The Whitney Restaurant (Detroit, Michigan)

 restaurant, Romanesque (architecture), NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, 1894_construction

4421 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 832-5700
www.thewhitney.com/index.htm

"An American Restaurant in an American Palace." At the pinnacle of refined dining in the Detroit. The Whitney mansion is an impressive home on Woodward Avenue near downtown Detroit. The structure, completed in 1894, was designed for lumber baron David Whitney, Jr. and described by one newspaper account in 1894 as "the most elaborate and substantial residence in this part of the country." Created in the Romanesque style by respected Detroit architect Gordon W. Lloyd , the structure is built of South Dakota Jasper, a rare variety of pink granite which gives the outside of the House a striking rose hue. The exterior features a multi gabled roof and arched windows that add drama to the already luxurious facade. The 21,000 square foot home has 52 rooms, 10 bathrooms, 218 windows, 20 fireplaces, a secret vault in the original dining room and an elevator. Construction took four years at a cost of $400,000 (about $11 million in today's dollars). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.