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Category: architectural elements
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Downtown on my mind
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01/06/09
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12:02 by garrick, Categories: landmark buildings, downtown, architectural elements, restoration and renovation
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One step forward, two steps back. After the high spirits surrounding the restoration and renovation of the former Book Cadillac last fall, the Book Building and Tower is reportedly set to be shuttered in the next few days. The last tenant, Bookies Downtown Tavern, has closed up and utilities to the building are scheduled for disconnection.
Book Cadillac under renovation, February 2007. Book Tower is in the distance.
This is a tough blow, but made tougher by what we’ve seen happen again and again (and again, and again, and AGAIN) to vacant Detroit buildings. After a half-hearted effort to secure said buildings, looters will gain entrance, and soon enough we will have 300 pound radiators crashing down marble stairs, original plaster walls chopped up in search of piping, stolen windows allowing rain and snow to enter, and hundreds of architectural features disappearing out the back door. Despite the obvious stripping, the authorities will claim they can do nothing about it without the owner’s complaint. After a few months of this, the absentee owner will suddenly reappear and claim that the building is “unsalvageable” and the city will quickly agree, pushing to demolish and create yet another vacant lot, upon which a “developer” will perhaps build a “convenience store” and trumpet the creation of five minimum wage “jobs", which will be duly reported as “progress” by our benighted media.
I’m a bit cynical today. Indulge me. I exaggerate, but this is not too far from the truth.
People! Sooner or later we’re going to run out of marquee downtown buildings. Do we want to look like androgynous Houston, or bland Phoenix? We need the character and quality of these historic buildings to distinguish Detroit from every other city in America desperate for new residents. There is already plenty of vacant land for the erection of new buildings, if so desired. Detroit’s art deco era downtown district, with its largely continuous fabric of historic structures, is unparalleled in America, and as such is a major untapped asset for our region. Preservation Wayne, as reported in a recent article, is promoting our existing buildings as a sustainable resource in the eco-sensitive world of 2009. Our civic attitude towards these resources seems to be forever stuck in 1989. Why are we so insecure about our “looks"?
I realize that in the eyes of many Detroiters, these buildings are drearily familiar and empty eyesores. But through the eyes of a one-time New Yorker, these are amazing treasures which have somehow survived through the last few decades. They are irreplaceable, and are a stock of wealth unique to Detroit that we squander at tremendous peril. The loss of every such remaining building indisputably harms Detroit’s future and beauty.
You blogger understands the high costs of maintaining vacant skyscrapers. But there are also high costs to the maintenance of freeways, or street-lighting, or fire stations, or city government; all of which are essential to the city’s appeal as a business and residential destination. Money spent “mothballing” our finest buildings is not wasted, but an investment towards a future where these buildings will be the envy of the nation.
While we’re worrying about the Lafayette and the Book Building, lets take a moment to savor the recent grand re-opening of the Book Cadillac on Washington Boulevard (at Michigan Avenue). The re-opening merited a large article in the New York Times in early November. Even better, the article includes a slideshow, with several great images of the renovated building.
I’ve dug up some older photos I have that were taken during the long renovation process.
29th Floor under renovation, February 2007.
Located on Washington Boulevard, the hotel was designed by Louis Kamper and opened in 1924. Kamper, a renowned Detroit architect, was also the designer of the already-mentioned Book Building and Book Tower, and several extraordinary mansions in Indian Village (where he lived) including the Book house at the corner of Jefferson and Burns. He was also the principal designer for the earlier Hecker House, the extraordinary limestone mansion at Woodward and Ferry finished in 1888.
The Book Brothers were Herbert, Frank, and J. Burgess Jr., and they played a large part in the development of the gracious pre-war Washington Boulevard. At its opening the hotel was the largest in the world with some 1200 rooms, each of them with a bath. By the 1960s, the hotel had been absorbed by the Sheraton chain, and much of its original splendor had been dulled with more contemporary renovation. The hotel’s glorious history and undeniable architectural grandeur entranced generations of Detroiters.
Column to slab connection.
During the 1980 Republican convention, improbably held in Detroit, the hotel’s facade was famously redecorated with large red window awnings, giving it an aura of livelihood despite its silent interior. It sat this way for twenty years, alternately between doom and promise, and starring as one of Detroit’s most spectacular ruins. Its renewal was accomplished by the John Ferchill of Cleveland, who redeveloped the building over the last few years.
View of Book Cadillac and downtown. (Photo taken from Book Tower)
The revivified hotel is now run by Westin, and its goal is nothing less than a return to the apex of Detroit’s social scene. The hotel’s upper floors are populated by condominiums, with the lower floors dedicated to finely appointed hotel rooms. The combination of a stable residential population with a five-star hotel is a popular arrangement, and is also seen in the recent Time Warner complex in the heart of New York City.
For Detroit, the return of the Book Cadillac is nothing short of a phenomenon, and a harbinger of hope for the future. With increased federal attention to cities and urban infrastructure sure to come in the next four years, and with enough civic courage to keep from taking down any more of the historic skyscrapers, Detroit can leverage its historic downtown into a first-class business and leisure destination, a place that will be a refreshing change from the dull sameness of competing American downtowns. Believe it.
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Out like an antique pewter lamb
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04/02/08
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13:13 by garrick, Categories: about this blog, landmark buildings, historic districts, boston-edison, architects, architectural elements, pathologies
Its been a busy month here in Los Angeles and your blogger has gotten somewhat behind on postings. As you may know, I am a couple years out of architecture school and work as a designer here on the west coast. To become a licensed architect, one must pass a multi-division exam called the Architect Registration Examination. There are nine divisions in all, and I’ve taken two in the last month. But now I’m back.
I’ll update soon with a feature on spring doings in Detroit, surely a lovely time of year in any city. Stay tuned! I’m also eager to see some comments and ideas from readers (I know you’re out there, I see your page hits!)
Regrettably, there’s another sad piece today about metals theft from historic homes, penned by the recent director of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History. The gravity of this problem, and especially its potential to undo the progress of the last generation, cannot be overestimated. The local media focus on political scandal is going to make it that much harder for illegal scrapping to get the priority attention it deserves.
I’d also like to mention Ruth Adler Schnee’s talk at Wayne State’s Local History Conference, taking place this Saturday the 5th at 1pm. You’ll find it a good opportunity to learn more about the architects of the past who have created so many beautiful Detroit buildings and neighborhoods.
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Cops for copper
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03/01/08
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12:11 by garrick, Categories: infrastructure, landmark buildings, cemeteries, churches, architectural elements, pathologies
American cities are being ravaged by illegal scrapping. Although a problem for decades, increased demand from China and other rapidly developing nations have increased the per pound value of copper and other architectural metals. The result has been an epidemic of metal theft across America. Brass stolen from a Miami cemetery. Artwork missing from Los Angeles parks…only to be found later in a scrapyard, sold for pennies on the dollar. Even rural areas are not immune. Driving around Detroit one can see hundreds of examples of stripping. To add insult to injury, in most cases the value of the scrapped metal is only a fraction of the value of the original fixture or detail.
Late winter day in West Adams, Massachusetts.
It isn’t enough to ensure the preservation of a park, a neighborhood, or even a building. Original copper gutters, plated sconces, bronze chandeliers, cast-iron radiators and the like are all critically important contributing features to the value of a historic property. The genius of a lot of architecture, you might say, is truly in the details. In recent months we have have seen Highland Park City Hall stripped of its original interior detailing, and a plague of copper pipe theft that rages through almost every Detroit neighborhood.
Several jurisdictions have begun to fight back. Hawaii passed a law almost a year ago with strong support from law enforcement. In Arizona, scrap dealers are required to document their purchases. New York State now has a strong law on the books. Maryland is considering a similar metal scrap registry law this month. Ohio is poised to take action. West Virginia has made progress on this pressing issue.
In Michigan, Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a law in early 2007. But some say the legislation is not strong enough. State Senator Buzz Thomas of Detroit has introduced Senate Bill 720, which would require scrap dealers to provide weekly reports to law enforcement and hold metal for two weeks before processing. The bill seems to be stuck in committee. There are related efforts underway as well.
Detroit and other historic Michigan cities need sophisticated anti-scrapping laws, today, to salvage the dwindling original details still extant.
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