Building, Detroit, since 1889
Traver Building
Standing and open
- Opened
- 1889
- Style
- English Gothic
- Standing
- 137 years
Designed by Gordon W. Lloyd
The Traver Building has stood on Woodward Ave. in Detroit since 1889, 137 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
What is there now
Under renovation
- Mechanical permit AKA 1201 Woodward 9th floor; HVAC work under building permit BLD2025-01606 for work at Molina HC 9th Floor Source: City and county building permits
- Electrical permit Interior modification for commercial storefront Source: City and county building permits
- Standing and open Source: Historic Detroit
- Fire Alarm permit New tenant fit out of existing space Source: City and county building permits
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026.
The story
The Traver Building opened in 1889, as Detroit's lumber, stove and shipbuilding money went into brick and stone.
Credit the design to Gordon W. Lloyd, in the English Gothic style.
It still stands and still opens its doors.
Go see it at 1217 Woodward Ave. Photos never get the scale right.
Timeline
- 1889 Built Designed by Gordon W. Lloyd
- 2025 3 building permits The latest October 3
- 2026 Today Under renovation
Where it is
1217 Woodward Ave.
On this map
- 1 Traver Building This place
- 2 Fowler Building 50 ft
- 3 Kresge Building 70 ft
- 4 Hudson's Department Store 130 ft
- 5 35W Capitol Park Apartments 130 ft
- 6 Miles Theatre 160 ft
- 7 The Albert 160 ft
- 8 Hudson's Detroit 280 ft
- 9 David Stott Building 280 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Christ Church, by Gordon W. Lloyd. Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Architect
Gordon W. LloydEnglish-American architect, 1832 to 1904. Designed Christ Church (1863) and 17 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Gordon W. Lloyd
More from Detroit in the 1880s
-
Globe Tobacco Building
Building, built 1889, Richardsonian Romanesque, by William Scott & Co.
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
![Cadillac Hotel, [Hotel Cadillac and Washington Boulevard, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4323-2196-thumb-ce55ea75dc.jpg)
Cadillac Hotel
Hotel, built 1888, Italian, by John Scott, demolished 1923
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Detroit Museum of Art, Art museum [Detroit Museum of Art], Detroit, Mich.](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4407-2249-thumb-f19f2910c9.jpg)
Detroit Museum of Art
Building, built 1888, Richardsonian Romanesque, by James Balfour, demolished 1960
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
First Unitarian Church
House of worship, built 1890, Romanesque revival, by Donaldson & Meier, demolished 2014
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Grace Hospital
Building, built 1888, by Gordon W. Lloyd, demolished 1979
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Bagley Memorial Fountain
Monument, built 1887, Romanesque
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Fowler Building Building, built 1911, by Donaldson & Meier 50 ft
- Kresge Building Building, built 1917, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls 70 ft
-
Hudson's Department Store
Building, built 1911, Chicago School, by Albert Kahn, demolished 1998
Photo: artistmac, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
130 ft
- 35W Capitol Park Apartments Building, built 1922, Neo-Classical, by Brown, Derrick & Preston 130 ft
- Miles Theatre Theater, built 1910, Classical, by Serenus Colburn, demolished 1928 160 ft
- The Albert Building, built 1928, Art Moderne, by Albert Kahn 160 ft
-
Hudson's Detroit
Skyscraper, built 2025, by SHoP Architects
Photo: TheWxResearcher, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
280 ft
-
David Stott Building
Skyscraper, built 1929, Art Deco, by John Donaldson
Photo: Einar Einarsson Kvara aka Carptrash, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
280 ft
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.