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Architecture of metropolitan Detroit

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Comerica Tower

The architecture of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike.[1][2] With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The past meets the present as the city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers blend with the post-modern neogothic spires of Comerica Tower. Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's marque.

Detroit's architecture is recognized as being among the nation's finest with the National Trust for Historic Preservation listing many of Detroit's skyscrapers and buildings as some of America's most endangered landmarks.[3] Detroit has one of the nation's largest surviving collections of late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings.[4] Meanwhile, the city's suburbs also contain a great deal of significant contemporary architecture, as well as some Guilded Age mansions.

History

Richardsonian Romanesque: First Presbyterian Church (1891) in Detroit by George D. Mason and Zachariah Rice
Most Holy Redeemer Church in Detroit.
Romanesque style St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church by architect Peter Dederichs built in 1875 is a Greektown fixture.
Frank Hecker House, 5510 Woodward, designed by Louis Kamper after the Château de Chenonceaux.
File:Start dream.jpg
The Star Dream by Marshall Fredericks in the suburb of Royal Oak.
Augustus Woodward's plan following the 1805 fire for Detroit's baroque styled radial avenues and Grand Circus Park.

Founded in 1701, Detroit contains the second oldest Roman Catholic parish in the United States. Consequently, metro Detroit's many churches are among its architectural gems. Ste. Anne de Detroit (1887), on the site of the city's original church, is one of the more significant. Other notable churches in the area include the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament (1915), the Victorian Gothic style Fort Street Presbyterian Church (1855), Old St. Mary's Church (1885) in Greektown, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (1911) by Ralph Adams Cram, and Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian (1958) in Bloomfield Hills by Wirt C. Rowland. The Victorian Gothic style St. John's Episcopal Church (1861) sits across from the opulent Fox Theater (1928) on Woodward Avenue. Sculptor Corrado Parducci's work adorns many of Detroit's churches including the ornate facade of St. Aloysius Church (1930). Among his Detroit projects, Gordon W. Lloyd designed the Christ P.E. Church (1863) at 960 E. Jefferson Avenue. The large concentration of Poles in the metropolitan Detroit area resulted in a number of impressive churches in the Polish Cathedral style, such as old St. Casimir's, St. Hyacinth's, St. John Cantius or St. Hedwig's. The Detroit Historical Society at the Detroit Historical Museum provides information on tours of the city's many historic churches.

In 1805, Detroit suffered a devastating fire, which destroyed most of the city's French colonial architecture. Shortly afterward, Father Gabriel Richard said, "Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus," meaning "We hope for better things; it will arise from the ashes" which became the city's official motto. For Detroit, Justice Augustus B. Woodward devised a plan similar to Pierre Charles L'Enfant's design for Washington, DC in keeping with the City Beautiful movement.[5] Detroit's monumental avenues and traffic circles fan out in a baroque styled radial fashion from Grand Circus Park in the heart of the city's theater district.[6] Compuware World Headquarters overlooks the reconstructed traffic cicle surrounding Campus Martius Park with the historic Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument of the American Civil War by Randolph Rogers.[7] Once nearby, the old Detroit City Hall (1861) was demolished in 1961.

In the late nineteenth century, Detroit was called the Paris of the West for its architecture and open public spaces.[8] Architects John and Arthur Scott designed the Wayne County Building (1897) in downtown Detroit. Expense was not a factor in construction of its lavish design. Topped with bronze quadrigas by J. Massey Rhind and an Anthony Wayne pediment by Edward Wagner, it may be America's finest surviving example of Roman Baroque architecture with a blend of Beaux-Arts.

During the Roaring Twenties, Detroit's skyline was rising. The city's architectural legacy is rich in Art Deco style. Examples include Wirt C. Rowland's Guardian Building (1929), Albert Kahn's Fisher Building, and the David Stott Building (1929). Albert Kahn, often called the "architect of Detroit," originally worked for John Scott. Kahn designed what is now Cadillac Place (1923) for General Motors which was the largest office building in the world when it opened. The seven Fisher brothers who owned the automotive company Fisher Body essentially gave architect Albert Kahn a blank check to design and build the "most beautiful building in the world."[9] This became Detroit's famous Fisher Building (1927) which, with its detailed work, has been called the city's "largest art object;" its opulent 3 story barrel vaulted lobby is constructed with 40 different kinds of marble.[10][11] The Fisher Building and Cadillac Place are among the many National Historic Landmarks in Detroit.

With the notable exception of the 1001 Woodward (1965) building, Detroit's skyscrapers show less influence by the Chicago school of architecture and are more eastern in character. Minoru Yamasaki patterned his award winning design for the New York City's former World Trade Center towers after his design for Detroit's One Woodward Avenue. Comerica Tower at Detroit Center (1994), with is neogothic spires, is a fine example of post modern architecture by leading architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee.

Wayne County Building (1897) from Monroe Street.
The Fisher Building along with Cadillac Place are National Historic Landmarks in the City's New Center area.
Guardian Building's lavish interior

The Detroit area is home to light houses, yacht clubs, and many unique monuments. Examples include the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club (1929) and the Chauncey Hurlbut Memorial Gate at Waterworks Park.[12] Achitects such as Cass Gilbert who designed the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC also designed the Detroit Public Library (1921) and Belle Isle's exquisite James Scott Fountain.[13] Frederick Olmstead, landscape architect of New York City's Central Park, designed Detroit's 982 acre Belle Isle park. Paul Cret, architect of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. designed the Detroit Institute of Arts building while Marshall Fredericks' sculptures, which include the Spirit of Detroit, may be seen throughout the metopolitan area. Sculptor Corrado Parducci's work can be found on many notable Metro Detroit buildings such as the Meadowbrook Hall mansion, the Guardian Building, the Buhl Building (1925), the Penobscot Building (1928), the Fisher Building and the David Stott Building.

The mansions of metropolitan Detroit are among the nation's grandest estates. Meadow Brook Hall (1929), the 110 room 88,000 sq. ft. mansion of Matilda Dodge Wilson at 480 South Adams Rd. in the suburb of Rochester Hills, is the fourth largest in the United States. The suburbs of Bloomfield Hills and Grosse Pointe are replete with grandiose mansions. Albert Kahn designed Cranbrook House in Bloomfield Hills and the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House at 1100 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse Pointe. Rose Terrace (1934-1976), the mansion of Anna Dodge, once stood at 12 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse Pointe. Designed by Horace Trumbauer as a Louis XV styled château, Rose Terrace was an enlarged version of the firm's Miramar in Newport, RI. A developer, the highest bidder for Rose Terrace, demolished it in 1976 to create an upscale neighborhood. This gave a renewed sense of urgency to preservationists.[14] The Dodge Collection from Rose Terrace may be viewed at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Russell A. Alger House, at 32 Lakeshore Dr., serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.[15] Noted architect Gordon W. Lloyd designed the Whitney House constructed of jasper stone. The Whitney House is now a fine restaurant at 4421 Woodward Avenue.

Detroit's heritage includes many other famous architects. Frank Lloyd Wright participated in the initial design for Henry Ford's Fair Lane Estate in Dearborn.[16] Frank Lloyd Wright also designed the Turkel house at 2760 West Seven Mile Rd.[17], the Affleck House at 1925 N. Woodward Ave., and the Wall House in Plymouth. Eliel Saarinen was the architect for the Cranbrook Educational Community in the Metro Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills. Eliel's son, the famed modernist Eero Saarinen, designed a complex of buildings in the suburb of Warren, Michigan for General Motors known as the GM Technical Center. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the buildings for Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood (1958-1965), including three high-rise apartment buildings and over 200 townhouses. A successful 78 acre urban renewal project, this development is the largest concentration of buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe in the world.

Architectural sculpture

Examples

Contemporary highlights

Renaissance Center from the Detroit River Walk.
Southfield Town Center
2000 Town Center

A city within a city

An indicator of economic strength, the competitive office market in metro Detroit is one of the nation's largest, with 147,082,003 square feet (13,664,000 m2) of space.[18] Two notable office complexes are the 5,500,000 sq. ft. (511,000 m²) Renaissance Center and the 2,200,000 sq. ft. (204,000 m²) Southfield Town Center. Each complex is an interconnected group of skyscrapers termed a "city within a city" or a "pseudo-city".

The construction of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit marked a new era for the city's architecture. In the 1970s, Detroit Renaissance, chaired by Henry Ford II, commissioned highly regarded architect John Portman to design an enormous skyscraper complex called the Renaissance Center in hopes of stemming the tide of white flight to the suburbs precipitated by court-ordered busing. John Portman had hoped to halt the exodus. Portman expanded on his earlier design for the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia for the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan beginning a new popular architectural era for the skyscraper hotel. (See Portman's Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angelos, California). In the decades that followed, the Renaissance Center would undergo expansions joining the city's restored historic art deco skycrapers to form the current skyline.

In 1924, Detroit's Book-Cadillac opened as the world's tallest hotel (it is now a re-developed Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel). Completion of the Renaissance Center in 1977 restored this distinction to the city. The Renaissance Center's central tower opened with a flagship 1,298-room Westin hotel, the tallest in the world, and a conference center with the world's largest rooftop restaurant. However, Westin moved its flagship Detroit hotel to the Southfield Town Center across from Lawrence Technological University. The central tower of the Renaissance Center became occupied by Marriott International's largest hotel. (Though it is no longer the world's tallest hotel, it remains the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.)

Stemming the flight of capital from the city proved difficult, however, as the suburban office market continued to grow, notably in Southfield and Troy. The the Southfield Town Center, constructed from 1975 to 1989, became easy to recognize with its marque of five golden glass skyscapers. It attracted tenants in competition with the Renaissance Center as metro Detroit's office market continued its suburban sprawl.

Portman designed the Renaissance Center with "interior spaces," yet secure. It quickly became a symbol of the city of Detroit. Some criticized its circular corridors as confusing. Moreover, the concrete berms erected on Jefferson Avenue behind the center were criticized for making the complex too isolated from the rest of the city.

In 1996, the Renaissance Center's design would change when General Motors purchased the entire complex for its new headquarters. The $500-million makeover of the complex included a $100-million renovation of the hotel. A new front door Wintergarden (2003) provided waterfront views and expanded retail space. Construction of a lighted glass walkway (known as the "green ring") provided for ease of navigation circling the interior mezzanine. The concrete berms were removed and replaced by a pedestrian-friendly glass entry way facing Jefferson Avenue.

The city, together with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, undertook another $500 million project along the Detroit International Riverfront to construct a three-mile riverfront promenade park along the east river from Hart Plaza and the Renaissance Center to the Belle Isle bridge. Detroit Wayne County Port Authority added the Dock of Detroit (2005), a state of the art cruise ship dock near the Renaissance Center on Hart Plaza. A two-mile extension along the west river will take the riverfront promenade park from Hart Plaza to the Ambassador Bridge (1929) for a total of five miles of parkway from bridge to bridge. The state of Michigan constructed its first urban state park, the Tri-Centennial State Park (2003) and Harbor.

Metro area

File:Somersetcollection-3.JPG
Somerset Collection in Troy.

Other notable centers of commerce in the area are Auburn Hills, Dearborn, and Troy. Dearborn contains the world headquarters of the Ford Motor Company. Dearborn's 14 story Hyatt Regency (1976) luxury hotel with its curved design by Charles Luckman is among the region's finest; it is one of the largest in the Hyatt chain with 772 rooms.

Troy has a large number of office buildings, many of which are situated along the corridor of Big Beaver Road. The tallest of these is the Top of Troy building, a 27-story triangular tower. Troy also contains what is generally considered to be the most upscale shopping center in the region, the Somerset Collection.

Auburn Hills is the location of DaimlerChrysler's American headquarters, a sprawling complex located near I-75. It also contains the Palace of Auburn Hills, a sports arena that has served as a prototype for many others of its kind.

Suburban Detroit includes a broad variety of residential architecture. Bloomfield Hills, the wealthiest city in the state of Michigan, contains vast estates from the early 20th century, as well as newer developments, such as Turtle Lake.[19]

The five Grosse Pointe communities once featured a nearly unbroken string of early 20th-century mansions flanking the shores of Lake St. Clair, but many of these did not survive their original owners, as their properties were frequently redeveloped into subdivisions, beginning in the 1950s. However, some of the early mansions still stand, most notably in Grosse Pointe Shores.

Future development

See also: Economy of metropolitan Detroit

In downtown Detroit, there are $1.3 billion in new construction projects.[20] Speculative development for Detroit includes a new downtown headquarters for Quicken Loans in order to consolidate its suburban offices.[21] Planning for a major residential and retail development adjacent to the Renaissance Center is in the works. Many residential lofts and high rises are under construction in the Detroit area. The Inn at Ferry Street is an example of a successful historic downtown resoration project. Other historic restoration projects in Detroit include housing in the Midtown area, the Fort Shelby Hotel, and the Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel. Meanwhile, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) is studying the feasibility of a light rail or other rapid transit link from Ann Arbor to Detroit.[22][23]

Notable buildings

Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Public Library
File:WSUOldMainBldg.jpg
Old Main, a historic building at Wayne State University.

Partial list

Casinos


See also

Cadillac Place and the Fisher Building
Merchants Row on Woodward is just a block north of the Compuware World Headquarters

Notes

  1. ^ Deborah Chatr Aryamonti (2006).Review of Detroit and Rome: building on the past. Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2006.10.43
  2. ^ Detroit News (11-06-2005).Detroit, ancient Rome share past.Model D Media
  3. ^ Publisher review of American City: Detroit Architecture (accessed 03-31-2007).
  4. ^ Robert Sharoff (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture 1845-2005 Wayne State University Press
  5. ^ Bluestone, Daniel M., Columbia University, (September 1988).Detroit's City Beautiful and the Problem of Commerce Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. XLVII, No. 3, pp. 245-62. Retrieved on May 18, 2007.
  6. ^ Vivian M. Baulch. Woodward Avenue, Detroit's Grand old "Main Street" Rearview Mirror, The Detroit News (accessed 03-31-2007).
  7. ^ Zacharias, Pat (compiled). Monuments of Detroit Rearview Mirror, Detroit News. Retrieved on June 14, 2007.
  8. ^ Woodford, Arthur M. (2001). This is Detroit: 1701-2001. Wayne State University Press.
  9. ^ Kay Houston and Linda Culpepper (2007).The beautiful building in the world Rearview Mirror, The Detroit News (accessed 03-31-2007).
  10. ^ Rebecca Mazzei (11-30-2005).Still Standing Metro Times
  11. ^ AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee, (1-10-2006).Top 10 Detroit InteriorsModel D Media
  12. ^ Chauncey Hurlbut Memorial Gate Detroit 1701.org (accessed 03-31-2007).
  13. ^ James Scott Fountain Detroit 1701.org (accessed 03-31-2007).
  14. ^ Patricia Zacharias. Mrs. Dodge and the Regal Rose Terrace Rearview Mirror, The Detroit News (accessed 03-31-2007).
  15. ^ Grosse Pointe War Memorial, the Russell A. Alger Mansion (accessed 03-31-2007).
  16. ^ A&E, with Richard Guy Wilson, Ph.D.,(2000). America's Castles: The Auto Baron Estates, A&E Television Network
  17. ^ Michael Jackman (06-26-2006).Wright or wrong: Detroit's Turkel house drips with history. Metro Times
  18. ^ Collier's International Market Report - Detroit, Third Quarter, 2006 (accessed 03-31-2007).
  19. ^ Turtle Lake in Bloomfield Hills (accessed 03-31-2007)
  20. ^ The world is coming, see the change City of Detroit Partnership (accessed 03-31-2007).
  21. ^ Robert Ankeny, (05-08-2006).Quicken offered 2 Detroit sites for HQCrain's Detroit Business
  22. ^ Ann Arbor to Detroit Transit Study SEMCOG (accessed 03-31-2007).
  23. ^ Ann Arbor to Detroit Rapid Transit Study Plan SEMCOG (accessed 03-31-2007).

References and further reading

  • Eckhert, Katheryn Bishop (1993). Buildings of Michigan (Society of Architectural Historians). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-5061-49-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  • Ferry, W. Hawkins (1968). The Buildings of Detroit: A History. Wayne State University Press.
  • Fisher, Dale (1996). Ann Arbor: Visions of the Eagle. Grass Lake, MI: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing. ISBN 096156234X.
  • Fisher, Dale (2003). Building Michigan: A Tribute to Michigan's Construction Industry. Grass Lake, MI: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing. ISBN 1891143247.
  • Fisher, Dale (2005). Southeast Michigan: Horizons of Growth. Grass Lake, MI: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing. ISBN 1891143255.
  • Fisher, Dale (1994). Detroit: Visions of the Eagle. Grass Lake, MI: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing. ISBN 0-9615623-3-1.
  • Godzak, Roman (2004). Catholic Churches in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3235-5.
  • Hauser, Michael and Marianne Weldon (2006). Downtown Detroit's Movie Palaces (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4102-8.
  • Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
  • Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Architectural Sculpture of America, unpublished manuscript
  • Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Matuz, Roger (2001). Albert Kahn, Architect of Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0814329578.
  • Nawrocki, Dennis Alan and Thomas J. Holleman (1980). Art in Detroit Public Places. Wayne State University Press.
  • Portman, John and Jonathan Barnett (1976). The Architect as Developer. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-0705-0536-5.
  • Rodriguez, Michael and Thomas Featherstone (2003). Detroit's Belle Isle Island Park Gem (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-2315-1.
  • Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
  • Savage, Rebecca Binno and Greg Kowalski (2004). Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3228-2.
  • Sobocinski, Melanie Grunow (2005). Detroit and Rome: building on the past. Regents of the University of Michigan. ISBN 0933691092.
  • Socia, Madeleine and Suzie Berschback (2001). Grosse Pointe: 1890 - 1930 (Images of America). Arcadia. ISBN 0738508403.
  • Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton (1988). Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1875-4.
  • Woodford, Arthur M. (2001). This is Detroit 1701-2001. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-2914-4.
University of Michigan Law School
Kirk in the Hills in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills
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