Maccabees Building

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Maccabee Building on Wayne State University campus.

The Maccabees Building is a historic building located in Midtown Detroit, at 5057 Woodward Avenue.

[edit] Description

The 14 floor central section is rectangular and stands at 197 feet in height. Attached to each corner of the building is a 10 story tower, giving the overall building the shape of an "H".

The high-rise truss tower was constructed in the neo-gothic architectural style, using a great deal of limestone, much like the Detroit Masonic Temple.

The central section is topped by a radio broadcast tower. This was originally the broadcast tower for WXYZ radio and television, until the station moved to new facilities in 1959. Some sources put the height from the base to tip of antenna at 450 feet.

[edit] History

Construction on the building began in 1926, and was finished in 1927. The building was originally constructed for the fraternal organization Knights of the Maccabees which later established the Royal Maccabees Insurance company.

Surplus space in the building was leased to other businesses, including retail business on the ground floor and office space in the upper floors. One noteworthy tenant was Detroit's radio and television station WXYZ. The station had its studios, offices and broadcast facilities in the Maccabees Building from 1930 until 1959.

The "Lone Ranger" radio show debuted and was broadcast from this building in 1933. It later went on to become a popular T.V. show and had movie spin-offs.

In 1960, the Maccabees relocated their headquarters to a new building in Southfield, Michigan - a suburb of detroit. In 1986, they built new 251,000 square foot office building, once again in Southfield. These newer buildings are also sometimes referred to as the "Maccabees Building"

In 1960, after the Maccabees organization vacated the building, the Detroit Public School System purchased the building and used it as its headquarters. The broadcast facilities were then used for WDTR-FM - the radio voice of Detroit Public Schools.

The Maccabees Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

In 2002, the Maccabees Building was bought by Wayne State University to serve as an office building. The building now houses offices for Wayne State University in Midtown Detroit. The building has a number of uses, including offices, communication, retail, and even has university rooms for Wayne State University.