Abandoned Hotels Where the Past Still Checks In

12. The Lee Plaza Hotel, Detroit, Michigan

Rising above Detroit like a forgotten queen, the Lee Plaza Hotel is a tragic monument to the city’s once-glorious golden age. Opened in 1929, the art deco tower was a beacon of luxury, with lavish suites, ballrooms, and even an in-house pipe organ. It was designed to house Detroit’s elite during the boom years, but like the city itself, the hotel eventually fell victim to economic downturns and urban decline. Abandoned since the 1990s, Lee Plaza’s beauty still clings to its bones—ornate molding, marble accents, and colorful terra cotta tiles lie beneath layers of dust and decay. Vandals and scrappers have had their way, but the building’s soul lingers in its silent halls. Restoration plans have come and gone, but for now, the hotel remains a grand relic, draped in shadows. It’s not just a building—it’s a ghost story of America’s industrial rise and fall, written in brick and ruin.