35mm photos from 2003-2005, digital from 2006 to 2011.
Designed with a unique Mediterranean Art-Deco flare, the 15-story orange-glazed brick and terra-cotta monolith Lee Plaza Hotel at 2240 West Grand Boulevard was one of the swankiest places to live in the city. It was also the first abandoned skyscraper I ever explored.
The AIA Guide to Detroit Architecture says that it was designed in 1927 by celebrated Detroit architect Charles Noble, and opened in 1929. The building was named for Ralph T. Lee, one of the most prominent real estate moguls in Detroit during its meteoric rise in population, who was responsible for dozens of the classic 1920s apartment buildings across Detroit. Lee Plaza was his flagship.
