Redevelopment of Bonstelle Theatre still moving forward, now with AC Hotel

Last year, a $46 million redevelopment of the Bonstelle Theatre and attached hotel tower was thrown into doubt after its hotel operator, West Elm, pulled out following legal troubles at the company. That project is now once again happening.

Developer Roxbury Group has signed an agreement with AC Hotels by Marriott to operate a 10-story, 153-room hotel at the vacant site on Woodward Avenue on the edge of Brush Park.

The unique project will also redevelop the Bonstelle Theatre, which is being decommissioned by Wayne State University as part of its Hilberry Gateway Performance Complex project—Roxbury has a long-term master lease of the theatre through Wayne State. A 4,000-square-foot glass conservatory and bar will connect the tower to the theatre, which will be used as an event space. Design is being done by Patrick Thompson Design.

“We take a great deal of pride in pairing high-end hospitality with iconic historic properties, and we are honored to be restoring the beauty of the Bonstelle and seamlessly integrating it with the modern sensibility of AC Hotels,” David Di Rita, principal of the Roxbury Group, said in a release.

Construction is expected to start this summer and finish in late 2021.

The Beaux Arts Bonstelle Theatre with its iconic copper rotunda was designed by Albert Kahn in 1903 as a synagogue. In 1925, it got an interior redesigned by renowned theatre architect C. Howard Crane and reopened as the Bonstelle.

Impressively, the building will be restored to its original look, including uncovering the Woodward-facing portico. The Roxbury Group also redeveloped the Metropolitan and David Whitney buildings.