The Ilitch family has sought permission from the commission to have the building demolished to make way for a new parking lot to serve the Ilitch family's various operations nearby, such as the Fox Theater, Hockeytown Cafe and Comerica Park. The hotel is located next to the Detroit Opera House.
Commissioners rejected the request, according to reports, because Ilitch Holdings failed to provide information as to why the building should be torn down.
The Ilitch family could appeal the commission's decision to the state's Historic Preservation Review Board and, if denied there, to the courts.
The hotel was built as two separate structures more than 100 years ago. The seven-story Madison was built in 1900, with the eight-story Lenox built in 1903. Several years later, the two hotels were connected by a dining area on the ground level. The complex had served as residential hotel space for many years, but has been closed and vacant for about 10 years.
The city's director of the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department called the hotel "an eyesore" and said that it should be torn down.
But Historic Commission members said they have been asking for specific information from Ilitch Holdings for more than a year and so far have not gotten the information needed.
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