| Other Names |
Royal Palm Hotel
Park Avenue House
|
| Property Type |
hotel
skyscraper
|
| Historic Use |
DOMESTIC/hotel
|
| Current Use |
DOMESTIC/hotel
|
| Style |
Italian Renaissance
Skyscraper
|
| Architect/Builder |
Lew Tuller
Louis Kamper
|
| Significant Person |
Lew Tuller
|
| Narrative Description |
The Royal Palm Hotel (now the Park Avenue House) is a thirteen story brick and masonry building with Italian Renaissance details located on the corner of Park Avenue and Montcalm just north of Grand Circus Park in an area once considered the heart of downtown Detroit's hotel district. The hotel entrance faces Park Avenue which is a narrow street densely filled with early skyscrapers and commercial buildings built in the early part of this century. It is one of the few buildings that has survived the decline of the neighborhood. The majority of the buildings on the street now sit vacant. It stands one block west of the Fox Theatre, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and just east of the site of the new Tiger Stadium development purposed in 1998. Since its construction in 1924, it has been in continuous use as a residential hotel. Although the building has undergone some alterations over the years, it is in excellent condition and still retains its original character as "a downtown hotel with a home atmosphere".
|
| Statement of Significance |
The Royal Palm Hotel (now the Park Avenue House) is historically significant as it is the oldest hotel in the downtown Detroit area which has continually operated in its original use as a residential hotel since its construction. It is also the only hotel in Detroit of its era that is still in operation. The Book-Cadillac, the Pick-Fort Shelby, the Statler, and the Madison-Lenox Hotels all stand vacant. The Tuller and The Detroiter Hotels have been demolished. The Park Avenue and the Eddystone Hotels have been converted to homeless shelters.
|
| Period of Significance |
1924
|
| Significant Date(s) |
1924-1924
|
| Registry Type(s) |
07/25/1996 National Register listed
|
| Site ID# |
P2473
|
)
)