If you check into the Cambria Detroit today, you’ll be greeted by velvet furnishings, gleaming tile, and an ultra-chic lobby bar. But if you stood in that same spot nearly a century ago, you wouldn’t be sipping on a craft cocktail. You would be sitting in a 340-seat auditorium watching a live radio broadcast.
That’s right — before it was an upscale retreat in downtown Detroit, this Albert Kahn-designed architectural gem housed WWJ, one of the very first commercial radio stations in the entire country.
The location that helped invent American radio
In 1936, the spectacular Walker-Roehrig Building, now home to the Cambria Detroit, opened to house the broadcasting giant WWJ. Behind its towering limestone facade, the building was a hub of continuous innovation for commercial radio.
The first floor was dominated by a massive auditorium where Detroit residents would gather to watch live orchestral performances, jazz bands, and popular radio dramas broadcast in real time. Throughout the building, the studios were heavily soundproofed, engineered with floating floors to block out the rumbling noise of Detroit’s booming streetcar and automobile traffic.
A new era for the Walker-Roehrig Building
As the decades passed and broadcasting conglomerates consolidated, WWJ eventually outgrew its home at 600 West Lafayette Boulevard. The iconic Art Deco building was later repurposed for union offices. In 2019, it was nearly demolished to make way for a condominium project.
Fortunately, a new plan took shape to save Kahn’s Art Deco masterpiece and restore it to its original splendor. Today, the Cambria Detroit pays homage to its roots at every turn, from wallpaper that subtly mirrors the pattern of radio sound waves to the A.M. Buzz, a cleverly designed cafe with retro radio decor.
The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy
The Cambria Detroit isn’t just preserving history; it’s actively hosting it. Leaning into the building’s legacy of dramatic storytelling, the hotel is welcoming the nationally celebrated Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy this summer.
After wowing guests in over 400 cities, this traveling cocktail experience has chosen the Cambria Detroit for its longest residency yet. Pairing immersive storytelling with craft cocktails, the pop-up is a perfect match for a building that spent decades broadcasting suspenseful radio dramas into the homes of millions.
