The building is named for David Whitney Jr., a wealthy Detroiter who earned millions of dollars as a lumber baron dealing in white pine; his father was said to be the employer of Paul Bunyan.

Burnham died in 1912, two years before the project was announced, and no contemporary record gives any indication that he was involved with the design of the building prior to his death.

In January 2011, the Detroit Downtown Development Authority approved a $1 million loan to help Whitney Partners LLC purchase and renovate the building.

Their plan included creating a mixed-use building and restoring the decorative exterior elements that were removed in 1959 and the four-story lobby.

[2] The purchase was completed in March for $3.3 million and the new owners sought additional funding and tax credits to finance their plans for a boutique hotel, apartments and retail.