The Wardell
The Park Shelton, seen from across Woodward
Location15 East Kirby Street
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Coordinates42°21′38″N 83°3′58″W / 42.36056°N 83.06611°W / 42.36056; -83.06611
Built1926
ArchitectWeston and Ellington
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.07000744[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 22, 2007

The Park Shelton is a historic condominium building located at 15 East Kirby Street (on the corner of Kirby and Woodward Avenue) in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Built in 1926 as The Wardell hotel, the building was therefore listed under this name in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

History

The Wardell was designed by Detroit architects Weston and Ellington and built by Bryant and Detwiler [2] in 1926 as a residential hotel, intended for extended stays.[3] Architectural sculpture for the building was created by Corrado Parducci.[4] The name comes from Fred Wardell, who owned the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company.[3] Diego Rivera and his wife (and fellow artist), Frida Kahlo, lived there while working on his mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts.[3]

The Wardell was sold to Sheraton Hotels in October 1941,[5] and renamed The Wardell Sheraton Hotel in 1943,[6] then the Sheraton Hotel, and finally the Park Sheraton Hotel in December 1951.[7] In September 1952,[8] it was sold to New Yorker Louis Schleiffer. As he could no longer use the Sheraton name, he changed the spelling just slightly,[9] renaming it the Park Shelton Hotel.[3] It was the Detroit hotel of choice for such celebrities as Bob Hope, George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Raymond Burr.[3] In the 1970s, the Park Shelton Hotel was converted to apartments.

In 2004,[10] the Park Shelton was redeveloped into condominiums, creating 227 luxury units in the building.[11] The newly refurbished building was opened in August 2004.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ The Recent Work of Weston & Ellington, Architects and Engineers, Detroit, Michigan, 1928, Architectural Catalog Company, New York, 1928
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Patricia Ibbotson, Detroit's Historic Hotels and Restaurants, Arcadia Publishing, 2007, ISBN 0-7385-5080-9, p. 57.
  4. ↑ Kvaran, Einar E., Shadowing Parducci unpublished manuscript
  5. ↑ "Sheraton Corporation of America, 1952 Annual Report".
  6. ↑ "Park Shelton | Historic Detroit".
  7. ↑ "Park Shelton | Historic Detroit".
  8. ↑ "Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan on September 11, 1952 · Page 28". 11 September 1952.
  9. ↑ "Park Shelton | Historic Detroit".
  10. ↑ R. J. King, "Park Shelton to convert to condos," The Detroit News June 29, 2004.
  11. ↑ "Midtown Living" from Detroit Midtown, pp. 42-43
  12. ↑ The Park Shelton from ModelD
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