DETROIT — Bedrock has begun pre-leasing the Book Tower in downtown Detroit. The seven-year, $300 million redevelopment project is nearing completion. The 500,000-square-foot, 38-story building has been converted into 220 apartment units, 117 ROOST apartment hotel units and 52,000 square feet of retail, office and dining space. Located at 1265 Washington Blvd., Book Tower will also offer coworking, meeting and event space. Originally built in 1926 by the Book Brothers, Book Tower was the tallest building in Detroit at the time of completion. Bedrock acquired the Louis Kamper-designed, Italian Renaissance Revival-style building in 2015. The building was in a state of disrepair after sitting vacant for more than a decade. Bedrock’s project team included New York-based architecture firm ODA for architecture and interior renovation, Detroit-based Brinker/Christman for construction and Kraemer Design Group for historic preservation. Amenities include an indoor-outdoor lounge, a 3,000-square-foot coworking space, fitness center, entertaining suite and 300-space parking garage. The Rotunda is a three-story, marble-arched atrium that serves as the entrance to the property and features an original 1920s skylight. A portion of the units will be reserved as affordable housing for persons making at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
