River Place

Last updated
Parke-Davis and Company Pharmaceutical Plant
Parke-Davis Plant-Detroit River Detroit MI.jpg
River Place complex on the Detroit International Riverfront
River Place
Interactive map
Location Detroit, Michigan
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Coordinates 42°20′13″N83°0′59″W / 42.33694°N 83.01639°W / 42.33694; -83.01639
Built1891
Architect Donaldson and Meier, Albert Kahn, and Smith, Hinchman and Grylls
Architectural style Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No. 85002445 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 16, 1985

The historic River Place (also known as Stroh River Place) is located in Detroit, Michigan, bounded by Joseph Campau Avenue, Wight Street, McDougall Street, and the Detroit International Riverfront. It was formerly the Parke-Davis and Company Pharmaceutical Plant. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [1]

Contents

History and significance

Parke-Davis Laboratories, c. 1891 ParkeDavis1891.jpg
Parke-Davis Laboratories, c. 1891

In the 1870s, Parke-Davis moved to the riverfront property this complex now occupies. [2] Between 1891 and 1955, the company expanded the complex to cover over 14 acres (5.7 ha), building the 26 structures that still stand. [2] These buildings were designed by some of the most prominent Detroit architects, including Donaldson and Meier, Albert Kahn, and Smith, Hinchman and Grylls. As a group, the buildings in the complex are significant as the represent a wide variety of industrial architecture from the early 20th century.

In 1979, Parke-Davis sold its property in Detroit, including the Research Laboratory, to the Stroh family (of Stroh Brewery Company). [3] The complex, now known as River Place, has been converted into offices, retail space, residences, and a hotel.

Description

These buildings range from brick mill buildings built at the turn of the 20th century to reinforced concrete buildings constructed after 1920 [2] and range from one to six stories in height. [4] The central and northern portions of the complex are tightly packed with interconnected buildings. [4] There is more open space at the southern edge along the river. [4]

The most notable single building in this group is the Riverwalk Hotel Detroit, the former Parke-Davis Research Laboratory, built in 1902 along the Detroit River. This building was the first industrial research laboratory in the U.S. established for the specific purpose of conducting pharmacological research, inaugurating the commercial pure science approach which has driven the rapid development of pharmaceutical technology. [2] [5] The research laboratory was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renaissance Center</span> Skyscraper group in Detroit, Michigan, US

The Renaissance Center is a complex of seven connected skyscrapers in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. The Renaissance Center complex is on the Detroit International Riverfront and is owned and used by General Motors as its world headquarters. The central tower has been the tallest building in Michigan since its completion in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parke-Davis</span> Pfizer subsidiary

Parke-Davis is a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Although Parke, Davis & Co. is no longer an independent corporation, it was once America's oldest and largest drug maker, and played an important role in medical history. In 1970 Parke-Davis was acquired by Warner–Lambert, which in turn was acquired by Pfizer in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Louisville</span> Central business district of Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

Downtown Louisville is the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jacob Streets to the south, and 9th Street to the west. As of 2015, the population of downtown Louisville was 4,700, although this does not include directly surrounding areas such as Old Louisville, Butchertown, NuLu, and Phoenix Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Tampa</span> Neighborhood in Hillsborough, Florida, United States

Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area.

<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">Tourism in metropolitan Detroit</span>

Tourism in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan is a significant factor for the region's culture and for its economy, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs. About 19 million people visit Metro Detroit spending an estimated 6 billion in 2019. In 2009, this number was about 15.9 million people, spending an estimated $4.8 billion. Detroit is one of the largest American cities and metropolitan regions to offer casino resort hotels. Leading multi-day events throughout Metro Detroit draw crowds of hundreds of thousands to over three million people. More than fifteen million people cross the highly traveled nexus of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel annually. Detroit is at the center of an emerging Great Lakes Megalopolis. An estimated 46 million people live within a 300-mile (480 km) radius of Metro Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit International Riverfront</span> Area of Detroit, Michigan that borders the Detroit River

The Detroit International Riverfront is a tourist attraction and landmark of Detroit, Michigan, extending from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, for a total of 5.5 miles. The International Riverfront encompasses a cruise ship passenger terminal and dock, a marina, a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail shops, skyscrapers, and high rise residential areas along with Huntington Place. The Marriott at the Renaissance Center and the Robert's Riverwalk Hotel are also situated along the International Riverfront. Private companies and foundations together with the city, state, and federal government have contributed several hundred million dollars toward the riverfront development. Key public spaces in the International Riverfront, such as the RiverWalk, Dequindre Cut Greenway and Trail, William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor, and a cruise ship passenger terminal and dock at Hart Plaza complement the architecture of the area. The area provides a venue for a variety of annual events and festivals including the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Detroit Free Press International Marathon, the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Motor City Pride, the North American International Auto Show, River Days and Detroit China Festival. In February 2021, the Detroit International Riverfront was voted best riverwalk in the United States by USA Today readers. It was selected a second time as the best riverwalk in the U.S. in 2022.

Planning and development in Detroit since the late 20th century has attempted to enhance the economy and quality of life of Detroit, Michigan, United States. In 1970, the private group Detroit Renaissance began to facilitate development in the city. Its successor, Business Leaders for Michigan, has continued to facilitate development into the 21st century. Projects have included new commercial facilities, revitalization of neighborhoods, hospitality infrastructure, and improvements to recreational and public facilities, such as the QLine light rail project.

<i>Detroit Industry Murals</i> Series of frescoes by Diego Rivera

The Detroit Industry Murals (1932–1933) are a series of frescoes by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, consisting of twenty-seven panels depicting industry at the Ford Motor Company and in Detroit. Together they surround the interior Rivera Court in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Painted between 1932 and 1933, they were considered by Rivera to be his most successful work. On April 23, 2014, the Detroit Industry Murals were designated by the Department of Interior as a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverwalk Hotel Detroit</span> United States historic place

The Roberts Riverwalk Urban Resort Hotel, formerly the Parke-Davis Research Laboratory also once known as Building 55-Detroit Research, is a luxury hotel on the Detroit International Riverfront in Detroit, Michigan. The former research facility was redeveloped as a boutique luxury hotel in the 1980s. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its historic significance as an early research laboratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antietam Avenue Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Antietam Avenue Bridge was located where Antietam Avenue passed over the Dequindre Cut in Detroit, Michigan. It has been demolished due to structural deficiencies and will be reconstructed. The original bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut Street Bridge (Detroit)</span> United States historic place

The Chestnut Street Bridge is located where Chestnut Street passes over the Dequindre Cut in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Jefferson Avenue Residential TR</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The East Jefferson Avenue Residential District in Detroit, Michigan, includes the Thematic Resource (TR) in the multiple property submission to the National Register of Historic Places which was approved on October 9, 1985. The structures are single-family and multiple-unit residential buildings with construction dates spanning nearly a century, from 1835 to 1931. The area is located on the lower east side of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dequindre Cut</span> Walking path in Detroit

The Dequindre Cut is a below-grade pathway, formerly a Grand Trunk Western Railroad line, located on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, just west of St. Aubin Street. Much of the Cut has been converted to a greenway; the colorful graffiti along the pathway has been left in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Midtown Detroit</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Latitude and longitude coordinates are provided for many National Register properties and districts; these locations may be seen together in online maps.

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

The Joseph Campau Historic District is a commercial historic district located along Joseph Campau Street in Hamtramck, Michigan. The district runs from roughly Holbrook and Lehman Streets on the south to Pulaski and Casmere Streets on the north. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Campau Street</span>

Joseph Campau Street, also known as Joseph Campau Avenue, is a city street in Hamtramck and Detroit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Michigan. Jos. Campau Historic District is located along the street in Hamtramck. Along Joseph Campau Street and the Detroit River are River Place and The Roberts Riverwalk Hotel and Residence Detroit.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Parke-Davis and Company Plant and Research Laboratory from the National Park Service.
  3. Melanie Grunow Sobocinski, Michele Valerie Ronnick, Marlise Beaudoen, Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, Detroit and Rome: Building on the Past, The Regents of the Univ of Michigan, 2005, ISBN   0-933691-09-2, p.97
  4. 1 2 3 Parke-Davis and Company Pharmaceutical Plant from the state of Michigan
  5. Parke-Davis Research Laboratory from the state of Michigan Dept of History & Libraries
  6. "Parke-Davis Research Laboratory". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2008-05-03.