25 michigandesign.com downtown and Midtown would come roaring back, and that the Book would rebound after a massive renovation. But that’s precisely what happened in 2008, and the spruced-up hotel was back in business, along with 67 condos and penthouses on the top eight floors. Designed by architect Louis Kamper, the Book, with its towering Ionic columns, Corinthian pilasters, and graceful arched windows, is in the neoclassical style, with some geometric Art Deco touches tossed into the mix. For the designers, both fans of Detroit and its history, nabbing the chance to design the historic spot was a dream. In fact, their own design studio is located in a 1915 building designed by Albert Kahn in the up-and-coming east-side neighborhood called Islandview, so named for its proximity to Belle Isle. “There is such an amazing energy in Detroit,” Nelson says during a visit to the designers’ light-flooded studio on Bellevue. “That’s why Lauren and I wanted to be in the city; we wanted to be part of something greater than ourselves. “We get to do this! It was a big moment for us.” “When we came out of the hotel for the first time, we had tears in our eyes, saying, ‘We get to do this!’ It was a big moment for us.” As it happened, their client is also a Detroit booster who wanted her surroundings to reflect the building’s 1920s flavor. “She loves and respects Detroit and the history of the building, so we wanted that Art Deco flair to be reflected in that,” DeLaurentiis says. Those Art Deco touches include black marble In 1924, it was the tallest hotel in the world, providing exquisite hospitality to celebrities, statesmen, and well-heeled travelers. That was a far cry from its glory days when, after completion in 1924, it was the tallest hotel in the world, providing exquisite hospitality to celebrities, statesmen, and well-heeled travelers. But like many aging buildings in Detroit in the ’80s, the grande dame had declined into a sad state of frayed elegance. Few then could have predicted that
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