Fisher Building

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Fisher Building
Information
Location	3011 West Grand Boulevard Detroit, USA
Status	Complete
Constructed	1927-1928
Use	office
Height
Antenna/Spire	444 ft (135 m)
Roof	428 ft (130.5 m)
Top floor	339 ft (103.6 m)
Technical Details
Floor count	30
Floor area	486,991 ft² (45,243 m²)
Elevator count	21
Companies
Architect	Albert Kahn

Built in 1928, the Fisher Building, a National Historic Landmark, has been nicknamed "Detroit's largest art object". Its setback and towering style was inspired by Mayan architecture, as were many buildings using the Neo-American Style movement. Sitting on the corner of West Grand Boulevard and Second Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, the Art Deco skyscraper lies in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit. The 30-story office building was designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn to house the automotive business of the Fisher brothers (Frederick, Charles, William, Lawrence, Edward, Alfred and Howard). The structure is widely considered Kahn's greatest achievement. The year of its construction, the Fisher building was honored by the Architectural League of New York as the year's most beautiful commercial structure. The opulent three-story barrel vaulted lobby is constructed with 40 different kinds of marble; it is highly regarded by architects.^{[1] [2]}

Initially, Kahn planned for a complex of three buildings, with two 30-story structures flanking a third tower twice that height. However, the Great Depression caused his funding to dry up following the construction of the first phase. Nevertheless, most architectural critics feel that the single Fisher Building functions sufficiently well on its own.

Unable to find a large plot downtown, the Fisher brothers built their building across from the General Motors Building (Now Cadillac Place; General Motors had recently purchased their Fisher Body Company. The two massive buildings spurred the development of a New Center" for the city north of its downtown area.

The top of the building was gilt and topped with a radio antenna. One of the building's oldest tenants is radio station WJR, whose broadcasters often mention that their signals are broadcast "from the golden tower of the Fisher Building." Two other radio stations, WDVD-FM and WDRQ-FM, also broadcast from the building. On St. Patrick's Day, the golden tower is lit up with green light to celebrate the holiday instead of the traditional orange color. In recent years, to celebrate the NHL playoffs, the tower is lit with red light in honor of the Detroit Red Wings.

The building is also home to the Fisher Theater, one of Detroit's oldest live theater venues. The theatre originally featured a lavish Maya-themed interior, sometimes referred to as the Maya Revival Style, with banana trees and live macaws that its 3,500 patrons could feed. After the Depression, the theatre operated primarily as a movie house until 1961. The interior was replaced by a 2,089-seat theatre that allowed more for spacious seating for patrons. The decor was changed to a more simple mid-century design (which some feel is now far more "dated" in appearance than the grandiose art deco foyer). The Fisher Theater now primarily features traveling productions of Broadway shows.

Contents 1 See also 2 Notes 3 References 4 External links

[edit] See also

• Art Deco
• Cadillac Place
• Guardian Building
• New Center

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Rebecca Mazzei (11-30-2005).Still Standing Metro Times
2. ^ AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee, (1-10-2006).Top 10 Detroit InteriorsModel D Media

[edit] References

• Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3. 
• Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4. 
• Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6. 
• Savage, Rebecca Binno and Greg Kowalski (2004). Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia. ISBN 0-7385-3228-2. 

[edit] External links

• Google maps location of the Fisher Building
• Detroit News story on the Fisher Building
• Fisher Building at Emporis.com
• New Center Council
• SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on the Fisher Building
• Metro Times review of American City: Detroit Architecture