Colony Club ballroom restored, ready to host swanky Park Ave. events

Park Avenue continues its ascent to the heights of Detroit's nightlife with the completed restoration of the Colony Club's exquisite Louis XVI ballroom.

Located at the corner of Montcalm and Park, the club was built in 1927 as one of five women's clubs in the vicinity. They included the Women's City Club, the Women's Exchange Building, the Century Club (now the Century Theatre) and the YWCA (demolished). The original Colony Club closed in 1933.

It has been used throughout the years as the Detroit headquarters of the United Auto Workers, in the 1960s, and as the home of the Detroit Police Academy after the 1984 purchase of the building by Charles Forbes. Forbes is a developer and preservationist who also owns the Palms Building, the Elwood Bar, the City Club and the Gem and Century Theatres.

The restoration was spurred by the building's use for an ESPN event during the Super Bowl. "Seeing that event in that space was a catalyst," says Scott Myers, marketing and PR director for the Gem and Century. Work centered on the third-floor ballroom and associated mezzanine, as well as the lobby and entrance ways.

Myers has noticed a buzz around the project for some time. "Everyone is talking about it on-line," he says, referring to such discussion forums as DetroitYes. "It's pretty exciting, it's a great location with all the development going on down there."

Future plans include the restoration of the seventh floor solarium and finishing out office space on the interim floors.

Source: Scott Myers, Gem and Century Theatres
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Image courtesy of Colony Club