Lower Woodward building to be redone into new restaurant space

The vacant one-story black building at 1550 Woodward will soon get an upgrade. The Bedrock-owned building will be rehabbed into a new restaurant space. 

Kraemer Design Group and McIntosh Poris Associates are leading the redesign.

A substantial part of the building will be demolished. The facade is currently covered in plywood painted black. The front and west facades will be demolished, as well as the roof. Most of the rear and east-facing walls will also be demolished. A new deck and enclosed terrace space will be built on the roof. The new design will incorporate brick and granite, like many of the other buildings in the district.

A sidewalk patio will also be added to the new construction.

The Detroit Historic District Commission approved the plans this week. Although located in a historic district, the 1963 building - home to the Kay Baum women's clothing store and then the Tall-Eez shoe store--does not contribute to the district, per the report. It has been vacant since 2004. According to HDC documents, work had been started in 2004 for a restaurant in that space, but the work was stopped and not restarted.