The Madison Lenox Hotel, built in the early 1900s, had two 8-story towers (the Madison and the Lenox) connected by a two- story building, and spanned nearly a full block in downtown Detroit. Due to the poor condition of the structure, no pre-demolition environmental testing could be completed, meaning that the building had to be demolished and all materials handled and disposed of as asbestos containing materials.
Work on the emergency, ordered demolition project was temporarily stopped by court order, pending resolution of a dispute between the ordering body of the City of Detroit and two local preservation groups. As the building had been condemned as unsafe by the City, the court allowed the demolition to continue. The site was prepared and used as parking for the Superbowl hosted by the City in 2006.