The renovation of a century-old, historic landmark building presents enormous challenges. The goal in renovating Detroit’s 19-story, 253,000-sq-ft David Whitney Building was to restore the building in a way that honored its history yet catered to modern users.
Originally a retail and office center, the building was remodeled as residential and hotel space, with ballrooms and convention space and a ground-floor restaurant, bar and retail space. Careful attention was paid to updating security, restoring assets and modernizing spaces while leaving subtle flaws like cracks in the marble to remind people that they are inside a 100-year-old building, project team officials say.