Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 29 of 95

EXPLORE DETROIT

DOWNTOWN

Louis Kamper for the Book Brothers real-estate magnates are yet another testament to the three brothers’ ambition to create one of Detroit’s most fashionable thoroughfares, inspired by New York's Fifth Avenue. The Great Depression put an end to their dreams. Book Tower aa – No. 1265. 1926, L. Kamper. Abutting the Book Building (1917), which it complements, this tower in the Beaux-Arts style (146 m), with its tapered silhouette, features one-off, Renaissance-style decor. It is embellished with a series of caryatids that appear to be holding up the building's cornice, while its upper part is capped by two sets of columns set in the Corinthian capitals, under a green copper roof. The lobby has been beautifully reconstructed from existing elements, and the original clock has been restored. Today it is a hotel, while the Book Building hosts offices and apartments. Book Cadillac Building a – No. 1114. 1926, L. Kamper. On the other side of the boulevard is this building, also in the Renaissance style. With 1,200 rooms, it was one of the most prestigious hotels in the city the day it opened. It has regained its former glory thanks to a huge revamp by the Westin hotel chain. St. Aloysius Church a – No. 1234. 1930, Donaldson & Meyer. Across from the Book Tower, this Catholic church, built on the site of an older church, is in an uncommon Romanesque Revival style. Note the apostles on the facade enjoying a breathtaking view of the nude female caryatid figures on the Book Tower! To enlarge the building

without exceeding the footprint, the architects designed three interior levels, which creates a great sense of majesty inside. The church houses Stations of the Cross hewn in Carrara marble, mosaics, and a monumental pipe organ. At the same address, the Chancery Building (1924), with its upper loggia, houses the headquarters of the archdiocese and is the handiwork of the same architects. EAST OF WOODWARD AVENUE Between RenCen and Madison Street, Bricktown and Greektown, not too spread out and easy to cover on foot, is a Downtown area architecture buffs mustn't miss. Make a beeline for Greektown if it's Greek nights on the town and restaurants you're looking for! Bricktown Historic District G6 Just north of the RenCen, this pint-sized district owes its name to the brick constructions typical of 1850s Detroit. Charles Trombly House , also known as Beaubien House a – 553 E. Jefferson Ave. 1851. This Italianate-style brick house seems somewhat lost behind the imposing mass of the Riverfront buildings. It is one of the oldest houses in the city, built in 1851, on land that Antoine Beaubien, Colonel in the Detroit Militia, received in 1810. The long and narrow property, typical of Detroit’s ribbon farms, extended all the way down to the river in its day. Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church a – 629 E. Jefferson Ave. 1848. This brick

of Chicago’s most famous architects of the time, the Ford Building (84 m) is a major Detroit landmark , one of the first to be constructed with a steel frame. Penobscot Building a – At No. 645. 1928, Wirt C. Rowland. Combining once again the skill and artistry of Rowland and Parducci, this building— the tallest building in Michigan until the Renaissance Center was built in 1977— towers over the district from its height of 173 m. Designed in an H-shape that lets light flood in and graced with American Indian motifs, it owes its name to a tribe in Maine, the state from which its first owners originated. Chrysler House a – No. 719. 1912, Daniel Burnham. In a neoclassical U-shape, this structure (99 m) was originally known as the Dime Building, for housing the Dime Savings Bank, intended for small savers. A dime was indeed all it took to open an account! The lobby has retained various F6 Framed by Griswold St to the east and State St to the south, this triangular square is edged with buzzy coffee shops. It is dominated by the David Stott Building a (1929, 133 m - 1150 Griswold St ) The ocher color underscored by cream fits the Art Deco design. Washington Boulevard F6-7 Broad and verdant, with a central park dotted with trees, it was designed to be the city’s most prestigious street. A few buildings designed by architect original features. Capitol Park

edifice, typical of the neighborhood, is notable for its simple exterior that belies its rich interior, which abounds in Carrara marble, and especially for its grand old age: it is the oldest church in Detroit still in service. Wayne County Building aa – 600 Randolph St. 1897–1902, John and Arthur Scott. A testament to the city's golden age when Detroit was considered the “Paris of the American Midwest”, this courthouse is one of the most significant Beaux Arts-style buildings in the United States. Of Baroque and classical inspiration, it is dominated by a high tower crowned with a dome, and is abundantly decorated with sculptures. The overall impression seems rather pompous in light of the building's vertical lines that would emerge a few years later. Currently empty, the property is awaiting new tenants. Between Monroe and Macomb St. In this neighborhood in the throes of development, a number of red brick buildings on block 1200 are a rare example of Victorian commercial architecture from the last thirty-odd years of the 19th century. Cadillac Square G6 The neighborhood surrounding the square, east of Campus Martius Park, is always bustling, with its food trucks, picnic tables, benches, coffee shops, and playgrounds accessible to all. It is overshadowed by the Cadillac Tower , a 133-meter-tall Gothic Revival-style skyscraper built in 1928–1929. Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District a –

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