Eloise to be transformed into a hotel, bar, and restaurant

By Sarah Shurge – Michigan gained a new haunted house when Eloise Asylum opened a walkthrough immersive horror experience in 2021. The 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art haunted experience opened Friday, October 1, 2021.
Then Eloise announced its newest addition, Escape the Asylum, a new escape room that opened Friday, May 13, 2022.
Now Eloise is once again undergoing some major changes.
Thanks to funding from The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), the Eloise property will be transformed into a hotel, restaurant/bar, and expanded haunted attraction in a massive $4 million renovation project.
EGLE will provide a $695,000 brownfield grant to help remove several blighted structures from the grounds and clean up the petroleum-related contamination on the property.
The brownfield grant is just a portion of Eloise’s overall $4 million renovation plan, which also includes the City of Westland teaming up with 30712 Michigan Avenue LLC to redevelop the historic site.
At one point, the Eloise Hospital, Infirmary, and Sanatorium was the largest psychiatric facility in the United States, consisting of 78 buildings over 902 acres.
The Kay Beard Building is one of only five structures that remain of the complex and was used for Wayne County administration until it closed in 2016. But its doors didn’t close officially. The building is said to be haunted and paranormal tours are offered throughout the year.
Jay Kays, Eloise Haunted Attraction Operations Manager, explained that much of Eloise Asylum’s haunted attraction was designed to mimic the history that happened in the historic building.
In 1839, the Kay Beard Building started as a poor house and farm house. It eventually was developed into an asylum, sanitarium, and hospital. One of the other buildings still standing on the property is the old commissary, which is currently being used as a shelter for families struggling with homelessness.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales for Eloise Asylum’s haunted attraction were donated to the homeless shelter on campus.
When the new project is completed, the transformation will create several hundred jobs and a sizable boost in Eloise’s taxable value.
Eloise is located at 30712 Michigan Ave in Westland and is open select dates and times. For more information or to buy tickets, visit eloiseasylum.com or call (618) 719-5615.