Detroit Life Building
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This 10-story, building designed by Arnold & Shreve in the Neoclassical style was completed in 1923. It was built as the Detroit Life Building, for Detroit Life Insurance, which was the original tenant.
Detroit Life occupied the top four floors of the building upon completion. Other tenants present in the building at the time were the Library Bureau and the Zimmer Kelly Institute.
"Life" was dropped from the name, likely after the Detroit Life Insurance vacated the building. Ilitch Holdings has since slipped "Life" back into the name, however.
The building was occupied until it closed in 1977. It remains abandoned to this day.
In the late 1980s, as Mike Ilitch took on the renovation of the Fox Theatre, he also bought the Detroit Life Building and planned to demolish it for development. Preservationists argued that the building was architecturally significant and structurally sound. In October 1988, Ilitch announced that he would spare the Detroit Life, Varney Apartments and Blenheim Apartments building.
At the time, Ilitch said he would use public money set aside by the Downtown Development Authority for razing buildings in the area - about $180,000 remained at the time - to rehabilitate the three into housing. He didn't.
However, a new roof was installed in 2005.
On Jan. 12, 2006, Atanas Ilitch of Ilitch Holdings announced the renovation of the building into office space. The restoration team consists of JCBeal Construction and the Kraemer Design Group.
The building is a part of the Park Avenue Historic District.
