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Lost building, Detroit, 1913 to 1949

Edelweiss Cafe

Demolished in 1949

[Edelweiss Cafe, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
Opened
1913
Style
Dutch Colonial
Torn down
1949

Designed by Mildner & Eisen

Edelweiss Cafe stood in Detroit from 1913 until 1949. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.

On the map

Then and now

What stands there now

Edelweiss Cafe, [Edelweiss Cafe, Detroit, Mich.]
The spot where Edelweiss Cafe stood, from the street today
Then Today
Drag the line to see the spot then and today. Then Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress Today Photo: Street View, 2020

A parking garage

6 stories, Mapped as Detroit Opera House Parking Center

Detroit's Edelweiss Cafe, designed by Mildner & Eisen, stood on this spot for 36 years. It came down 77 years ago. Today the spot is a parking garage, mapped as Detroit Opera House Parking Center.

Walk the block on the map
  1. 1913 Opens Edelweiss Cafe
  2. 1949 Comes down Edelweiss Cafe
  3. 2026 Today Parking garage
How we know what stands there
  • OpenStreetMap Detroit Opera House Parking Center, parking garage at the map point

Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.

More photos of Edelweiss Cafe

[Edelweiss Cafe, Grill Room, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
[Edelweiss Cafe, Grill Room, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress

What is there now

A parking garage

  • Today 6 stories, Mapped as Detroit Opera House Parking Center Source: OpenStreetMap
  • Edelweiss Cafe came down Source: Historic Detroit
See then and now

We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

Edelweiss Cafe went up in 1913, in the years Detroit became the Motor City and built like it meant to stay on top.

Credit the design to Mildner & Eisen, working in Dutch Colonial.

It is gone now, demolished in 1949, and the map pin below marks where it stood.

Timeline

  1. 1913 Built Designed by Mildner & Eisen
  2. 1949 Closed
  3. 1949 Demolished
  4. 2026 Today 77 years since it came down

Where it is

1446-1456 Broadway

On this map

  1. Edelweiss Cafe This place
  2. Holmes Building 150 ft
  3. Detroit Opera House 180 ft
  4. Wurlitzer Building 210 ft
  5. Eureka Building 250 ft
  6. The Ashley 270 ft
  7. Plaza Apartments 270 ft
  8. Hartz Building 270 ft
  9. Madison-Lenox Hotel 300 ft

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

Who made it

Architect

Mildner & Eisen

Architecture firm. Designed the Goeschel Building (1914) and 8 more in Metro Detroit

Also by Mildner & Eisen

More from Detroit in the 1910s

Around the block

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. [Edelweiss Cafe, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
  2. [Edelweiss Cafe, Grill Room, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
  3. [Edelweiss Cafe, Grill Room, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress

Sources

Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.