Whittier Hotel

03 / The story of this place

What was here?

The Whittier rose on Detroit's riverfront Gold Coast, about three miles east of downtown, as one of architect Charles N. Agree's first big jobs: two eight-story towers opened in February 1923, and a 15-story river tower followed in 1926, for about 800 rooms in all. It offered hotel service, a ballroom and Italian gardens to wealthy residents and visitors, and it was headquarters for the Gold Cup powerboat races. In the 1960s owner Ivar Quarnstrom added a glass rooftop nightclub and an indoor pool, and on September 6, 1964, the Beatles checked into Room 1566. Michigan Baptist Homes bought it in 1969 for senior housing, and when the retirement home closed in 2001, the last residents moved out.

• About 800 rooms on the Detroit River
• The Beatles stayed here in 1964
• Gold Cup powerboat race headquarters

Architect

Charles N. Agree

Historic building

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985

What’s there now?

The complex still stands at 415 Burns Drive, owned since 2003 by Phoenix (Mel Washington); sources disagree on how it's used today.