Metropolitan Building (Detroit)

For the building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, see Metropolitan Building (Minneapolis).

The Metropolitan Building is a high-rise office building located on a triangular lot at 33 John R Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Grand Circus Park.

The building was built in 1924 and finished in 1925. It stands at 15 stories and was once occupied by shops, offices, and the facilities of jewelry manufacturers and wholesalers leading it to also be known as the "Jeweler's Building". The manufacture of luminous watch dials in the building left behind several toxic substances that have thwarted redevelopment plans.^[1] Architects Weston and Ellington designed it in a Neo-Gothic style.^[2] The exterior of the building is faced with brick, granite, and terra cotta.

The Metropolitan Building closed in 1977 and current plans call for development into lofts. In March 2010, the Downtown Development Authority voted to install safety scaffolding and netting on the building to prevent parts of the facade from falling.

Notes

References

• 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. 
• Gallagher, John. "Metropolitan Building in Detroit to get safety scaffolding". http://www.freep.com/article/20100310/NEWS01/100310073/0/NEWS05. Retrieved 12 March 2010. 

External links

• Metropolitan Building details at Emporis.com
• SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on the Metropolitan Building