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Alden Park Towers

Also known as: Berman Apartments

GeotaggedNational Register
Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Manor (on right) and Indian Village Manor, 1922 Edwin Rorke Tudor, National Register of Historic Places filing, 8100 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI 48214 (historic photo, Detroit)

Historic Photo, sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing

Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Manor (on right) and Indian Village Manor, 1922 Edwin Rorke Tudor, National Register of Historic Places filing, 8100 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI 48214

Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Manor (on right) and Indian Village Manor, 1922 Edwin Rorke Tudor, National Register of Historic Places filing, 8100 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI 48214. Architect: Edwin Rorke. Built 1922. Detroit, Michigan.

National Register of Historic Places Filing

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Architecture1922-1923

The Alden Park Manor is architecturally significant for its robust Tudor character and for its massive size; it is among the largest and most imposing apartment buildings on East Jefferson Avenue, and in Detroit in general. The building was constructed in 1922-23 and originally contained 32 apartments. It is an outstanding demonstration of the application of ancient decorative motives to a modern building.

Physical Description

Alden Park Manor, located on the southeast side of East Jefferson Avenue, consists of four eight-story, cruciform-plan buildings, interconnected at the first story. It is a massive Tudor Revival-style structure with red brick facades and stone trim. The first story contains services such as a grocery store and laundry; its exterior is stone-faced. In front, limestone crenelations run along the roof line, and projecting bay windows, which rise the full height of the building, terminate in octagonal agee roofs. The main entrance is housed in a one-story projection of the northwest facade. The entrance is heavily decorated with Tudor-style ornamentation.

NRHP Ref# 85002933 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0

Historic Photos

(2)

Sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing

Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Towers — Alden Park Manor (on right) and Indian Village Manor, 1922 Edwin Rorke Tudor, National Register of Historic Places filing, 8100 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI 48214

Public Domain (Michigan Filing)

From Wikipedia

The Alden Park Towers consists of a compound of four eight-story luxury apartment buildings located at 8100 East Jefferson Avenue along the Gold Coast in Detroit, Michigan. It is currently known as Alden Towers. The collective of structures was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.DescriptionAlden Park Towers consists of four eight-story buildings built from red brick with stone trim. The buildings are interconnected at the first story; this level formerly housed commercial services such as grocery store and laundry. The exterior is highly ornamented, with projecting bay windows extending from the ground to the roof. The crenellated limestone at the roofline distinguishes these apartments from other similar buildings in Detroit. The buildings originally held 352 apartments; the number is currently 389.HistoryThe Alden Park Towers were built in 1922 as the Berman Apartments. They were built south of Jefferson to take advantage of the natural beauty of the Detroit River. They were one of the few large apartment buildings built in Detroit.In 1971, the property was purchased for $6.5 million by Saperstein & Associates on a 40-year HUD-insured mortgage. In 2005, the property was almost sold at auction, but was pulled at the last minute when a $3 million debt on the mortgage was resolved.In 2012, Triton Properties acquired the historic Alden Park Towers property, located on Detroit's Gold Coast (the East Jefferson riverfront) out of foreclosure for $2 million, and began a $5 million plus renovation of all 382 apartment units in the four towers. The project included renovation of common area, including a brand-new grand lobby with a large fireplace as the focal point, and a new fitness center with all-new equipment and flatscreen TVs. The entire building is outfitted with free Wi-Fi. The grand lobby, designed with assistance from Sharon Carlile of Royal Oak's Italmoda, mimics the lobby of a modern boutique hotel. Additionally, major renovation to the property's riverfront was undertaken. Renovation work was completed in the first quarter 2015.See also• Riverfront Towers• International RiverfrontReferencesExternal links• Alden Towers

Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0

Building Details

Architect
Edwin Rorke
Year Built
1922
Address
8100 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI 48214
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Style
Tudor
Building Type
residential complex
National Register
Listed
Ref# 85002933
See more by Edwin Rorke