Tiffany and Bronze
The grand staircase features an elaborately detailed bronze balustrade with fascinating lamps, and in the background on the second and third floors are huge, beautiful Tiffany stained, leaded glass windows. This balustrade lamp is one of my very favourite physical features of The Whitney. Is it any wonder that it's one of our most favored haunts when we're in Detroit?
Speaking of haunts, the home is rumored to be haunted (though we've never had any experiences ourselves). There have been reports of table settings moving, doors opening and closing when no one is near them, the elevator operating on its own, and sightings of a male spirit - believed by some to be Mr. Whitney himself (perhaps he's piqued that he can't enjoy the wonderful food and top-notch service).
Towering over Woodward Avenue downtown, the 21,000 square-foot home was finished in 1894 after four years and $400,000 worth of construction for lumber baron David Whitney, Jr. One newspaper called it "the most elaborate and substantial residence in this part of the country", and with its 52 rooms, 10 bathrooms, 218 windows, 20 fireplaces, secret dining room vault and elevator...I think we can agree!
Mr. Whitney went to Detroit at the age of 27 in 1857 to manage operations for two lumber concerns, and when both companies dissolved, Mr. Whitney began investing his own money in MI, WI, and Oregon timber. As a result, he became the Midwest's largest lumber baron, or "sawdust millionaire", as they were called.
He died in 1900, but his family remained in the Whitney Mansion until the early 20's, at which point it became the Wayne County Medical Society's headquarters. During WWII, the Visiting Nurses Association purchased the mansion and used it as a hospital - and if I recall, they painted a lot of the home white or hospital green! During this time the home suffered and fell into some disrepair, and I believe it was vacant for several years. In the 80s, the mansion was again purchased, and opened as The Whitney restaurant in 1986.
To learn more about the Whitney restaurant and the home's history, you can visit their website.
Tiffany and Bronze
The grand staircase features an elaborately detailed bronze balustrade with fascinating lamps, and in the background on the second and third floors are huge, beautiful Tiffany stained, leaded glass windows. This balustrade lamp is one of my very favourite physical features of The Whitney. Is it any wonder that it's one of our most favored haunts when we're in Detroit?
Speaking of haunts, the home is rumored to be haunted (though we've never had any experiences ourselves). There have been reports of table settings moving, doors opening and closing when no one is near them, the elevator operating on its own, and sightings of a male spirit - believed by some to be Mr. Whitney himself (perhaps he's piqued that he can't enjoy the wonderful food and top-notch service).
Towering over Woodward Avenue downtown, the 21,000 square-foot home was finished in 1894 after four years and $400,000 worth of construction for lumber baron David Whitney, Jr. One newspaper called it "the most elaborate and substantial residence in this part of the country", and with its 52 rooms, 10 bathrooms, 218 windows, 20 fireplaces, secret dining room vault and elevator...I think we can agree!
Mr. Whitney went to Detroit at the age of 27 in 1857 to manage operations for two lumber concerns, and when both companies dissolved, Mr. Whitney began investing his own money in MI, WI, and Oregon timber. As a result, he became the Midwest's largest lumber baron, or "sawdust millionaire", as they were called.
He died in 1900, but his family remained in the Whitney Mansion until the early 20's, at which point it became the Wayne County Medical Society's headquarters. During WWII, the Visiting Nurses Association purchased the mansion and used it as a hospital - and if I recall, they painted a lot of the home white or hospital green! During this time the home suffered and fell into some disrepair, and I believe it was vacant for several years. In the 80s, the mansion was again purchased, and opened as The Whitney restaurant in 1986.
To learn more about the Whitney restaurant and the home's history, you can visit their website.