After several months of silence, the plan to convert the old Detroit Fire Department HQ into a boutique hotel has more news. The $25M renovation will also include the restoration of 243 Larned, a 13,000-square-foot building next door. It comes off as a relatively minor detail in yesterday's article from Crain's, but renovating the structure next door is a big deal. The building is over 130 years old.
Built in 1882, 243 Larned has a brick/terracotta facade covered with an old-school fire escape. A bar/nightclub occupied the first two floors a few years ago, but floors three and four look rough, described only as "potential conversion(s)" on Loopnet. According to Crain's, the lower floors will become part of the hotel's lobby, while the upper floors will be renovated into 13 or 14 additional hotel rooms.
When the doors open in late 2015, the Foundation Hotel (that's the official name now) will contain roughly 100 rooms with a restaurant and a bar. All will follow a decor theme of "early Detroit history," spanning from days under French rule to the manufacturing era.
· Boutique hotel developers want to take travelers outside the box [Crain's]
· Former Fire Department HQ Eyes $23M Hotel Renovation [Curbed]
· Fire Department HQ Sold, New Boutique Hotel on the Way? [Curbed]
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