When it opened on December 8, 1924, the thirty-three-story Book-Cadillac Hotel was the tallest building in Detroit and the tallest hotel in the world. The elegant Louis Kamper-designed building at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue featured 1,136 rooms (each with private bath), several luxurious ballrooms, and a WCX radio broadcast station.

For decades, the hotel operated under various owners, but closed in 1984 after a mixed-use conversion plan fell through. The Book-Cadillac sat vacant for nearly two decades and fell into disrepair before the Cleveland-based Ferchill Group acquired it in 2006 and completed a $200 million dollar, two year renovation. In 2008, the building reopened as a 453-room Westin hotel with 65 condominium units, which continues to welcome guests today. 

Celebrate the building's 100th anniversary with this new exhibition. The Westin Book Cadillac at 100 explores the storied hotel's history, the Book brothers's vision for transforming Washington Boulevard, and the building's dramatic renovation and reopening in 2008. The in-person exhibition ran through April 2025, and the virtual version is here!