Milner Arms Apartments

Milner Arms Apartments is a historic residential property at 40 Davenport Street in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. The building opened in 1913 as the Hotel Stevenson, a suite-oriented hotel developed by the Davenport Realty Company. Its founders were Charles Hugh Stevenson, his brother-in-law Richard J. Helson, and Stevenson’s father-in-law, Richard Helson. Stevenson was a lawyer, writer, and hotel-industry figure whose professional background included civil engineering studies at Lehigh University, legal education at George Washington University, and employment with the U.S. Fish Commission. Designed by architect Joseph P. Jogerst, the building was conceived as a relatively quiet and comfortable alternative to a conventional transient hotel. A 1920 hotel directory advertisement presented it as a place where residents could stay for a day, a week, or a year, with one-, two-, and three-room suites, hotel services, dining, and a garage. This positioning placed the property between an apartment house and a traditional hotel, serving tourists, families, and longer-term residents near Detroit’s business and shopping districts. The property later changed ownership and identity within the hotel sector. It was acquired by the Milner Hotel chain, which renamed it the Taft Hotel. The building was subsequently converted or operated as the Milner Arms Apartments, the name by which it became known as a residential apartment property. In 1997, Milner Arms Apartments was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands adjacent to, but is not included within, the Cass-Davenport Historic District. Architecturally, the property is an eight-story rectangular steel-frame building in the Georgian Revival style, faced with brick. Its symmetrical facade includes a distinctive first floor with five arched openings and masonry quoins, a separate entrance, a projecting cornice with brackets, regular double-hung windows on the middle floors, belt courses, and an upper level with arched windows capped by a balustrade. These features contribute to its historic character and distinguish it from later Midtown residential construction. The building contains 93 apartments. The inventory includes 68 studio units ranging from approximately 250 to 600 square feet, 22 one-bedroom units of approximately 800 square feet, and three two-bedroom units of approximately 1,020 square feet. The supplied reference identifies Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services, Inc. as the purchaser in 2016 and states that the property remained in operation as an apartment building. The available material does not establish a current owner, a separate corporate parent, a current website, or the extent to which the property is marketed under the supplied name “The Hamilton Midtown Detroit.”

Milner Arms Apartments originated as the Hotel Stevenson, a residentially oriented hotel constructed in 1913 at 40 Davenport Street in Midtown Detroit. The development was undertaken by the Davenport Realty Company, founded by Charles Hugh Stevenson, his brother-in-law Richard J. Helson, and Stevenson’s father-in-law Richard Helson. Stevenson brought an unusual combination of technical, legal, and hotel-industry experience to the project. He studied civil engineering at Lehigh University, later earned advanced legal degrees at George Washington University, worked for the U.S. Fish Commission from 1891 to 1909, and became known internationally for his work connected with hotels. Architect Joseph P. Jogerst designed the building. Its original form was an eight-story, steel-frame structure clad in brick and executed in the Georgian Revival style. The design uses a largely symmetrical street facade, with five arched openings and masonry quoins on the first level, a prominent entrance, bracketed cornice work, repeated double-hung windows, belt courses, and an arched-window upper story finished with a balustrade. The combination of durable construction and formal detailing reflected the building’s intended role as a substantial Detroit lodging property. The Hotel Stevenson was marketed as a flexible place to live for short or extended periods. A 1920 hotel directory advertisement described one-, two-, and three-room suites and promoted the property as suitable for tourists and families. The advertisement also emphasized service, cuisine, fireproof construction, proximity to business and shopping areas, and a garage. This presentation suggests that the building occupied a middle ground between a traditional hotel and a furnished apartment residence, an approach suited to guests seeking more space and permanence than an ordinary hotel room. The property later passed to the Milner Hotel chain. Under that ownership it was renamed the Taft Hotel. At a later stage it became known as the Milner Arms Apartments, reflecting its operation as an apartment building rather than primarily as a hotel. The supplied historical account does not specify the dates of each ownership or naming transition, but it records the sequence from Hotel Stevenson to Taft Hotel and then to Milner Arms Apartments. Milner Arms is located near Detroit’s historic Midtown neighborhoods. It is adjacent to the Cass-Davenport Historic District but is specifically separate from that district. The building’s own historic importance was recognized in 1997, when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation reflects both its architectural character and its connection with Detroit’s early twentieth-century development. The apartment configuration consists of 93 units: 68 studios measuring approximately 250 to 600 square feet, 22 one-bedroom apartments of about 800 square feet, and three two-bedroom apartments of roughly 1,020 square feet. In 2016, the building was sold to Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services, Inc. The available reference states that it remained in operation as an apartment building after the sale. It does not provide reliable information about subsequent ownership, management, renovations, current branding, or a dedicated property website. The supplied name “The Hamilton Midtown Detroit” is therefore retained as an alias or input label, while the canonical subject remains Milner Arms Apartments.

• 2016

  Sale to Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services

  [1]Milner Arms Apartmentsen.wikipedia.org

  The building was sold to Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services, Inc. and continued to operate as an apartment property.

• 1997

  National Register of Historic Places listing

  [1]Milner Arms Apartmentsen.wikipedia.org

  Milner Arms Apartments was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1920

  Hotel directory advertising documents the original positioning

  [1]Milner Arms Apartmentsen.wikipedia.org

  A hotel directory advertisement presented the property as a quiet, service-oriented place offering suites for stays ranging from a day to a year.

• 1913

  Hotel Stevenson opens

  [1]Milner Arms Apartmentsen.wikipedia.org

  The Davenport Realty Company completed the building at 40 Davenport Street in Midtown Detroit as the Hotel Stevenson.

A historic Midtown Detroit apartment property combining long-term residential accommodation with preserved early twentieth-century hotel architecture.

• Residential rental units

  Studio apartments

  The property contains 68 studio apartments. The units range from approximately 250 to 600 square feet and represent the largest part of the building’s residential inventory.

• Residential rental units

  One-bedroom apartments

  Milner Arms includes 22 one-bedroom apartments, each described in the supplied reference as approximately 800 square feet. They form the second-largest unit category in the building.

• Residential rental units

  Two-bedroom apartments

  The building contains three two-bedroom apartments of approximately 1,020 square feet, providing the property’s largest documented residential layouts.

• Transition from hotel operation to apartmentsOther

  Background

  The property began as the Hotel Stevenson, later operated under the Taft Hotel name, and ultimately became known as Milner Arms Apartments.

  Action taken

  The building was repositioned and operated as a residential apartment property.

  Aftermath

  The building contains 93 apartments and remains identified in the supplied material as an operating apartment building.

  Source

1. 1Milner Arms Apartmentsen.wikipedia.org