Detroit architecture, 18452005 is intended to showcase a detroit that might surprise many readers and bring longoverdue attention to the citys heritage of fine design. At 475 feet tall, the book tower would lay claim to the title of tallest building in town. The book tower has been a landmark on detroit s skyline for nearly 100 years. In 90 stunning fullcolor photographs, the book documents the innovative features of fifty of detroit s most impressive buildings. The book building is mostly gutted, signs that renovation work had started at one time but never completed. As part of the detroit month of design, bedrock detroit offered a rare glimpse inside the book tower and building, leading a tour of more than 100 guests on saturday, september 7. The book tower is a 145 m 476 ft, 38story skyscraper located at 1265 washington boulevard in downtown detroit, michigan, within the washington. The book tower is a 145 m 476 ft, 38story skyscraper located at 1265 washington boulevard in downtown detroit, michigan, within the washington boulevard historic district. Gilbert, through bedrock real estate services leases, now owns over 80 buildings and parking structures in detroit. Discover guardian building art deco lobby in detroit, michigan. Downtown detroits historic book building and tower are about 75% complete on the exterior restoration, due to be finished this year. Anyone can see these details though you might need binoculars to truly appreciate them.
Detroit with the book tower deal in downtown detroit, quicken loans founder dan gilbert adds another 517,000 square feet to his detroit real estate cache. The first major building they had constructed was the book building, a rather simple story italian renaissance office building that opened in 1917. Construction began on the italian renaissance style building in 1916 as an addition to the original book building, and finished a decade later. It turns out when the exterior gets a deep cleaning its intricate art. Completed in 1926 by the legendary louis kamper, this italian renaissance building towers at 475 feetone of detroits tallest and oldest skyscrapers. Guardian building art deco lobby detroit, michigan. Its a rare renaissancestyle skyscraper that for a short time was the tallest building in detroit, built in two sections the shorter office block in 191617 and the tower in 1926 and. Bedrock gives tour of the historic book tower before renovations.
For years the book tower was ridiculed as one of detroits ugliest buildings. The 36story book tower opened in 1926 on the southwest corner of grand river avenue and washington, coincidentally, the original lot that the books grandfather had bought on the boulevard. Hire the best home designers and designbuild companies in detroit, mi on homeadvisor. But few have seen the interior of the building since the. We peeked inside the tower and the adjacent book building to see whats to come. A saturday afternoon tour of detroits fisher building. Rendering shows what the interior of the book tower buildings may look like once a planned renovation by bedrock is completed around 2022. The plan right now calls for 180,000 square feet of office and retail space, along with 95 residential units. Book tower renovation tour in detroit gives glimpse inside.