Designed by William S. Joy & Co., the Alhambra Apartments were built in 1895. They are located in the Cass Park Local Historic District in Detroit.

The building is often misattributed to architect John R. Gentle.

The building is six stories, but its units were large, leaving space for only 24 apartments. When it opened, the Alhambra served the upper-middle class. One of its first occupants was Harvey S. Firestone, who later started the Firestone Tire Co.

Around 1927, the building was operating as the Embassy Apartment Hotel and would operate under that name until at least 1946. In the 1950s, it was divided into 41 apartments and was classified as a "boarding house."

In 1968, 18-year-old Sufian Naura, a resident of the Alhambra, was arraigned that Nov. 15, in U.S. court on a charge of threatening the life of President Richard M. Nixon. He was allegedly overheard by co-workers making the threats.

The building has been owned by the Ilitch family's Olympia Development of Michigan since 2009, when it paid $90,000 for it. The building was already closed at the time of the sale, and has continued to be boarded-up since.

In April 2016, the Alhambra was included in the Cass Park Historic District - a move that Olympia Development opposed and led to a months-long battle. Buildings included in local historic districts must receive City approval to be demolished.

In 2017, Olympia Development announced that the Alhambra would be converted into 46 units of housing and ground-floor retail. Work was to start in 2018, but, as of September 2026, that work has not begun -- nine years after its redevelopment was announced.

More on this building coming soon.