After years of planning, ground finally officially broke on the City Club Apartments-CBD Detroit development. Pre-construction work has been underway for months at the historic site, and the first residents are expected to move in November 2018.

It’s the first conventionally-financed new mixed-use high-rise apartment development in the Central Business District in 30 years.

The site at Grand Circus Park is the site of one the great demolished hotels of Detroit, the Statler Hotel. Before that, in 1863 the site was the home of Governor John Judson Bagley. The Statler Hotel opened in 1915, and a year after it was built, a 1,000 room extension was built.

The Statler Hotel |  Detroit Historical Society

Aerial view of Grand Circus Park | Detroit Historical Society

Famous guests of the hotel include Harry Houdini (who stayed there during what turned out to be his last performance), Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jerry Lewis, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

When it opened, amenities included private bathrooms, telephones in the room, and cool running water.

The hotel became part of the Hilton brand in 1954. Hilton left in 1974, and was abandoned as the Detroit Heritage Hotel in 1975. The building was demolished in 2005 in anticipation for Super Bowl XL.

So what can we expect at the site now?

The development will have 288 apartments and penthouses, plus furnished short-term rentals, 20 percent “affordable” apartments, and 400 underground parking spaces. Amenities include an outdoor movie theater, a bark park, a hotel-style lobby, a gourmet market and pet store, and we’re not exactly sure what qualifies this last one, but it’s promising “sexy bathrooms.” (No renderings provided)

The green building certified development will also have extensive outdoor space, including dining space, an indoor/outdoor pool, and a private park.

The apartments themselves will range from studios to three-bedrooms, with large windows, terraces and balconies, custom closets, and the previously mentioned sexy bathrooms.

Developer Jonathan Holtzman said this could be a different way of looking at apartments, homes, and condos, seeing this as a place for baby boomers, empty nesters, millennials, and corporate housing residents.. He cited amenities such as the pet store and theater as appealing to many people looking for homes. He also sees this is a way for Detroit to be more walkable, adding more density to the CBD.

Developers City Club Apartments LLC are leading the way, with Wolverine Building Group as the contractor, and Architects BKV Group, Damon Farber. Pre-leasing will start later this year, with occupancy expected in November. It should be complete in the second quarter of 2019. More info can be found at City Club Apartments.

Read full article by Robin Runyan for Detrot Curbed here