Wayne County Building
The Wayne County Building is a lowrise government structure in Detroit, Michigan. It stands at 600 Randolph Street, and formerly contained the Wayne County administrative offices and its courthouse. The current administrative offices are located in the Guardian Building at 500 Griswold Street. The Wayne County building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Detroit architect John Scott designed the building which stands 5 floors. Constructed from 1897 to 1902, it may be the nation's finest surviving example of Roman Baroque architecture, with a blend of Beaux-Arts and some elements of the neo-classical architectural style.
It was built using copper, granite, and stone. The exterior architectural sculpture, including the Anthony Wayne pediment was executed by Detroit sculptor Edward Wagner. The bronze sculpture, two quadrigas, Victory and Progress and four figures on the tower, Law, Commerce, Agriculture, and Mechanics, were made by New York sculptor J. Massey Rhind.
Recent news
On July 18, 2007, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano announced Wayne County had entered into an agreement to purchase the Guardian Building to relocate its offices from the Wayne County Building. This purchase would commence when the county's lease on their current home expires in 2008 and end a difficult tenant-landlord relationship between the owners and the County.[1] The Detroit Free Press print edition on July 21, 2007, carried a front page article about the current landlord offering a reduced rate for the county to remain.[2]
Description
- The courthouse tower was originally 227' - 8½" tall. The copper dome and spire were redone in the 1960s bringing its height to what it is today.
- A renovation was carried out in 1986 by Quinn Evans Architects and Smith Hinchman & Grylls Associates.
- The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
- The height of the courthouse's tower is 247 feet.
- The Wayne County Building is English Baroque in style, featuring a tall, four-tiered, hipped roof central tower balanced by end pavilions.
- The exterior is profusely ornamented with sculpture; the interior is finished in a variety of woods, marbles, tiles, and mosaics.
- Built with buff Berea Sandstone, the facade features a rusticated basement story and a balustrade between the third and fourth stories. At the main entrance, a broad flight of stairs leads up to a two-story Corinthian column portico.
- The courthouse is faced in granite and sandstone with copper accents.
Photo gallery
Notes
References and further reading
- Farbman, Suzy and James P. Gallagher (1989). The Renaissance of the Wayne County Building, Smith Hinchman & Grylls, Inc, The old Wayne County Building Limited Partnership and Walbridge Aldinger Company, Detroit, Michigan.
- Ferry, W. Hawkins (1968). The Buildings of Detroit: A History, Wayne State University Press.
- 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.
- Gibson, Arthur Hopkin (1975). Artists of Early Michigan: A Biographical Dictionary of Artists Native to or Active in Michigan, 1701–1900, Wayne State University Press.
- Kvaran & Lockely, A Guide to the Architectural Sculpture in America, unpublished manuscript.
- 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.
- Nawrocki, Dennis Alan and Thomas J. Holleman (1980). Art in Detroit Public Places, Wayne State University Press.
- Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
- Sobocinski, Melanie Grunow (2005). Detroit and Rome: building on the past. Regents of the University of Michigan. ISBN 0933691092.
- Woodford, Arthur M. (2001). This is Detroit 1701–2001. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-2914-4.
External links
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