Kales Building

Last updated

Kales Building
Detroitkalesbldg.jpg
Kales Building
General information
Type residential
Architectural style Neo-Classical
Neo-Renaissance
Location76 West Adams
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°20′12″N83°03′09″W / 42.33667°N 83.05250°W / 42.33667; -83.05250
Completed1914
Renovated2003–2004
Height
Roof258 ft (79 m)
Technical details
Floor count18
Design and construction
Architect(s) Albert Kahn
Kales Building
Part of Grand Circus Park Historic District (ID83000894)
Designated CPFebruary 28, 1983

The Kales Building is a high-rise apartment building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located 76 West Adams at the northeast corner of Adams Avenue West and Park Avenue, across from Grand Circus Park, in the Foxtown neighborhood, just north of Downtown. The building was designed by Albert Kahn and constructed in 1914, and stands at 18 floors, with one basement floor, for a total of 19 floors in height. It was originally named the Kresge Building and it was given its current name in 1930. Kahn went beyond the typical Chicago School and styled the Kales Building with a clean-lined detail façade with Neo-classical and Renaissance revival elements such as the hipped roof and arched upper windows.

Contents

History

When completed in 1914, the Kales Building housed the headquarters of the S.S. Kresge Company, forerunner of retailing giant Kmart. [1] Kresge only occupied 9 of the 18 floors. The rest of the floors were leased out to doctors and dentists and the storefronts included a pharmacy. S.S. Kresge Co. moved out of the building in 1930 for a new headquarters at Cass Park and the old headquarters remained a prime location for medical offices. The last tenant, New York Custom Shoe Shop owned by Antonio Bava, moved out of the building in 1986 and it sat vacant until its restoration in 2004.

Redevelopment

In the 1990s, plans were brought up for the future Ford Field and Comerica Park on the west side of Woodward. Demolition of the Kales Building was considered to make space for parking. The building's future was put in limbo when the proposed stadiums were shifted to the opposite side of Woodward. Then the city requested the Greater Downtown Partnership to try to sell the property to developers. During the summer of 1999 the GDP held 'request for proposals' for the Kales and the nearby Statler Hotel to attract bids from developers planning to redevelop the building into loft apartments. The renovation was announced thereafter and initial cleanup work began in 2000.

The Kales Building was renovated in 2003-2004 into 117 residential units with ground-level retail.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirt C. Rowland</span> American architect

Wirt Clinton Rowland was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan.

<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">Grand Circus Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial district. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Streets. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building at 25 West Elizabeth Street was added to the district in 2000, and additional structures located within the district, but built between 1932 and 1960, were approved for inclusion in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Whitney Building</span> Residential/hotel in Detroit, Michigan

The David Whitney Building is a historic class-A skyscraper located at 1 Park Avenue, on the northern edge of Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Grand Circus Park Historic District. The building stands on a wedge-shaped site at the junction of Park Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Washington Boulevard. Construction on the 19-floor structure began in 1914.

<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">One Woodward Avenue</span> Skyscraper in Detroit

One Woodward Avenue, formerly known as the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company Building, is a class-A office skyscraper in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Located next to the city's Civic Center and Financial District, it overlooks the International Riverfront and was designed to blend with the City-County Building across Woodward Avenue, Huntington Place, and the former Ford Auditorium to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Free Press Building</span> Commercial offices in Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit Free Press Building is an office building designed by Albert Kahn Associates in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Construction began in 1924 and was completed in 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Building</span> A skyscraper and class-A office center in downtown Detroit

The First National Building is a skyscraper and class-A office center in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Detroit Financial District. The building is located across the streets from Cadillac Tower and One Detroit Center, and stands next to the Vinton Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1001 Woodward</span> Skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan, United States

1001 Woodward is a 25-floor office building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It replaced the Majestic Building, a 14-story high rise on the same site. The building is located just south of the neighboring David Stott Building, at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Michigan Avenue overlooking Campus Martius Park. Constructed from 1963 to 1965, the building is designed in the International Style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Park Centre</span> Building in Detroit

Grand Park Centre, also known as the Michigan Mutual Building, is a high-rise office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, located at 28 West Adams Avenue, at the corner of Adams Avenue West and Woodward Avenue, standing across from Grand Circus Park in the Foxtown neighbourhood. Nearby buildings and attractions are Grand Circus Park, Comerica Park, Ford Field, the Dime Building, and Campus Martius Park. The building is a part of the Michigan Mutual Liability Company Complex, with the Michigan Mutual Liability Annex. The building is located in the Foxtown neighborhood of Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Qube (Detroit)</span> Financial center in Michigan, US

The Qube, previously known as the Chase Tower, the Bank One Center, and the National Bank of Detroit Building, is a high-rise office building and Quicken Loans operations center in the U.S. designated Detroit Financial District at 611 Woodward Avenue, in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1959 and stands at 14 floors in height. It was completely remodeled in 2011 and is currently in the process of remodeling again. It was designed in the modern architectural style, and uses a great deal of marble to coordinate with the buildings in the nearby Civic Center. It was designed by Albert Kahn Associates.

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

The Vinton Building is a residential high-rise located at 600 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It stands next to the First National Building, across Woodward Avenue from Chase Tower and the Guardian Building, and across Congress Street from One Detroit Center. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1982 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Building (Detroit)</span> Building in Michigan, United States

The Lafayette Building was a high-rise office building located at 144 West Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1923 and occupied a triangular lot, bordered by Michigan Avenue, West Lafayette Boulevard, and Shelby Street. The building was 14 floors tall, with one basement floor, and 13 above-ground floors. The office building was designed in the neo-classical architecture style by C. Howard Crane who built many of Detroit's theaters. It is built with mainly brick, limestone, and terra cotta. Its triangular form mimicked the Flatiron Building in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Albert (Detroit)</span> United States historic place

The Albert, formerly the Griswold Building, is a former office building named after architect Albert Kahn, located at 1214 Griswold Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and is part of the Capitol Park Historic District. In 2014, it was renovated into apartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of metropolitan Detroit</span> Architecture style of Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, USA

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">Fyfe Building</span> Residential in Detroit, Michigan

The Fyfe Building is located at 10 West Adams Street, at the corner of Adams Street and Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It faces onto Central United Methodist Church, and Grand Circus Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright–Kay Building</span> Building

The Wright–Kay Building, originally known as the Schwankovsky Temple of Music, is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1500 Woodward Avenue, at the corner of Woodward and John R. Street, in proximity to the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District. The building was listed on the State of Michigan's Historical Register in 1980 as #P25241.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin S. George Building</span> United States historic place

The Edwin S. George Building, built in 1908, is located at 4612 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, at the corner of Woodward and Garfield. In 1914, the name was changed to the Garfield Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Center for High Technology</span> United States historic place

The Metropolitan Center for High Technology, formerly S. S. Kresge World Headquarters, is an office building located at 2727 Second Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979. The office building is now part of Wayne State University and used as a business incubator for startup companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Financial District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of December 24, 2009.

References

  1. Profile of S. S. Kresge World Headquarters Building.Detroit1701.org. Retrieved on November 24, 2007.

Further reading