Facade work starts on Detroit Life Building

Another historic Detroit building could see a big renovation soon, although its future plans are still uncertain. Olympia Development announced that facade work has started at the Detroit Life Building, one of many buildings they own in Foxtown.

According to Historic Detroit, the 1923 building was designed by architects Arnold & Shreve and served as home to Detroit Life Insurance and other businesses for years. It closed in 1977 and was purchased in the late ‘8os by Mike Ilitch, who restored the nearby Fox Theatre. Ilitch planned to demo the building, but preservationists fought to save it. It’s remained closed this whole time.

Olympia Development—or the District Detroit—says the facade work “is being done in anticipation of future development.” The building sits at 2210 Park Avenue, on the other side of the block from the Fox Theatre and just down the street from the new Little Caesars World Headquarters, slated to open this year.

Kraemer Design Group is leading the restoration work.

Olympia announced last year that they’d rehab four other buildings in their district—the United Artists Theatre, the Eddystone, the American (Hotel Fort Wayne), and the Alhambra. Some cleanup on the Eddystone has started.