This post is technically for Saturday and Sunday, so I’ll use two photos. Happy weekend, Michigan.

the book cadillac 1960s, photo by detroitmi97

This photo must be seen bachground bigtacular, preferably as part of Mark’s old detroit slideshow.

The star of the photo is best met through the awesomely awesome Buildings of Detroit. Their page on the Book Cadillac Hotel begins:

The Book brothers sought to make Washington Boulevard the most opulent, most successful retail destination in Detroit. By 1923, the siblings had built the Washington Boulevard Building and the Book Building and had already cornered much of the real estate on the boulevard. But the Statler Hotel, which opened Feb. 6, 1915, anchored their boulevard on the north and was drawing their tourists. The brothers decided they needed a hotel of their own.

On the south end of the boulevard, bound my Michigan Avenue, stood the venerable Cadillac Hotel. The Book brothers – Herbert, Frank and J. Burgess Book Jr. – were born within its walls and played along the landscaped mall that stood outside it…

Read on to go from the razing of the Cadillac Hotel through many owners to shuttering to the present day when it is once again open as the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit.

I could stop there, but when I read the first post in Noah’s The People of Detroit Photo Documentary, I really felt I had to share it. Head over to The People of Detroit: Outlier on Flickr for a good read (PG for brief language and sexual reference).

The People of Detroit: Outlier, photo by Noah Stephens