Hotel Charlevoix
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
Patrons knocking back cold ones at the Park Bar can often be overheard gossiping about one of the city's abandoned eyesores across the street.But this empty eyesore just so happens to be one of the city's oldest surviving hotels.
Built in 1905 and designed by William S. Joy, the Charlevoix was intended to be an office building. Instead, it was a hotel at first but only for about 10 years. It spent a short time as an apartment building before being turned into a commercial building for various companies and unions in 1922. It was owned by the Grinnell Realty Co.
The hotel was never one of Detroit's glamorous spots, offering a cheaper alternative to the top hotels of Grand Circus Park: The Hotel Tuller and the Hotel Statler.
The building closed in the mid-to-late 1980s. The current owner, Ralph Sachs, has owned the building since 1981.
Since the building's closing, it has sat neglected. Its main staircase has been removed, making access to the higher floors difficult.
Patrons of the Park Bar look directly out at the crumbling Charlevoix. In late summer 2009, wooden paneling with art on it went up along the Charlevoix's ground floor. A fence also was erected around it, signaling either its end or merely an attempt to finally keep out trespassers.
