The Lee Plaza was built as an upscale apartment building with hotel services.
It opened in 1927 with 200 rooms on 15 f loors. Charles Noble designed the tower
with bright orange brick, capped with a red tile roof. Griffons ornament the
corners on the 13th f loor.
Entering the building through its perfectly arched entry, one quickly understood
that no expense was spared. The long public hallway was lined with mirrors.
A barrel vaulted ceiling was decorated with coloured plaster trim and rosettes.
It was nicknamed “Peacock Alley” for its exotic colours and designs. The first
f loor was home to a walnut-paneled dining room and a ballroom, complete with
multiple arches of stylized plaster.
The start of the depression forced the sale of the Lee Plaza in 1930. By 1935,
the building was bankrupt, as was Ralph T. Lee, the original developer. He was
forced out of the building after admitting in court that he had run an elaborate
ponzi scheme from the Plaza.
The City of Detroit Housing Commission took control of the long abandoned
Lee Plaza in 1969. They converted it to a senior’s residence. The Lee Plaza
closed permanently in 1997. The largely intact and preserved building was soon
cinderblocked and vacated.
Today, the Lee Plaza is a shadow of its former self, thieves having taken all the
metal and decorative features. The building now stands empty and abandoned,
alone in a residential neighbourhood.
