Elliott Building

Architect: Wilson Brothers & Company of Philadelphia Original address: 207-211 Woodward Ave. The Elliott Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District.

The Elliott Building [1][2] was added to the northwest corner of Grand River Ave and Woodward Avenue. (Barns Block) in 1894 at the cost of about $80,000. The 6-story building,[3] designed with distinctive red brick and red terra cotta is located on the site of the home of Detroit’s first Mayor, General John R. Williams. John R. Street was named in his honor. Where once a white picket fence surrounded the mayor’s home, the Elliott Building was constructed to house the mercantile business run by William H. Elliott. The building served as the locale of The William H. Elliott Dry Goods Store which provided carpets, draperies, and children’s clothing until 1909. In 1910, William H. Elliott Company consolidated with the Taylor-Woolfenden Company under the name of Elliott-Taylor-Woolfenden Company and operated in the building until a new building was erected on the southwest corner of Woodward Ave. and Henry St. in May 1911.

S. S. Kresge Corporation’s operated in the Elliott Building starting in the late teens as a “25 cent to $1” green front store. This Kresge location carried higher-priced merchandise compared to the nearby Kresge Store #1 (a 5 and 10 cent store at 1201 Woodward Ave.). In 1939 after a modernization, the store changed to a “5 cent to $1” store. In 1951, a “root beer department” was installed. The S.S. Kresge Co.’s located in the Elliott Building closed December 31, 1959 after an inability to negotiate a new lease. In 1961-1969 a portion of the basement was used as a gym/health center. Butler’s Shoes was located in the northern storefront in the late 1970s. Later in the ‘70’s, a women’s clothing chain House of Nine occupied the 2nd floor. The last tenant in the building was Eastern Wigs and Beauty Supply who occupied the first floor until September 1997. Today ownership belongs to Elliott Building, LLC, a firm dedicated to restoring Detroit’s glorious past for an exciting future. Elliott Building, LLC is committed to offering luxury boutique residences in the heart of Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District. The building began re-development in July 2016 and is expected to complete in early 2017. The Elliott Building [4] will contain twenty-three one and two bedroom apartments ranging from approximately 700 square feet to nearly 2,000 square feet. The six apartments that are at the rear of the building will have balconies. The four apartments that occupy the 6th floor will be 2-story. Approximately 16,000 square-feet of retail space will occupy the first floor, basement and sub-basement.

References

  1. ↑ The S.S. Kresge Company, the forerunner of the K-Mart Corporation, opened its first store in this building in 1899. • The building rises to a height of 96 feet to the top of the parapet above the main roof deck. The main roof deck is actually uneven, and varies in height. • The building was constructed in 1894 for William Elliott, a local entrepreneur.
  2. ↑ EBN 243074
  3. ↑ William H. Elliott Dry Goods Store, Kresge's Green Front Store Building, S.S. Kresge Store Building
  4. ↑ http://www.detroit1701.org/Elliott%20Building.html

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