Detroit Clears way for Redevelopment of Book-Cadillac & Fort-Shelby Hotels

[Zissou]

Looking at that vintage picture makes me hope they bring back maybe one of those huge signs for the roof. I know some people hate that kind of signage but I think with this building in that part of town, it could be a very cool beacon/landmark for people.

[dtown]

I wouldnt mind seeing some signage like that, either.

[detwaa84]

Yeah, I like it too. But it would have to say DoubleTree instead of FortShelby. It isn't going to be called the FortShelby DoubleTree Hotel, is it? Like Westin Book Cadillac.

[RustTown]

They may very well keep the historic name an add on the new brand. In fact, that seems likely. I remember when the plan was first announced (before it was branded, though) they were calling it the Fort Shelby Hotel & Conference Center. It would really be disappointing if they just went with a generic DoubleTree Hotel - Downtown Detroit.

[wolverine]

I noticed that Doubletree's like to tack on another name so that each is unique. The one up in Bay City is called "The Doubletree Riverfront," so I have confidence the Fort Shelby name will be maintained.

[hudkina]

The DoubleTree Fort-Shelby Hotel and Conference Center - Detroit.

[dtown]

That sounds pretty good.

Or, Fort Shelby Hotel and Conference Center by DoubleTree.

[RustTown]

BTW, Fort Shelby, I don't think, is hyphenated. The only time it was was when it was the Pick-Fort Shelby, as the Pick family running the hotel wanted to keep the historic Fort Shelby name.

[Allan]

LMich is correct. Fort Shelby was never hyphenated, although it is rather common to see it written as "Fort-Shelby." I have some of the hotel's documentation from all stages of its life. It's interesting to see how the place evolved over the years.

On my last visit I found some moldy letters that were talking about the fire at the Tuller Hotel and what steps should be taken to prevent such a fire from occurring at the Fort Shelby. There was correspondence from the Fort Shelby to the Pick Hotels Headquarters in Chicago, as well as correspondence that occurred within the Fort Shelby itself. It's really quite fascinating. I would've taken it, except that the entire stack of papers was wet and stuck together, as well as being covered in mold. The employee records are all still left, as well. In many cases, the original applications are attached to the employee's record, too. Some of them are pretty old...I've found some dating back to the 1920s. Some of the employees stuck with the hotel for 30 or 40 years, while others were terminated after the first day for things like "improper dress." Most, if not all, of this information will be discarded during the renovation, but it's always interesting to read through it because you can actually trace the lives of people who lived decades ago in a Detroit that was much different than the one we know today.

[detroitfan]

The hotel will technically be a Doubletree Guest Suites and I can see them dropping the Fort Shelby name. The Doubletree Guest Suites-Fort Shelby Hotel and Conference Center Detroit is bit a cumbersome and I'm willing to be that they''ll see the historic name as expendable. If that does that happen it'll be a small price pay to see the building restored.

[RustTown]

An easy way to try and predict whether or not they will drop the name is to see what their other historic properties, are named. I could just as easily see them naming it Doubletree Guest Suites-Fort Shelby, and maybe just Doubletree Guest Suites - Downtown Detroit.

[detroitfan]

Rebirth of historic Detroit hotel begins

Bulldozer heralds beginning of Pick-Fort Shelby transformation into Doubletree Suites by '08.

Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- On Tuesday morning, a bulldozer rumbled through the lobby of the former Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel, whose hybrid name refers to an 18th century fort and a mid-20th century hotel chain.

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../705230354/1001

[Michi]

A tad off this particular topic, but has anyone else noticed all the exterior facade activity going on at the Whitney? Anybody know an inside scoop? It's more than just the everyday...so I'm wondering why now.

[Allan]

The facade was in danger of collapsing onto the sidewalk (hence the plywood barricades along Woodward), so they are fixing it. I know of no plans to do anything else with the building at this time.

[Jasoncw]

So how did the building go from being occupied to collapsing in less than a decade? Was the building in bad shape when it was occupied? Either way, that's too bad. At least it's getting fixed though.

I don't think I ever posted about it (Fort-Shelby), but it's definitely great news. Maybe if these hotels turn out to be successful, maybe a new hotel will be built in a few years.

[Allan]

The same way the Broderick, Lafayette, and others did. The Lafayette was occupied as recently as 9 years ago. The place is trashed now, collapsing facade, leaking roof, and all. Look at how much the Broderick has deteriorated just in the last year.

Contrary to popular belief, the Whitney had far more wrong with it than just peeling paint. It is still probably the best-preserved abandoned building, and would take the least effort to rehab it into a useable building again. That said, there are some major issues that need to be dealt with. Remember that even when the building was occupied, the owners let certain maintenance issues slide. It wasn't in really bad shape, but it wasn't always getting the attention it needed. At least the owners are giving the building minimal maintenace now to keep its condition stabilized.

[RustTown]

It kind of funny to think that there were probably some worse off partially-occupied buildings than the Whitney, that continue to be occupied to this day, namely the Book and Stott.

[rbdetsport]

Wasnt the Broderick Renovation supposed to start this spring?

[Allan]

Wasnt the Broderick Renovation supposed to start this spring?

[Michi]

^Well, they can't take advantage of historic tax credits then, right? Wouldn't that make the cost of renovation cost prohibitive?

[Allan]

^Well, they can't take advantage of historic tax credits then, right? Wouldn't that make the cost of renovation cost prohibitive?

[nofunk]

Under the current laws, you cannot use historic tax credits unless the units are rentals first for five years.

[Ramcharger]

Under the current laws, you cannot use historic tax credits unless the units are rentals first for five years.

[RustTown]

I thought it was to 'test' a renovation to see if the property could eventually be successful as a condo building?

[Jasoncw]

I think that there are more historical dealy-dos that don't require the apartment thing. And I'm guessing from how much those condos cost, that the extra condo money was more than the tax credit money.