Fisher Building

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This article is about Detroit National Historic Landmark Building. For the Chicago Landmark Building, see Fisher Building (Chicago).
Fisher Building
National Historic Landmark
Information
Location 3011 West Grand Boulevard

Detroit, Michigan
Flag of the United States United States
Status Complete
Constructed 1927-1928
Art Deco style
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 Associates with Joseph Nathaniel French as chief architect

The Fisher Building (1928) is an ornate skyscraper in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan constructed of limestone, granite, and marble. Its roof was once adorned in gold which was removed for the air raid black outs during World War II. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989, has been nicknamed Detroit's largest art object.[1] Standing 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 Albert Kahn and Associates with Joseph Nathaniel French as chief architect. [2] The building was to house the automotive company Fisher Body of the Fisher brothers (Frederick, Charles, William, Lawrence, Edward, Alfred and Howard), and 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, decorated by Hungarian artist Géza Maróti, and is highly regarded by architects.[3][4]

Contents

[edit] History

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 kept the project at one tower.

The Fisher brothers constructed the building across from the General Motors Building (Now Cadillac Place). General Motors had recently purchased the Fisher Body Company. The two massive buildings spurred the development of a New Center for the city, a business district north of its downtown area.

[edit] Radio

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.

[edit] Theatre

The building also is home to the Fisher Theatre, one of Detroit's oldest live theatre venues. The theatre originally featured a lavish Aztec-themed interior in the Mayan Revival style,[1] and once had Mexican-Indian art and banana trees and live macaws that its patrons could feed. After the Depression, the theatre operated primarily as a movie house until 1961. Originally with 3,500 seats, the interior was renovated with a 2,089-seat theatre that allowed for more 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 Theatre is owned and operated by the Nederlander Organization and now primarily features travelling productions of Broadway shows.

[edit] Art

Befitting to the Fisher Building's history in association with art, there have been three nationally recognized Fine Art Galleries that have been located in the structure including the Gertrude Kasle Gallery, London Fine Arts Group and the Eric I. Spoutz Gallery.

  • Eric I. Spoutz Gallery: Located in Suite 216 of the Fisher Building from 2003-2006 was a nationally recognized Fine Art Gallery that owned the largest collections in the world of works by Lowell Nesbitt and Otto Duecker in addition to having hosted exhibitions with works by Victor Vasarely, Jean Pierre Yvaral and Laszlo Dus. In 2003 the gallery hosted the world's largest retrospective exhibit for Pop artist Lowell Nesbitt since his death.

[edit] Photo gallery

Fisher Building through the trees early spring

Walkway from Cadillac Place

Detailed entrance sculpture

More exterior art

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Houston, Kay and Linda Culpepper (March 20, 2001).The most beautiful building in the world Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "Joseph N. French, Fairlane Architect", Detroit Free Press, February 29, 1975. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. "A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he came to Detroit in 1913 to work as an architect on Henry Ford's home, Fairlane. He joined the architectural firm of Albert Kahn Associates in 1914 and retired from that company in 1967. In the meantime he had served as chief architect for the Fisher Building, taught methods of industrial construction in Russia and during World War II, designed installations for the Army and Navy throughout the world." 
  3. ^ Rebecca Mazzei (November 30, 2005).Still Standing. Metro Times. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
  4. ^ AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee, (January 10, 2006).Top 10 Detroit Interiors.Model D Media. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.

[edit] References

  • Fogelman, Randall (2004). Detroit's New Center. Arcadia. ISBN 0738532711. 
  • 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

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Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
Downtown buildings with 25 or more floors
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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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Detroit Theatre District
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City of Detroit
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See also: Metro Detroit

Coordinates: 42°22′9.5″N, 83°4′37″W

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