Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

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The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, looking southeast from West Larned Street, Detroit, Michigan
The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, looking southeast from West Larned Street, Detroit, Michigan

The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center is a government office building in Downtown Detroit, near Hart Plaza, One Detroit Center and the Renaissance Center. Originally called the City-County Building, it was renamed for former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, after his death.

The international style, high-rise building was constructed in 1951, and completed in 1954. It is 20 floors high, with one basement floor, for a total of 21. The building is used as a library, a courthouse, a county government facility (in addition to the nearby Wayne County Building), and as a city hall, replacing the now-demolished Detroit City Hall.

An enclosed skyway over Jefferson Avenue connects to the Millender Center, Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown Detroit, and the Renaissance Center as a sort of "enclosed city within a city". Entrance from the walkway to the third floor level requires a security pass, which a security guard must check; persons without the clearance must walk down to the main floor entrance.

[edit] Facts

Image:ColemanYoungBldgDetroitspiritnight.jpg
The Spirit of Detroit monument
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  • A 25-foot bronze statue is situated at the flat end of the tower, named the "Spirit of Detroit." During some recent championship runs by Detroit sports teams (the Red Wings, Pistons, and Tigers), the statue has been outfitted with a huge version of the appropriate team's jersey. The sculptor was Marshall Fredericks.
  • The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center houses offices, courtrooms, and meeting rooms. The verticality of the tower section, with its strips of white marble, offers a distinct contrast with the 14-story office section, in which horizontal lines are emphasized.
  • The 14-story administration tower is 197 feet tall, from the ground to the mechanical penthouse roof parapet.
  • The 20-story portion of this complex is called the Courts Tower, and contains office space on floors 1 through 8, and courtrooms, judge chambers, and jury rooms on floors 9 through 19, with the 20th floor housing the building's mechanical equipment.
  • The 14-story portion called the Administration Tower holds offices for the City of Detroit and Wayne County, as well as doctor clinics, laboratories, a municipal library, and the City Council auditorium chambers on the 13th floor.
  • A symbolic marble wall rising 43'-6.25" high stands 17' west of the Court Tower, and is connected to the Courts Tower by a canopy that forms the Woodward Avenue entrnace.

[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. 

[edit] External links

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Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
Downtown buildings with 25 or more floors
Downtown buildings under 25 floors
New Center and Metro Detroit
Selected parks, museums, and libraries
Downtown buildings organized by street
Washington Boulevard • Woodward Avenue • Griswold Street • Congress Street • Michigan Avenue • Shelby Street • Lafayette • Larned Street • State Street • Grand River Avenue • Adams Street • Jefferson Avenue • Randolph Street • Gratiot Avenue
See also: List of tallest buildings in Detroit
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City of Detroit
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See also: Metro Detroit
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