Built in 1926 as The Wardell hotel, the building was therefore listed under this name in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

The Wardell was designed by Detroit architects Weston and Ellington and built by Bryant and Detwiler [2] in 1926 as a residential hotel, intended for extended stays.

[3] Diego Rivera and his wife (and fellow artist), Frida Kahlo, lived there while working on his mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

As he could no longer use the Sheraton name, he changed the spelling just slightly,[9] renaming it the Park Shelton Hotel.

[3] It was the Detroit hotel of choice for such celebrities as Bob Hope, George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Raymond Burr.