Riverwalk Hotel Detroit

History

Parke-Davis moved its facilities to this location along the Detroit River in the 1870s to take advantage of the transportation provided by the river and nearby rail lines. The company eventually built 26 still-extant buildings in the area; the Parke-Davis campus as a whole, now known as Stroh River Place, is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the most significant structure in the group, the Parke-Davis Research Laboratory, is individually recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

The Research Laboratory was built in 1902 after Parke-Davis relocated the Detroit Boat Club to Belle Isle. The Detroit architectural firm of Donaldson & Meier designed the original building; later additions were designed by Albert Kahn. The building is a three-story brick building measuring approximately 120 by, and is typical example of public architecture of the period.

Later history and current use

In 1979, Parke-Davis sold its Detroit complex, including the Research Laboratory, to the Stroh family (of Stroh Brewery Company). The complex's redevelopment into River Place included the conversion of the Research Laboratory to a hotel, known as the River Place Inn at its opening, designed by firm Sims–Varner. Bruning Development Corp purchased the hotel from the Stroh family in 1993, and signed Grand Heritage Hotels to manage and brand the property.

In 1998, the property was acquired by Omni Hotels & Resorts, and rebranded as the Omni Hotel Detroit at River Place. Omni closed the hotel in 2010, and it was acquired by St. Louis real estate developer Michael V. Roberts. The hotel underwent a $5 million renovation, which included the addition of a new conference center, and reopened in May 2011 as the Roberts Riverwalk Hotel.

In 2002, National Park Service staff recommended withdrawal of the site's landmark status due to loss of the building's historic integrity during the conversion.

The hotel closed in the early 2020s, and was purchased by Bedrock Detroit in 2022.

Significance

This building was the first industrial research laboratory in the U.S. established for the specific purpose of conducting pharmacological research, inaugurating the commercial pure science approach which has driven the rapid development of pharmaceutical technology.

Gallery

File:Omni Hotel Detroit MI (Parke-Davis Research Lab).jpg| Rear of the Parke-Davis lab, now the entrance. File:Parke-Davis Research Laboratory Detroit MI 2.jpg|Door facing Detroit River.

References

References

1. "Parke-Davis Research Laboratory". National Park Service.
2. {{NRISref. 2007a
3. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/40296.htm Parke-Davis Research Laboratory] {{webarchive. link. (2011-06-06 from the state of Michigan)
4. Note: A National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination document should be available upon request from the National Park Service for this site, but it appears not to be available on-line from the [https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp NPS Focus search site].
5. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071127023352/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/detroit/d8.htm Parke-Davis and Company Plant and Research Laboratory] from the National Park Service.
6. (2005). ["Detroit and Rome: Building on the Past"]({{Google books). The Regents of the University of Michigan.
7. Reindl, J. C.. (2020-11-10). "Boutique hotel on Detroit riverfront asks $26 million".
8. (March 1987). "Stroh Brewery Sims-Varner". Earl G. Graves Ltd..
9. Gallagher, John. (2014-11-30). "Can riverfront hotel become resort within Detroit?".
10. "Roberts Riverwalk Hotel Detroit".
11. link. (2008-06-07 from the National Historic Landmarks Program)
12. Noble, Breana. (2022-12-02). "Bedrock buys another riverfront property: the Roberts Riverwalk Hotel".
13. [http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18638_20846-54610--,00.html Parke-Davis Research Laboratory] from the state of Michigan Dept of History & Libraries