Book Tower update: $313M renovation could include high-end hotel

One of Dan Gilbert’s four largest downtown projects is the restoration and renovation of Book Tower, the Louis Kamper-designed skyscraper that was largely neglected for years. We peeked inside the tower and the adjacent Book Building to see what’s to come.

The plan right now calls for 180,000 square feet of office and retail space, along with 95 residential units. The building was mainly built for offices, and they intend to keep a good part of it for that. Bedrock is also talking to some higher-end hotels to see if one could potentially be a good fit for the elegant building.

We walked through the second and third floors of the Book Building. The second floor mainly had smaller offices. Decades ago, floors were added to create more office space in once grand spaces.

Photo by Robin Runyan

Photo by Robin Runyan

The third floor is fairly open. Pigeons seem to still call it home. Also in tact was a large leaded glass skylight that they’ll incorporate in the design. Representatives for Bedrock said the second and third floors could potentially be used for a hotel lobby.

Restoration work has mainly focused on the exterior, with interior renovations hopefully starting soon. The Book Tower started undergoing a much needed power washing earlier this year, and Bedrock thinks it could take another six months to complete the work. The Curbed video team recently captured some phenomenal details on the exterior of the building.

The $313 million renovation is expected to be completed in 2019.