Boji Tower

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Information
Boji Tower
Boji Tower as seen looking west over Allegan Street.
Location	124 West Allegan Street, Lansing, MI, USA
Status	Complete
Constructed	1929 - 1931
Use	office
Height
Antenna/Spire	121.0 m (397 ft)
Roof	105.1 m (345 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	23 above ground & 2 underground
Floor area	56,445 m² (185,190 ft²)
Companies
Architect	Hopkins & Dentz

Boji Tower stands at 124 Allegan Street, in Lansing, Michigan. It has been the tallest building in Lansing, and the tallest office building outside of Metropolitan Detroit, since its completion in 1931.

[edit] History

The tower was originally constructed as the Olds Tower, named after the late automotive industrialist, Ransom Eli Olds, who was the main financier of the tower project. Shortly thereafter it was renamed Capitol National Bank Tower, after the bank that Ransom Eli Olds helped form. It became the Michigan National Bank Tower in 1954, and held that name until 2001 when Michigan National Bank was bought out by Standard Federal Bank. At the request of Standard Federal Bank, the owners of the tower removed the historic neon 'Michigan National' sign. After 4 and a half years without a name, it was renamed Boji Tower after the Boji family, a father and son development team of Iraqi descent, who had owned the tower since 1998.[1]

The tower has been through one major expansion which occurred between 1965 and 1967, which include the addition of an 11-story annex built directly adjacent to the front of the tower. The tower has undergone multiple minor renovations since 1998 under the Boji Group's ownership.

[edit] Description

At 23 stories, and 345 feet (105 meters), the brick and limestone-faced tower, with its tall, narrow profile topped with a spire and beacon, is a typical American skyscraper design of the Art Deco era of high-rise architecture. It includes four engraved panels in the portals of the main passenger elevators that reflect themes of labor and industry. The tower's facade consists of 654,000 bricks of 17 different colors. The building is occupied by a mix of office, retail, and government tenants.