Guardian Building
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Guardian Building | |
 | |
| Location |
500 Griswold Street Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°19′47″N 83°2′45″W / 42.32972°N 83.04583°WCoordinates: 42°19′47″N 83°2′45″W / 42.32972°N 83.04583°W |
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Wirt Rowland; Smith, Hinchman & Grylls |
| Architectural style | Mayan Revival, Art Deco |
| Governing body | Wayne County, Michigan |
| Part of | Detroit Financial District (#09001067) |
| NRHP Reference # | 89001165 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 29, 1989[1] |
| Designated NHL | June 29, 1989[2] |
The Guardian Building is a landmark skyscraper in the United States, located at 500 Griswold Street in the Financial District of Downtown Detroit, Michigan. The Guardian is a class-A office building owned by Wayne County, Michigan and serves as its headquarters. Built in 1928 and finished in 1929, the building was originally called the Union Trust Building and is a bold example of Art Deco architecture, including art moderne designs.[3] At the top of the Guardian Building's spire is a large American Flag, complementing the four smaller flags atop nearby 150 West Jefferson. The building has undergone recent award-winning renovations. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989,[1] and the associated Detroit Financial District is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Guardian building includes retail and a tourist gift shop.
Architecture
The main frame of the skyscraper rises 36 stories, capped by two asymmetric spires, one extending for four additional stories. The roof height of the building is 496 ft (151 m), the top floor is 489 feet (149 m), and the spire reaches 632 ft (192.6 m). The exterior blends brickwork with tile, limestone, and terra cotta. The building's interior is lavishly decorated with mosaic and Pewabic and Rookwood tile. The semi-circular exterior domes are filled with Pewabic Pottery; Mary Chase Perry Stratton worked closely with the architect in the design of the symbolic decorations.[4] (See Savage, infra.) Its nickname, Cathedral of Finance, alludes both to the building's resemblance to a cathedral, with its tower over the main entrance and octagonal apse at the opposite end and to New York City's Woolworth Building, which had earlier been dubbed the Cathedral of Commerce.[3] Native American themes are common inside and outside the building. Wirt C. Rowland, of the Smith, Hinchman & Grylls firm, was the building's architect while Corrado Parducci created the two sculptures flanking the Griswold Street entrance. The building includes works by muralist Ezra Winter.[5] Rowland's attention to detail was meticulous. He supervised the creation of bricks to achieve the desired color for the exterior and designed furniture for the bank's offices. His attention went as far as designing tableware, linens and waitress uniforms for a restaurant in the building.
History
The skyscraper was built by the Union Trust Company, founded in Detroit in 1890 by Senator James McMillan, and Dexter M. Ferry, along with investments from Russell A. Alger, Col. Frank J. Hecker, and Christian H. Buhl.[6] During World War II, the Guardian Building served as the U.S Army Command Center for war time production.[3] The Guardian served various tenants as an office building in downtown Detroit. In 1982 it became the headquarters of Michigan Consolidated Gas Company ("MichCon") subsequent to the divestiture of MichCon by ANR Company in 1981. Under the leadership of President and COO Stephen E. Ewing, MichCon restored the lobby and vaulted ceilings on the first floor in 1986. It later was headquarters for MCN Energy Group, Inc, the parent company of MichCon until the merger of MCN with DTE Energy in 2001. It was sold by DTE to a local real estate developer in 2002.
On July 18, 2007, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano announced it has entered into an agreement with current owners to purchase the Guardian Building to relocate its offices from the Wayne County Building. The deal is reportedly part of a larger deal worth $33.5 million in real estate purchases in downtown Detroit.[7] The Guardian Building has become a souvenir item along with other Detroit skyscrapers.[8]
Tenants
Gallery
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The Guardian Building, flying the American flag over the Detroit Financial District
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Top of the Guardian Building, with The Qube in the foreground
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An exterior dome of the Guardian Building
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Monel metal gates in the basement of the Guardian Building
See also
- Buhl Building
- Cadillac Place
- David Stott Building
- Fisher Building
- Penobscot Building
- List of tallest buildings in Detroit
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
- ↑ "Guardian Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zacharias, Pat (March 10, 2001).Guardian Building has long been the crown jewel in the Detroit skyline. Michigan History, Detroit News. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.
- ↑ Nolan, Jenny (February 13, 2000).Pewabic tile, Detroit's art treasure. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on June 6, 2008.
- ↑ Tottis, James W. (2008). The Guardian Building: Cathedral of Finance. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3385-3.
- ↑ Pat Zacharias (March 10, 2001). "Guardian Building has long been the crown jewel in Detroit skyline". Detroit News (Detnews.com).
- ↑ Detroit Development News (July 31 2007).Model D Media. Retrieved on July 29, 2008.
- ↑ InFocusTech skyscrapers. Retrieved on July 16, 2009.
- ↑ SmithGroupJJR - Contact Corporate
Further reading
- 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.
- Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Shadowing Parducci, unpublished manuscript, Detroit.
- 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.
- Savage, Rebecca Binno and Greg Kowalski (2004). Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia. ISBN 0-7385-3228-2.
- 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 0-933691-09-2.
- Tottis, James W. (2008). The Guardian Building: Cathedral of Finance. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3385-3.
- Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton (1988). Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1875-4.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guardian Building. |
- Official Guardian Building website
- Emporis: Guardian Building
- National Park Service: Guardian Building
- SkyscraperPage: Guardian Building
- Made in Michigan Blog: "Cathedral of Finance" (Guardian Building) — text and vintage images.
- Guardian Building at Structurae
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