One good building: Historic Palmer Park apartment building turns 99

Palmer Lodge

• Covington Drive

Address: 225 Covington Drive

Architecture: Tudor Revival

History: Opened in 1925, and one of the oldest buildings in the Palmer Park Apartment Buildings Local Historic District.

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The Palmer Lodge turned 99 this spring. Let’s look back at the apartment building, which perfectly reflects the ebbs and flows of the historic neighborhood.

Businessman and U.S. Sen. Thomas Palmer inherited much of the land that is today Palmer Park. In 1893, he and his wife Elizabeth donated 140 acres to the City of Detroit for the creation of the park, with the condition that its virgin forest and log cabin be preserved.

He and Elizabeth subdivided the rest of the property , which was eventually sold to developers. An apartment construction boom began in the 1920s. Over the next few decades, dozens of apartment buildings were constructed in a range of styles that included Art Deco, Spanish colonial and Art Moderne. They eventually became part of the Palmer Park Apartment Buildings Local Historic District , which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

One of the district’s first apartment buildings was the Palmer Lodge, designed by the firm Wiedmaier & Gay, which worked on several others in the neighborhood. The Tudor Revival building has gorgeous brick details, turret-style balconies and stone accents throughout its facade. It opened on April 19, 1925 , as announced in a Detroit Free Press article that day.

The neighborhood was vibrant for decades, becoming known for its large Jewish population and gay nightlife . But it started to empty out in the 1970s as residents left for the suburbs. Temple Israel moved out sometime around 1980, following many of its congregants to West Bloomfield.

Shelborne Development purchased 14 apartment buildings in the neighborhood, including the Palmer Lodge, between 2007 and 2012. All were vacant or had low occupancy. Shelborne renovated the complex , now called Palmer Park Square, for around $35 million and won an award for financial innovation through its use of at least six different sources of public financing to make the project happen.

One good building: Historic Palmer Park apartment building turns 99 · Outlier Media