A century ago, the three Book brothers sought to fashion Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit after Fifth Avenue in New York City.
As developers of the Book Tower, Book Building, and the Book Cadillac Hotel, the trio was able to attract popular stores like Saks Fifth Avenue to Detroit. The retail establishments were joined by stately residential buildings such as the Stevens, named for Michigan’s first governor, Stevens T. Mason, and to the north, overlooking Grand Circus Park, the Statler Hotel and David Whitney Building.
At the end of World War II, as developers began constructing homes and shopping malls in the suburbs, Washington Boulevard — like much of the central business district — underwent a steady and slow decline.
By the 1980s, the urban enclave was akin to a ghost town. Many hotels were boarded up, office buildings were shuttered, and a few restaurants hung on for dear life.
While some, like former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, had called for all “the old dinosaur buildings” to be demolished, historic preservationists saw opportunity. Although not every building was saved when the downtown district underwent a revival some 25 years ago, the “Book” structures made it through.
In fact, the redevelopment of what is now the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, completed in 2008, is undergoing a third transformation, this time a $20-million renovation to include refurbished guest rooms and suites; upgraded public areas and a redesigned Motor Bar, which was original to the hotel when it opened in 1924; new workout facilities; and the upcoming Sullivan’s Steak House, which will replace Roast restaurant.
John Ferchill, the Cleveland-based developer who transformed the forlorn Book Cadillac into an upscale hotel and luxury condominiums, says he’s always believed the next surge of revitalization was bound to happen.
“Look, Detroit has a collection of outstanding, historically significant buildings, and we had a lot of confidence the Book Cadillac could be redone, since we had success bringing back older structures across the Midwest,” Ferchill says. “But with its 22 layers of financing, a clouded title, and the state of the building’s decline, we had our hands full.”
Working with George Jackson, then president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., Ferchill and his team completed what many — including the late A. Alfred Taubman, founder and chairman of Taubman Centers Inc., who had developed the largest portfolio of luxury shopping malls in the country — had deemed impossible.
“When we had our grand-opening ceremony, Al Taubman shook my hand and said this would have never happened in Detroit because the development community was so competitive,” Ferchill recalls. “But I had two things going for me — no one in Detroit knew who I was, so I had a clean slate coming in; plus, I knew how to use conservation easements that other developers didn’t know about.”
Though it took time, the Book Cadillac, now owned by Oxford Capital Group, helped spur the transformation of the other “Book” — the combined Book Tower and Book Building — that Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock real estate arm has restored to its original grandeur.
Erected between 1916 and 1926 by Frank, Herbert, and J.B. Book, the combined 484,000-square-foot structure will include a Roost Hotel, offices, residences, a rooftop bar, event space, and stores and restaurants.
“Washington Boulevard is really starting to come around,” Ferchill says. “I’m glad we got the Book Cadillac done. It set the stage for so many other projects.”
R.J. King
rjking@dbusiness.com
