NEWH - Fall 2018 - 52

PROJECT | DETROIT FOUNDATION HOTEL

Shifting Gears
Simeone Deary infuses a Motor City property with a nostalgic touch
By Alia Akkam
Photography by Nathan Kirkman
During one of Detroit's grimmest chapters, numerous street lamps
didn't work because recession and bankruptcy left no money for
replacing burned-out bulbs. A custom light fixture surrounding the
lobby bar of the Detroit Foundation Hotel pays tribute to these literal
darker days, reflecting the property's devotion to "reinterpreting the
engineering and manufacturing that the city is known for into art,"
explains Gina Deary, co-owner of Chicago-based Simeone Deary
Design Group. "That's the soul of Detroit. It has always been a city
of tinkerers, engineers, and artists, so the design celebrates that
culture," she says.
Working hand-in-hand with Aparium Hotel Group and Birmingham,
Michigan architects McIntosh Poris Associates, Simeone Deary
further enlivened Motor City's now-booming downtown with this 100room hotel situated across two buildings, including the circa-1929
headquarters for Detroit's fire department. Doors-now painted an

52 www.newh.org

apt bright red-as well as a firehose shaft are two original details that
illuminate this heritage.
"Detroit is a nostalgic city. You have to be careful what you design
because there are a lot of people who are very close to the city. They
want to make sure it is portrayed authentically," explains Deary, who
was raised in the area. A simple, warm, and elegant design scheme
that references Detroit's midcentury heyday resonates with locals.
Some original features were preserved, such as restored glazed-brick
tiles and the terrazzo flooring and marble wainscot of a corridor. In
the Apparatus Room, the restaurant subtly separated from the lobby
by a charred reclaimed wood wall, an antique brass-metal rail system
reminiscent of a fire pole runs throughout. A palette of chocolate and
pastel metallic in guestrooms calls to mind 1960s automobile colors.
Community and social entrepreneurship, says Deary, are the
hotel's building blocks, fostered through numerous collaborations



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NEWH - Fall 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - Fall 2018

NEWH - Fall 2018
Contents
Guest Perspective
Who’s Who
News
Conference Roundup
Have You Seen?
Scholarships
Sustainability
Premium Business Members
Q&A Alex Jones
Q&A Kacey Sharp
Q&A Ron McDaniel
Cover Story: Next Generation
PROJECT: Detroit Foundation Hotel
PROJECT: Sugarcane
PROJECT: Hotel Leveque
Chapter Highlights
Save the Date
New Members
Partner Profiles
Ad Index
NEWH - Fall 2018 - NEWH - Fall 2018
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Cover2
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Contents
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Guest Perspective
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 5
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Who’s Who
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 7
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 8
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 9
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 10
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 11
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 12
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 13
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 14
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 15
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 16
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 17
NEWH - Fall 2018 - News
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 19
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Conference Roundup
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 21
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Have You Seen?
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 23
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 24
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 25
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 26
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 27
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 28
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 29
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Scholarships
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 31
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Sustainability
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 33
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Premium Business Members
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 35
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 36
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 37
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 38
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 39
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 40
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 41
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Q&A Alex Jones
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 43
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Q&A Kacey Sharp
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 45
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Q&A Ron McDaniel
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 47
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Cover Story: Next Generation
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 49
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 50
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 51
NEWH - Fall 2018 - PROJECT: Detroit Foundation Hotel
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 53
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 54
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 55
NEWH - Fall 2018 - PROJECT: Sugarcane
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 57
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 58
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 59
NEWH - Fall 2018 - PROJECT: Hotel Leveque
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 61
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 62
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 63
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Chapter Highlights
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 65
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 66
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 67
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 68
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 69
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 70
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NEWH - Fall 2018 - 72
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NEWH - Fall 2018 - 74
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 75
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 76
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 77
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Save the Date
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 79
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 80
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 81
NEWH - Fall 2018 - New Members
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 83
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 84
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 85
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 86
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NEWH - Fall 2018 - 95
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Ad Index
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 97
NEWH - Fall 2018 - 98
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Cover3
NEWH - Fall 2018 - Cover4
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