Architects Building

Last updated
Architects Building
Architects Building - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Location415 Brainard Street
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°20′48″N83°3′43″W / 42.34667°N 83.06194°W / 42.34667; -83.06194 Coordinates: 42°20′48″N83°3′43″W / 42.34667°N 83.06194°W / 42.34667; -83.06194
Built1924
ArchitectRichard H. Marr
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No. 95000531 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 04, 1995

The Architects Building is an office building located at 415 Brainard Street in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. [1]

Contents

History

The Architects Building is a seven-story building erected in 1924 by Thomas J. Thompson, a man involved with the hotel and restaurant trade. [2] Thompson hired Richard H. Marr, a well-known Detroit architect, to design the building. Its original purpose was to provide space for all architectural professionals and trades in one building. [3] When the Architects Building opened, 25 firms had space in the building, [2] including Marr and architect Marcus R. Burrowes. [3]

However, the Great Depression was hard on the building. In 1933, only three architects remained in the building, and in 1936 Thompson' estate (he had died in 1928) lost the building to foreclosure. [2] After 1940 both Marr and Burrowes moved out, and the building's association with the field of architecture seems to have ended. [3] In 1950, the building was renamed the Contractor's Storage Building, and in 1974, it was purchased by the Salvation Army. [3] In 1985, it was purchased by the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation. [3]

Description and significance

The Architects Building is a seven-story Neo-Classical Revival commercial building, built with a reinforced concrete frame, faced with buff brick, and trimmed in stone. [4] It is the tallest building in the immediate vicinity, and despite the sweeping changes elsewhere in the neighborhood, the exterior is in good condition. The first floor lobby, the most significant area within the building, is still in good condition and looks much as it was designed. [4]

Current use

In 1999, the CCNDC renovated the building and turned it into 27 apartments for low-income residents. [5]

Related Research Articles

Fisher Building United States historic place

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.

Cadillac Place

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.

1001 Woodward

1001 Woodward is an 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 25-story building is designed in the International Style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Architecture of metropolitan Detroit

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.

Edwin S. George Building 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.

Lee Plaza (Detroit) United States historic place

The Lee Plaza is a vacant 15-story high-rise apartment building located at 2240 West Grand Boulevard, about one mile west of New Center along West Grand Boulevard, an area in Detroit, Michigan. It is a registered historic site by the state of Michigan and was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1981. Designed by Charles Noble and constructed in 1929, it rises to 15 floors and is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture of the 1920s.

Thompson Home United States historic place

The Thompson Home is a Victorian structure located at 4756 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Originally the Thompson Home for Old Ladies, it was constructed in 1884, designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Mulford T. Hunter House United States historic place

The Mulford T. Hunter House is a private residence located at 77 West Hancock Street in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 1994.

Cass Motor Sales United States historic place

The Cass Motor Sales is a commercial building located at 5800 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Hook and Ladder House No. 5–Detroit Fire Department Repair Shop United States historic place

The Hook and Ladder House No. 5 and the Detroit Fire Department Repair Shop are two cojoined structures located at 3400 and 3434 Russell Street in Detroit, Michigan. The Hook and Ladder House No. 5 is the second oldest surviving fire station in Detroit, was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Park Avenue House United States historic place

The Park Avenue House is a high rise residential building located at 2305 Park Avenue in the Park Avenue Historic District in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It should not be confused with the nearby Park Avenue Hotel, which was demolished in 2015.

Eddystone Building United States historic place

The Eddystone Building is a former hotel located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan at 100-118 Sproat Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Farwell Building United States historic place

The Farwell Building is a commercial building and residential building located at 1249 Griswold Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

L. B. King and Company Building United States historic place

The L. B. King and Company Building is a commercial building located at 1274 Library Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Annis Furs Building. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987.

Harmonie Centre United States historic place

The Harmonie Centre, also known as the Breitmeyer-Tobin Building, is an eight-story commercial building located at 1308 Broadway Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is part of the Broadway Avenue Historic District. It is also known as the Tobin Building. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The east necklace of downtown links Grand Circus and the stadium area to Greektown along Broadway. The east necklace contains a sub-district sometimes called the Harmonie Park District, which has taken on the renowned legacy of Detroit's music from the 1930s through the 1950s and into the present.

Hunter House (Detroit, Michigan) United States historic place

The Hunter House is located at 3985 Trumbull Avenue in the Woodbridge Neighborhood Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974. It was previously operated as the Woodbridge Star, a bed and breakfast.

Palmer Woods United States historic place

The Palmer Woods Historic District is a residential historic district bounded by Seven Mile Road, Woodward Avenue, and Strathcona Drive in Detroit, Michigan. There are approximately 295 homes in the 188-acre (0.76 km2) district, which is between the City of Highland Park in Wayne County and the City of Ferndale in Oakland County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Detroit Golf Club is nearby.

Globe Tobacco Building United States historic place

The Globe Tobacco Building is a manufacturing building located at 407 East Fort Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest tobacco manufactory extant in Detroit, and is listed by the National Register of Historic Places.

Detroit Cornice and Slate Company Building United States historic place

The Detroit Cornice and Slate Company Building is a Beaux-Arts style industrial office building located at 733 St. Antoine Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974.

The Whittier United States historic place

The Whittier is a partially renovated high rise residential complex and former hotel located at 415 Burns Drive in Detroit, Michigan, on the Detroit River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Architects’ Building Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine from the city of Detroit
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Architects' Building from Woodward Avenue
  4. 1 2 Architects Building Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from the state of Michigan
  5. Kristin Palm, Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine "Building in green," Metro Times, March 31, 1999.