National Register of Historic Places

Casa del Rey Apartments

Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
Listed
June 28, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89000787

About this property

The Casa del Rey Apartments is an apartment building located at 111 Oneida Road in Pontiac, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. In the late 1920s, Pontiac was a boomtown, and housing was scarce as workers moved to the city to find jobs in the local automobile factories. Taking advantage of the market, local real estate investor C.L. Groesbeck Jr. began work on the Casa del Rey Apartments in 1928. Groesbeck hired Robert O. Derrick, an architect with offices in both Detroit and Pontiac, to design the building. Derrick's Pontiac office manager, William C. Zimmerman, oversaw the development of plans for the apartment. Pryale Construction Company, Inc. of Pontiac was hired to construct the building. Construction began in 1928 and was complete in early 1929. When completed, the building had 41 individual apartments ranging in size from two to six rooms, and was supposedly the largest apartment building in Pontiac at the time. In 2014, the apartment had been vacant for years, and was for sale. In November 2024, construction began on the redevelopment of the Casa del Rey Apartments into 50 affordable housing units. The $15.5 million redevelopment is being led by two Pontiac natives, Gregory and Ronita Coleman as well as the Oakland County Land Bank Authority. The Casa del Rey Apartments building is a 4+1⁄2-story Spanish eclectic structure of yellow and orange brick. It is a C-shaped building, with the main entry within a courtyard facing the street. Two entry porches face the street on either side of the courtyard opening. On the third level above the porches are three panels filled with sky blue and pale green ceramic tiles; similar panels are above the entryway. The main entry itself consists of a heavy round-topped opening surrounded with cut stone detailing. Windows in the structure are vertical, metal casement units. Inside, the public spaces are elaborately detailed with clay tiles in a variety of patterns and colors. The main entry opens into a vestibule, which leads to the lobby. The lobby is elliptical, with a fountain. Winding stairs lead to the corridors, which are a few feet above the lobby floor. National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan

Location

111 Oneida Rd.
Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
42.63262, -83.31077

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Webster, Elmer R., School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Franklin Boulevard Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Myrick-Palmer House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Gillespie Street-Clinton River Bridge
Industrial
0.8 mi
Pontiac Commercial Historic District
Listed
1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Casa del Rey Apartments listed on the National Register?

Casa del Rey Apartments was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Casa del Rey Apartments?

Casa del Rey Apartments is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Casa del Rey Apartments?

The period of significance for Casa del Rey Apartments is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Casa del Rey Apartments?

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