Building, Detroit, since 1922
Merchants Building
Standing and open
- Opened
- 1922
- Standing
- 104 years
Designed by Bonnah & Chaffee
The Merchants Building has stood on E. Grand River Ave. in Detroit since 1922, 104 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
More photos of Merchants Building
What is there now
Standing and open
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.
The story
The Merchants Building opened in 1922, during the boom years when the auto industry turned Detroit into one of the fastest growing cities in America.
Credit the design to Bonnah & Chaffee.
It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
It is still open, and still part of daily life in the city.
Go see it at 206 E. Grand River Ave. Photos never get the scale right.
The Merchants Building is a commercial building located at 206 East Grand River Avenue (at Broadway Street) in Downtown Detroit. It is also known as the Broadway Merchants Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Timeline
- 1922 Built Designed by Bonnah & Chaffee
- 1983 Listed on the National Register November 25, 1983
- 2026 Today 104 years and still standing
Where it is
206 E. Grand River Ave.
Who made it
Cadillac Square Building, by Bonnah & Chaffee. Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
Architect
Bonnah & ChaffeeArchitecture firm. Designed the Cadillac Tower (1927) and 8 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Bonnah & Chaffee
More from Detroit in the 1920s
-
Bethel Community Transformation Center
House of worship, built 1922, by Albert Kahn
Photo: paintings by Myron G. Barlow photography by Helmut Ziewers,, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Cadillac Place
Building, built 1920, by Albert Kahn
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
Hotel, built 1924, Neo-Renaissance, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Buhl Building
Skyscraper, built 1925, Neo-Romanesque, by Wirt C. Rowland
Photo: I, Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Chateau Frontenac
Building, built 1925, Mediterranean, by J. Will Wilson, demolished 1999
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Belcrest Apartments
Building, built 1926, Neo-Romanesque, by Charles N. Agree
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Lincoln Hotel Hotel, built 1917, by Albert Kahn, demolished 1949 120 ft
- Hemmeter Building Building, built 1911, Neoclassical, by Richard E. Raseman 140 ft
- The Belle Building, built 1926, Beaux Arts and Neoclassicism, by George D. Mason 200 ft
-
![Broadway Market, [Edw. Neumann, Broadway Market, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4310-2194-thumb-42e52f2f8b.jpg)
Broadway Market
Building, built 1912, Beaux Arts, by Harry C. Stevens, demolished 1967
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
200 ft
-
Broadway Avenue Historic District
Historic district
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
240 ft
- The Ashley Hotel, built 1913, by Norman S. Atcheson Alvin E. Harley 290 ft
-
Harmonie Club
Building, built 1895, Beaux Arts, by Richard E. Raseman
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
300 ft
- Lafer Brothers Building Building, built 1916, by Joseph E. Mills 340 ft
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- Merchants Building Detroit MI Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Merchant's Building, Detroit MI Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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.