I’ll be honest, this one hurts. News broke earlier this week that the Hotel Yorba, the crumbling but iconic Detroit hotel forever tied to The White Stripes, has officially been shut down by the city.
Inspectors finally pulled the plug on Monday, September 22nd, citing a leaky roof, collapsing ceilings, infestations, and busted fire alarms. This meant the place was unfortunately falling apart, and residents (many of whom had nowhere else to go) were forced to leave on the spot.
On paper, it makes sense why it happened. The city can’t let people live in unsafe conditions, even if it’s an iconic building.
For most people, Hotel Yorba was just a cheap, run-down rooming house off I-75.
For us, it’s the backdrop of a song that captured a raw, Detroit-made magic. Jack and Meg White recorded “Hotel Yorba” back in 2001, even filming much of the music video inside…