The building was designed by Weinberg & Lewis and constructed in 1918 for Jacob Shevitz. It was originally planned with retail storefronts on the ground floor and a community assembly hall above. In the late 1920s, the structure was converted from a Jewish community center into a an old world, Eastern European style Bath House and operated for decades under the name Oakland Baths.

In 2017, Detroit preservationist Paddy Lynch purchased the building and undertook a careful restoration, reopening the Schvitz in 2020. The revival respected its historic character while reintroducing it as a modern wellness and social space.