Lost hotel, West Side Industrial, 1957 to 1992
Thunderbird Motel
Demolished in 1992
- Opened
- 1957
- Style
- Mid-Century Modern
- Torn down
- 1992
Thunderbird Motel stood in West Side Industrial from 1957 until 1992. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
A parking lot
Detroit's Thunderbird Motel stood on this spot for 35 years. It came down 34 years ago. Today the spot is a parking lot.
- 1957 Opens Thunderbird Motel
- 1991 Closes Thunderbird Motel
- 1992 Comes down Thunderbird Motel
- 2026 Today Parking lot
How we know what stands there
- County parcel records PARKING LOT-PAVED
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
A parking lot
- Today Source: County parcel records
- Thunderbird Motel came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
Thunderbird Motel went up in 1957, at the height of Detroit's postwar prosperity.
It was built in the Mid-Century Modern style, and it still reads that way from the sidewalk.
It is gone now, demolished in 1992, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1957 Built Mid-Century Modern
- 1991 Closed
- 1992 Demolished
- 2026 Today 34 years since it came down
Where it is
1365 W. Fort St.
On this map
- 1 Thunderbird Motel This place
- 2 Peninsular Stove Co. 110 ft
- 3 Puritan Machine Co. 0.2 mi
- 4 John K. King Books Building 0.2 mi
- 5 The Assembly 0.3 mi
- 6 Riverfront Condominiums Detroit 0.3 mi
- 7 Edson, Moore and Company Building 0.3 mi
- 8 Lee, Cady & Smart Building 0.3 mi
- 9 Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church 0.3 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
More from Detroit in the 1950s
-
Ford Auditorium
Building, built 1956, International Style, by Crane, Kiehler & Kellogg, demolished 2011
Photo: Goldnpuppy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
McGregor Memorial Conference Center
Monument, built 1958, International Style
Photo: © Matt Joseph / https://mattj.io, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
WJBK-TV Studios Building
Building, built 1956, Georgian Revival, by John L. Volk
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
Skyscraper, built 1955, International, by Harley, Ellington & Day
Photo: 42-BRT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Dossin Great Lakes Museum
Park, built 1960, by William Kapp
Photo: PDru2014 from Detroit, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Huntington Place
Building, built 1960, Mid-Century Modern, by Louis Rossetti
Photo: Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
It is in West Side Industrial. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
- Peninsular Stove Co. Building, built 1882, by Mason & Rice, demolished 1929 110 ft
- Puritan Machine Co. Building, built 1911 0.2 mi
-
John K. King Books Building
Building, built 1905, by Stratton & Baldwin
Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.2 mi
- The Assembly Built 1913 0.3 mi
-
Riverfront Condominiums Detroit
Skyscraper, built 1983
Photo: Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.3 mi
-
Edson, Moore and Company Building
Building, built 1913, Commercial Style, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.3 mi
- Lee, Cady & Smart Building Building, built 1908, by John Scott, demolished 0.3 mi
- Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church House of worship, built 1866, Gothic Revival, by Patrick C. Keely 0.3 mi
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.