Fisher Building

Last updated

Fisher Building
Detroit December 2021 12 (Fisher Building).jpg
Fisher Building in December 2021
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Fisher Building
Interactive map
Location3011 W. Grand Blvd.
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°22′9.5″N83°4′37″W / 42.369306°N 83.07694°W / 42.369306; -83.07694
Area486,991 square feet (45,242.9 m2)
Architect Albert Kahn Associates with Joseph Nathaniel French as chief architect
Architectural style Art Deco
NRHP reference No. 07000847
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 14, 1980 [1]
Designated NHLJune 29, 1989 [2]
Designated MSHSOctober 21, 1975

The Fisher Building is a landmark skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. The ornate 30-story building, completed in 1928, is one of the major works of architect Albert Kahn, and is designed in an Art Deco style, faced with limestone, granite, and several types of marble. The Fisher family financed the building with proceeds from the sale of Fisher Body to General Motors. It was designed to house office and retail space. [3]

Contents

The building, which contains the elaborate 2,089-seat Fisher Theatre, [4] [5] was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989. It also houses the headquarters for the Detroit Public Schools and the studios of radio stations WJR, WDVD, and WUFL.

History

A 1930s postcard depicting the Fisher Building Fisher Building, West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, Mich (65799).jpg
A 1930s postcard depicting the Fisher Building

Initially, architect Joseph Nathaniel French of Albert Kahn Associates planned for a complex of three buildings, with two 30-story structures flanking a 60-story tower. However, the Great Depression caused the project to be scaled back to a single tower. [6]

The Fisher brothers located the building across from the General Motors Building, now Cadillac Place, as General Motors had recently purchased the Fisher Body Company. The two massive buildings spurred the development of a New Center for the city, a business district north of its downtown area.

The building's hipped roof was originally covered with gold leaf tiles, but during World War II these tiles were covered in asphalt because it was feared that the reflective surface would attract enemy bombers. [3] After the war, the asphalt could not be removed from the gold tiles without harming them, so they were replaced with green tiles. Since the 1980s, these tiles have been illuminated at night with colored lights to give them a gold appearance. On St. Patrick's Day, the lights are changed to green and, in recent years, to celebrate the NHL playoffs, the tower is illuminated with red lights in honor of the Detroit Red Wings.

In 1974, Tri-Star Development purchased the Fisher Building and adjoining New Center Building for approximately $20 million. [7]

In 2001, FK Acquisition LLC, a real estate firm based in Southfield, purchased the two buildings from TrizecHahn Corporation for $31 million. [8] FK Acquisition LLC lost the buildings to its lender in 2015.

In 2002, Detroit Public Schools (DPS) paid the owner of the Fisher Building $24.1 million to purchase five floors to house administrative offices, citing the high cost of renovations needed at the Maccabees Building, the previous headquarters, to comply with building and safety codes. [9] [10]

In July 2015, Southfield-based developer Redico LLC, in partnership with HFZ Capital Group of New York City and Peter Cummings of The Platform, a Detroit-based development company, taking advantage of the general decline in Detroit real estate values, purchased the Fisher Building and adjacent Albert Kahn Building, plus 2,000 parking spaces in two parking structures and three surface lots in New Center for only $12.2 million at auction. Redico said the partnership plans to transform the two buildings, which are connected by an underground pedestrian concourse, into what it called a "true urban" mixed-use development, with a mix of office, retail, residential and entertainment uses. The multi-year project has a potential cost of $70 million to $80 million in addition to the purchase price. The Redico interest was purchased by Cummings and his partner in The Platform, Dietrich Knoer, in 2016. [11] [12]

In 2023, Michigan State University acquired 79% of the owner of the Fisher Building, which means MSU now owns the building. [13]

Architecture

The Fisher Building rises 30 stories with a roof height of 428 feet (130 m), a top floor height of 339 feet (103 m), and the spire reaching 444 feet (135 m). The building has 21 elevators. Albert Kahn and Associates designed the building with Joseph Nathaniel French serving as chief architect. [14] French took inspiration from Eliel Saarinen's Tribune Tower design of 1922, seen in the emphasis on verticality and the stepped-back upper stories. The building is unlike any other Albert Kahn production. [15] It has been called "Detroit's largest art object". [3]

In 1929, the Architectural League of New York honored the Fisher Building with a silver medal in architecture. [16] The opulent three-story barrel vaulted lobby is constructed with forty different kinds of marble, decorated by Hungarian artist Géza Maróti, and is highly regarded by architects. [4] [5] The sculpture on the exterior of the building was supplied by several sculptors including Maróti, Corrado Parducci, Anthony De Lorenzo and Ulysses Ricci. [17]

Radio

Designs called for two flagpoles atop the gilt roof. While they were installed, they were essentially unusable as a radio antenna was installed when one of the building's oldest tenants, radio station WJR, leased space in December 1928. On-air hosts often mention that broadcasts originate "from the golden tower of the Fisher Building." This was a requirement of the station's original lease in exchange for a nominal rent. [18] Two other radio stations, WDVD-FM (the former WJR-FM) and WUFL, also have broadcast studios in the building.

In 1970, building employees discovered a storage room sealed with tape. None of the staff knew what the room contained or why it was sealed. When they located the key, they found the flags of 75 nations that apparently were created in 1928 and intended to be flown for foreign visitors. [3]

Fisher Theatre

The building is also home to the Fisher Theatre, one of Detroit's oldest live theatre venues. The theatre, designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm of Anker S. Graven & Arthur G. Mayger, originally featured a lavish Aztec-themed interior in the Mayan Revival style, and once had Mexican-Indian art, banana trees, and live macaws that its patrons could feed. [19] After the Depression, the theatre operated primarily as a movie house until 1961. Originally containing 3,500 seats, the interior was renovated into a 2,089-seat playhouse that allowed for more spacious seating and lobbies for patrons at a cost of $3.5 million. The decor was changed to a simple mid-century design.

The Nederlander Organization opened the "new" Fisher Theatre on October 2, 1961 and operated it until April 2021 when it sold the venue to the Ambassador Theatre Group. [20] [21] It primarily features traveling productions of Broadway shows and has hosted numerous out-of-town tryouts.

Pre-Broadway Engagements at the Fisher: [22] [23]

Art

Befitting the Fisher Building's history in association with art, three nationally recognized fine-art galleries have occupied space in the structure including the Gertrude Kasle Gallery and London Fine Arts Group.

Tenants

In 2017 The Platform LLC converted the fourth floor into rental space for arts-based groups. [46]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Kahn (architect)</span> American architect (1869–1942)

Albert Kahn was an American industrial architect who designed industrial plant complexes such as the Ford River Rouge automobile complex. He designed the construction of Detroit skyscrapers and office buildings as well as mansions in the city suburbs. He led an organization of hundreds of architect associates and in 1937 designed 19% of all architect-designed industrial factories in the United States. Under a unique contract in 1929, Kahn established a design and training office in Moscow, sending twenty-five staff there to train Soviet architects and engineers, and to design hundreds of industrial buildings under their first five-year plan. They trained more than 4,000 architects and engineers using Kahn's concepts. In 1943, the Franklin Institute posthumously awarded Kahn the Frank P. Brown Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corrado Parducci</span> American sculptor

Corrado Giuseppe Parducci was an Italian-American architectural sculptor who was a celebrated artist for his numerous early-20th century works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Place</span> Government offices in Detroit, Michigan

Cadillac Place, formerly the General Motors Building, is a landmark high-rise office complex located at 3044 West Grand Boulevard in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It was renamed for the French founder of Detroit, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. It is a National Historic Landmark in Michigan, listed in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Theatre (Detroit)</span> Theater and former movie theater in Detroit, Michigan, US

The Fox Theatre is a performing arts center located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, near the Grand Circus Park Historic District. Opened in 1928 as a flagship movie palace in the Fox Theatres chain, it was at over 5,000 seats the largest theater in the city. Designed by theater architect C. Howard Crane, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Detroit</span> Cultural center and neighborhood in Wayne, Michigan, United States

Midtown Detroit is a commercial and residential district located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center area. The area includes several historic districts. In addition, it contains a residential area of some 14,550 people and covers 2.09 sq mi. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Center, Detroit</span> Cultural enclave and neighborhoods in Wayne County, Michigan, United States

New Center is a commercial and residential district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile (1.6 km) north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles (5 km) north of Downtown. The area is centered just west of the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard, and is bounded by, and includes the Virginia Park Historic District on the north, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the south, John R Street on the east and the Lodge Freeway on the west. New Center, and the surrounding areas north of I-94, are sometimes seen as coterminous with the North End, while in fact separate districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Public Schools Community District</span> Public school system of Detroit, Michigan

Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that serves Detroit, Michigan and high school students in Highland Park, Michigan. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, provides services to approximately 50,000 students, making it the largest school district in the state. The district has its headquarters in the Fisher Building of the New Center area of Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Center</span> Office/retail in Southfield-Detroit, United States

The American Center is a high-rise tower in the Metro Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan, built in 1975 as the corporate headquarters for the automaker American Motors Corporation (AMC), which was subsequently acquired by Chrysler Corporation in 1987. The building is located adjacent to Interstate 696, M-10, and US 24 interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Detroit</span> Area of Detroit, Michigan, United States

Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, downtown tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 to the west, Interstate 75 to the north, I-375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south. Although, it may also refer to the Greater Downtown area, a 7.2 square mile region that includes surrounding neighborhoods such as Midtown, Corktown, Rivertown, and Woodbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of metropolitan Detroit</span>

The architecture of metropolitan Detroit continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The post-modern neogothic spires of One Detroit Center refer to designs of the city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers. Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's distinctive skyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatsworth Apartments</span> United States historic place

The Chatsworth Apartments is an apartment building located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, within the campus of Wayne State University. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Kahn Building</span> United States historic place

The Albert Kahn Building, formerly New Center Building, is an office building located at 7430 Second Avenue in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan completed in 1931. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisher and New Center Buildings</span> United States historic place

The Fisher Building and the New Center Building are two office buildings located adjacent to one another at 7430 2nd Avenue and 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. They share a 1980 listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern High School (Detroit)</span> Public High School in Detroit, Michigan

Northern Senior High School was a public four-year high school located on the north end of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The school was a part of the Detroit Public Schools district. By the latter part of the 2000s, Northern Senior High School was cited for closure as well as several other local high schools in the Detroit School District. The Detroit International Academy is now housed in the building that was formerly known as Northern Senior High School. When Northern existed, it served a portion of New Center. It was founded in 1916.

Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy was the name given to several charter schools within the Detroit Public Schools in Detroit, Michigan, serving students in grades 5-12. They functioned as alternative schools for Youth Outside the Educational Mainstream (YOEM). Most of the schools were strict-discipline academies for students who had been expelled from regular schools. The schools were named after Blanche Bruce, the first African American to serve a full term as a United States senator.

East English Village Preparatory Academy (EEVPA) is a magnet high school in Detroit, Michigan. It is a part of Detroit Public Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglass Academy for Young Men</span> High school in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan

Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men is a Detroit, Michigan grade 9-12 school exclusively for boys. It is a part of Detroit Public Schools (DPS), and it is the only all-male public school in the State of Michigan. It is named after Frederick Douglass and it is located in Woodbridge, in the former Murray–Wright High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East English Village</span> Neighborhood of Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan, United States

East English Village is a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, bounded by Harper Avenue on the north, East Outer Drive on the west, Mack Avenue on the south, and Cadieux Road on the east. It was first developed in 1913 though most of the homes were built in the early 1930s through 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit International Academy for Young Women</span>

Detroit International Academy for Young Women (DIA) is a PK-12 school in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's sole public girls' school, located in the former Northern High School.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Fisher Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Houston, Kay; Culpepper, Linda (March 20, 2001). "Michigan History: The most beautiful building in the world". The Detroit News . Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Mazzei, Rebecca (November 30, 2005). "Still Standing". Metro Times . Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  5. 1 2 AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee (January 10, 2006). "Top 10 Detroit Interiors". Model D Media. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  6. ↑ Gallagher, John; Rochan, Dick (October 27, 1991). "Unbuilt Detroit". Detroit Free Press Magazine. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Tri-Star Purchases 2 Detroit Buildings". The New York Times . January 4, 1974. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  8. ↑ Gallagher, John (June 22, 2015). "Bidding heats up as Detroit Fisher Building auction begins". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ Oosting, Jonathan (September 24, 2009). "Audit: Detroit Public Schools Overpaid Millions for Real Estate After Middle-Man Markups". MLive. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Real Estate Report". Detroit Public Schools. October 7, 2011. p. iii. Retrieved January 26, 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Gallagher, John (June 25, 2015). "Local developers join HFZ in Fisher Building purchase". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  12. ↑ Pinho, Kirk (June 25, 2015). "Redico is local partner buying Fisher, Kahn buildings for $12.2 million". Crain's Detroit Business . Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  13. ↑ Reindl, JC (June 13, 2023). "MSU buys majority stake in Fisher Building in Detroit". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Joseph N. French, Fairlane Architect". Detroit Free Press. March 2, 1975. p. C16. Retrieved March 21, 2011. In the meantime he had served as chief architect for the Fisher Building...
  15. ↑ Hitchcock, Henry Russell (1977). Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Pelican History of Art. Vol. 215 (4 ed.). Yale University Press. pp. 483–484. ISBN   0300053207.
  16. ↑ "The Broad Sweep of American Architecture" . The New York Times. April 21, 1929. p. 139. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  17. ↑ Broddie, Joan, Decoration of the Fisher Building Lobby, Master's Essay, University of Michigan, 1978 p. 19
  18. ↑ "The Story of WJR". News/Talk WJR. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  19. ↑ Schneider, Andrew (August 16, 2016). Exclusive: Rare photos inside the original Fisher Theatre. Curbed Detroit. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  20. ↑ Stetson, Damon (October 2, 1961). "Detroit Theatre Will Open Today". The New York Times. p. 34. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  21. ↑ Chessler, Suzanne (April 15, 2021). "The Nederlander Company Sells the Fisher Theatre to U.K. Theater Group". The Detroit Jewish News . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Fisher Theatre". Broadway in Detroit. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Fisher Theatre". Ovrtur. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Department of State and Federal Programs Archived January 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building – 450 3011 W. Grand Boulevard Detroit, MI 48202"
  25. ↑ "Office of the Secretary of the Board Archived January 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Location 6th Floor, Fisher Building 3011 W. Grand Boulevard Detroit, Michigan 48202"
  26. ↑ "Office of Athletics Archived January 25, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "9th Floor Fisher Building 3011 West Grand Boulevard Detroit, MI 48202"
  27. ↑ "Office of Literacy Archived November 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "Office of Literacy 9th Floor, Fisher Building 3011 West Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202 "
  28. ↑ "Multilingual-Multicultural Education in DPS Archived July 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "9th Floor Fisher Building, Suite 119 3011 West Grand Blvd Detroit, MI 48202"
  29. ↑ "Office of Specialized Student Service" (Brochure). (Archived September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine ). Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building 3031 W Grand Blvd., 9th Floor Detroit MI. 48201 "
  30. ↑ "Office of Innovation Archived July 26, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "DPS Office of Innovation Fisher Building, 9th Floor 7321 Second Avenue Detroit MI 48202"
  31. ↑ "Division of Talent Archived December 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building, 10th Floor 3011 W Grand Blvd Detroit, MI 48202"
  32. ↑ "Division of Labor Relations Archived July 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building, 10th Floor 3011 W Grand Blvd Detroit, MI 48202"
  33. ↑ "Division of Technology and Information Services Archived January 15, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building, 10th Floor, Ste. 1000 3011 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202 "
  34. ↑ "Division of Finance Archived January 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building – 11th Floor 3011 West Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202"
  35. ↑ "Office of Payroll Archived January 6, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "Fisher Building 11th Floor Detroit, MI 48202" and "The Office of Payroll to distribute Aline cards to employees from the Payroll Dept. on the 11th Floor of the Fisher Building. "
  36. ↑ "Office of Risk Management Archived January 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "Fisher Building – Suite 1100 3011 W. Grand Boulevard Detroit, MI 48202"
  37. ↑ "Rutherford Elementary Operator" (PDF). Detroit Public Schools. March 1, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014. Fisher Building – 14th Floor; 3011 W. Grand Boulevard; Detroit, MI 48202-2710
  38. ↑ "Office of the Emergency Manager Archived June 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "14th Floor, Fisher Building 3011 West Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202"
  39. ↑ "Office of the Inspector General Archived November 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building, 14th Floor 3011 West Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202"
  40. ↑ "Operations Group Archived December 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building – 14th Floor 3011 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202"
  41. ↑ "Locations". Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. Retrieved November 30, 2015. "Detroit Service Center / Council Shop 3011 W. Grand Blvd. 500 Fisher Bldg. Detroit, MI 48202[...]SHOP HOURS (1st Floor):"
  42. ↑ "GSSEM Service Centers & Council Shops". Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  43. ↑ "Contact Us." Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. Retrieved on January 2, 2018. "Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation 3011 West Grand Blvd Suite 218 Detroit, MI 48202"
  44. ↑ Nagl, Kurt (January 26, 2018). "City Bakery to open Monday in Fisher Building". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  45. ↑ Houck, Brenna (June 7, 2017). "New York Landmark City Bakery Is Expanding to Detroit". Eater.com Detroit. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  46. ↑ Welch, Sherri (August 17, 2017). "The Platform to convert Fisher Building floor to subsidized studios for local creatives". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.