The Story of This Abandoned Place in Dearborn, Michigan Is Truly Fascinating

I have a confession to make.

I'm obsessed with a building. I have been since I moved to Michigan a few years ago. We drive past this particular building whenever we head to Detroit, and I get a jolt of excitement every single time. You'd think the luster would have worn off by now, but it 100% has not.

I mean, just look at it:

In its prime, the Edward Hotel and Convention Center in Dearborn, Michigan, wasn’t just a hotel—it was *the* hotel. Built in the 1970s as the Hyatt Regency, this place was the gold standard of Midwest glamour, back when "Midwest glamour" was still a thing and spoken without irony. Imagine it: sleek, glass-covered walls, marble everywhere, and more chandeliers than you'd expect to find outside of a royal palace. If you were someone important, this was where you stayed.

Corporate bigwigs and local celebs were regulars here, partly thanks to its proximity to Ford World Headquarters. You could practically smell the deals being made over steak dinners in the swanky restaurant, where "business casual" probably meant you wore a tie with your polyester leisure suit.

Opened in 1976, this was a time when the hotel's revolving doors were constantly spinning with executives, politicians, and the occasional celebrity passing through. You know, the kind of folks who think they invented the expense account... and you'd need it to stay at this Dearborn gem! The restaurant up top used to rotate, so you know that was a pricy meal! Unfortunately, it's one I'll never get to enjoy as the hotel has been closed since 2018.

And while it might seem like a historical curiosity to some, I’m utterly obsessed with this abandoned gem. Truly, it’s like a real-life set from a movie about the golden age of hotel glamour. Every trip that takes us past this building sends my imagination into overdrive.

Can you imagine being a part of a high-powered meeting in those formerly posh ballrooms!? Making decisions that would change the automobile world as we know it. Or the glamorous couples twirling on the dance floor, staring into each other's eyes while the marble walls seemingly spin around them?!

The sheer nostalgia of it all sends shivers down my spine—or maybe it’s just the draft from those broken windows up top! It is abandoned, after all.

The Edward wasn’t just about sleeping and schmoozing, though. It was also the spot for local weddings and high-end conventions. You could get married under those massive chandeliers, throw back a few stiff drinks at the grand bar, and then immediately fall asleep in one of the almost 800 plush rooms. It was a one-stop shop for romance, business, and pretending you weren’t in Dearborn, Michigan, for a weekend.

But like all things glamorous and slightly over-the-top, this former Dearborn hotel's glory days eventually started to fade. By the time it was rebranded to the current name proffered on the sign, the sleek glass and marble aesthetic that once screamed “luxury” began to whisper “dated.” Still, for a brief, shimmering moment in the '70s and '80s, the Edward Hotel was the place to be.

For an obsessed fan like me, its abandoned state only adds to the intrigue; it's like a forgotten movie set waiting for the director to set up the next shot. I can almost hear the echoes of laughter and the clinking of glasses trapped within those walls, forever inviting me to imagine the stories they still have to tell... or wishing I had the capital to turn it into the incredible space it deserves to be.

Maybe one day someone will reopen it and I'll get to experience it for myself. My fingers are crossed, for sure.

Did you get the chance to visit this Midwestern gem in its heyday? I'd love to hear about it!