photo of the home of Mr & Mrs Oswald Janisse, located at…
in 1917 two Greek brothers Gus & Harry Lukos purchased a one story building on…
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Imperial Hotel - 26 Peterboro.
Thanks Mike, I updated the info above.
Lee Crest, coverted into apartments at some time prior to 1940. Located at 8701 Second Ave, corner of Blaine, north of the New Centr area:
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=8&Z=17&X=6570&Y=93877&W=3&qs=8701+second%7cdetroit%2c+mi%7c%7c&Addr=8701+2nd+Ave%2c+Detroit%2c+MI+48202&ALon=-83.0825645&ALat=42.3784449
Is the Lee of the Lee Crest any connection to the Lee of the Lee Plaza? Mebbe the same owner?
I really enjoyed seeing these hotel posts. Well done! And the Hotel Norton has interested me for a long time. This page has the most information I can find on it.
I lived on the sixth floor of the Lee Crest in the mid-60s. It was still a "nice" place to live. The lobby was right out of an old movie. There was a big, old, shuttered BALLROOM and a working swimming pool. Thanks for the photo.
Mrs. Lelli (of Lelli's Restaurant on Woodward - famous for their filet mignon) lived there also. She sat next to me at the pool and, after two drinks, would tell me their secret recipes.
The Lee Crest is visible in this photo at 3:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWP463YGDzk
Ok - I think I found it: In the video link I shared, the building number 8711 appears. If you look at 8711 Second Avenue in Midtown, its called the Chatam now, but it sure looks like the Lee Crest with an added front lobby and a new name!
Upon further review, it looks like the Lee Crest is at 8711 Second - at the corner of Blaine and Second. Its still there. If you do a Google Street view, you can see the name Lee Crest on the 2nd Avenue door to this day!