The Metropolitan Building gets spruced up with a power wash

One restoration we’re keeping an eye on is the incredible Metropolitan Building, which is undergoing a transformation into the Element Detroit Hotel. It’s been vacant for 38 years, and many thought the 14-story building was heading for demo just a few short years ago. The Roxbury Group recently started construction, and now we’re seeing exterior improvements—most notably a much-needed power wash.

Courtesy of the Roxbury Group

Dan Austin tells Curbed that the power wash will be completed in sections. The rear of the building is next, followed by more sections on the front of the building. Exterior restoration should continue through the winter, pending weather conditions. This will include new window installation.

When completed in 2018, the Element Detroit Hotel will be an extended-stay hotel with 110 hotel rooms, 2,000 square feet of meeting space on the second-floor mezzanine, and 7,000 square feet of ground-floor and lower-level retail space, plus a rooftop bar and patio.

We were dazzled when power-washing started at the Book Tower this summer. We can’t wait to see the Metropolitan Building restored to its beauty once again.