By the late 1800s, the Cass Park area had developed into one of the city’s most desirable residential neighborhoods and was home to a number of wealthy families.
At the same time, Detroit’s population was growing and about to explode with the rise of the automobile. This led to a significant increase in demand for housing, and apartments were about to make their debut in the city.
Around the same time, apartments were finally beginning to become socially acceptable dwellings for the wealthy. Some of these buildings used the term "flats" to distinguish their units as being more spacious than typical apartments. Up until this time, many Americans associated apartment living with the rundown tenements so frequently found in New York. This was changing, and that change in sentiment couldn't have come at a better time given the housing crunch the city was quickly finding itself in.
To help meet the need, architect Almon C. Varney developed the first apartment building in the city, the Varney Apartments, in 1892. The four-story building had 16 units and stood at Park Avenue and Montcalm Street.
In 1904, Varney would design the Cromwell Flats, a three-and-a-half story, six-unit apartment building. It would open the following year. There were two flats per floor.
By 1926, the Varney had a massive new neighbor, the Detroit Masonic Temple.
Furnished apartments in the Cromwell were leasing for $32.50 a month in 1952, about $411 in 2026 money, when adjusted for inflation. The Cass Corridor area began slipping in the 1950s and ‘60s, and began to empty out.
By the late 1980s, the Cromwell was boarded-up. In 1990, the building sold for $69,000 - about $181,000 in 2026 - but would not be renovated.
Nevertheless, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and it was designated in 2016 by the City of Detroit as part of the Cass Park Historic District.
The Cromwell and its neighbors, the Manhattan and Altadena apartments, were all purchased on Aug. 31, 2009, by Line Rock, an LLC associated with the Ilitch family. Though the boards on the windows were replaced, no development happened for the next 17 years. Meanwhile, the Cromwell’s parapet crumbled as the building continued to rot.
Finally, on Sept. 9, 2026, the Detroit Historic District Commission (HDC) voted unanimously in favor of a plan to "protect and stabilize" the Cromwell, Manhattan and Altadena. Though there were no plans announced to actually rehab and reopen the buildings, the Ilitch family did say it would replace their deteriorated roofs, fix masonry and damaged parapets, and other repairs in order to prepare them for future redevelopment.
This plan, by Detroit-based Infuz Architects, specifically says that the work is to "prepare the properties for a future rehabilitation and reuse phase."
"There are no redevelopment plans for the property at this time," Olympia Development said in a statement after the HDC meeting. "Our immediate focus is ensuring the long-term integrity of these historic buildings. We look forward to sharing further updates as appropriate."
Though not the ultimate outcome many had hoped for, it is a serious step forward that should help ensure the buildings will eventually be renovated and won’t be torn down, which had long looked like their likely outcome - especially considering that the Cromwell has been empty for some four decades.