Detroit, MICHIGAN - The Detroiter Hotel - Automobiles - Savoy / LaSalle:  The 12-story hotel opened Sept. 15, 1926, as the Savoy Hotel on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Adelaide Street. On the day of its opening, only five floors and 300 rooms were ready to go. The hotel, and the rest of its 800 rooms, was formally opened Oct. 16, 1926. The man in charge was A.B. Riley, managing director and secretary of the Savoy Hotel Co. The Italian Renaissance-style building was constructed of Bedford stone and pressed brick and terra cotta trim. The price tag: $4 million, the equivalent of $46.5 million today. It was designed by Paul Kamper, the son of architect Louis Kamper. The elder Kamper is responsible for some of Detroit’s landmark buildings, such as the Book-Cadillac Hotel, the Book Tower and the David Broderick Tower.  When it opened, its 800 rooms made the Savoy one of the largest hotels in the state. It also had 18 corner suites and what was billed as a two-story, studio-bungalow that was at first inhabited by Paul Kamper and his wife. Kamper served as the treasurer of the hotel company for the first few years that the building was opened.  The Detroiter stood north of what was Detroit’s main entertainment district of the time, Grand Circus Park and what some now call Foxtown. The Savoy stood across from the Donovan Building and was close to a pair of Louis Kamper’s hotels, the Eddystone and the Park Avenue. It was renowned for its 44-foot bar and was a celebrated hangout for gangsters during the Prohibition era.  Shortly after opening, the Savoy’s name was changed to the Hotel La Salle, around 1928 or 1929. The Adelaide Realty Co., which owned the property, had the hotel renovated, sacrificing nearly 100 rooms in order to improve amenities. By 1930, the La Salle had 707 rooms, making it one of the largest hotels in Michigan, and it also boasted the biggest single ballroom in the city.  This White Border Era (1915-30) postcard is in good condition.  E. C. Kropp Co. Milwaukee, Wis. No. M1669.