Hello from Detroit: An Architectural Walking
Tour of Detroit & a Visit to the Eastern Market
On my second day in Detroit I got a great start to the day with
a scrumptious breakfast at the just reopened Westin
Book Cadillac Hotel: a strawberry waffle with whipped cream.
That’s one menu item I can’t resist. I was enjoying
the sleek décor and pleasant ambience of the Boulevard Room
restaurant of this historic hotel which has just been restored to
glory after being shuttered for 24 years.
A delicious waffle breakfast at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
Shortly after 8 am I was joined by Bob Goldsmith of Detroit
Tour Connections who was about to take me on an architectural
walking tour of Detroit. Bob is a Detroit native and a true enthusiast
of the Motor City. In addition to his full-time profession as a
lawyer, Bob dedicates his time to providing scheduled weekend walking
tours, regular Wednesday walks as well as customized walking and
bus tours for groups. Many of his tours are centered around specific
themes, such as downtown churches, historic hotels, cool bars, places
with unique art etc. His bus tours focus on such topics as Detroit’s
ethnic enclaves, the city’s sports history, or the recent
revitalization that has been taking place in Detroit.
Bob Goldsmith at a stop at the Pure Detroit retail store
To admire some of Detroit’s outstanding architecture we did
not have to go far since the intersection of Washington Boulevard
and Michigan Avenue offers a great view of many historic buildings.
To the north of the hotel are the 13-story Book Building from 1917
and the 36-story Book Tower from 1926, which were both designed
by famous Detroit architect Louis Kamper.
The famous Penobscot Building
The 47-story Penobscot Building was Detroit’s highest building
until the construction of the Renaissance Centre in 1977. Designed
by renowned architect Wirt Rowland and opened in 1928, it features
an H-shaped design to allow light into the offices. The Penobscott
Building is connected to two earlier Penobscot Buildings dating
to 1905 and 1916 with a shared lobby and shared access to restaurants
and various stories on the lower levels. Looking east of Michigan
Avenue we got a great view of this famous setback skyscraper which
also was an inspiration for the Empire State Building, opened three
years later and built by many of the same construction workers that
also worked on the Penobscot.
A look at the historic Book Tower from the Westin Book Cadillac
Hotel
Walking down on Washington Boulevard, we had a good look at some
of Detroit’s architectural landmarks: the 1923 Lafayette Building
sits east at the intersection of Lafayette and Washington and has
been empty for many years. A building next to the Lafayette Building
holds two famous Detroit landmarks: the Lafayette Coney Island and
the American Coney Island, both offering Coney Island style hotdogs.
In Detroit and other parts of Michigan, the term “Coney Island”
is not only used for the hot dog but also for the diner-like food
establishments that serve this popular food.
Another look at the setbacks of the Penobscot
We walked by the austere Federal Court Building, or more properly
named the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse, a sleek moderne
style structure which sits next to the Detroit Free Press Building,
an Art Deco design by Albert Kahn which opened in 1925. Then we
headed east on Griswold Street where we admired the imposing entrance
of the Penobscot Building.
A classicist bank building in the Financial District
On the other side of the Street is the Guardian Building, originally
called the Union Trust Building, one of the most stunning examples
of Art Deco design. Featuring abundant Aztec-style decoration, amazing
mosaic and tilework, this 1929 masterpiece used to be referred to
as the “Cathedral of Finance”.
The magnificent Guardian Building
The exterior domes of the Guardian Building feature decorations
made by the famous Pewabic Pottery Company, and tile, limestone
and terra cotta adorn the outside brickwork which consists of 1.8
million red bricks, an unusual cladding material for a skyscraper.
The granite base features carvings by renowned architectural sculptor
Corrado Parducci whose magnificent work also adorns the Buhl Building,
the Penobscot Building, the Masonic Temple and many other landmarks
in Detroit.
Sculptural details by Carrado Parducci
The interior of the Guardian Building is stunning, particularly
the former banking hall with its three story vaulted ceiling adorned
by multi-colour Aztec ornamentation and Rockwood pottery. The building
is accented by different types of marble, and for the particularly
rare Numidian marble architect Wirt Rowland went to Africa to reopen
a quarry that had been closed for 30 years.
The lobby of the Guardian Building
The southern end of the cathedral-like space features an oversize
mural with a map of Michigan. Today this space is used as a retail
space as the current owners decided that it was important to turn
this area back into publicly accessible space. What a great move
for architecture lovers! I am glad they did; as you can probably
tell, the Guardian Building had quickly became my favourite. A coffee
shop anchors the centre of the former banking hall, and we ended
up chatting to Shawn Santo, the café’s proprietor who
also owns the Pure Detroit retail store on the east side of the
building.
The Guardian Building - truly the "Cathedral of Finance"
Leaving the Guardian Building behind, we strolled south to Hart
Plaza, Detroit’s Civic Centre, also the location of the 1701
landing of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit.
This French explorer played an important role in the history of
New France when he landed on the shores of the Detroit River and
founded a settlement by the name of Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit.
The word “Detroit” itself is derived from the phrase
“le détroit du Lac Érie – the strait of
Lake Erie”. By 1765 Detroit was the largest city between Montreal
and New Orleans. Detroit changed hands from the French to the British
in 1760, and then from the British to the United States in 1796.
Lots of history unfolded right here, in the area of today’s
Hart Plaza.
The Joe Louis Fist Sculpture
Approaching this space I was impressed by a giant suspended fist
– the Joe Louis Fist Sculpture, created by artist Robert Graham
to honour Detroit’s legendary boxer Joe Louis. The hard-surface
open area of Hart Plaza holds a number of outdoor installations:
a giant circle-shaped monument to the labour movement features quotes
by famous labour and human rights leaders including Nelson Mandela
as well as a fountain dedicated to Horace E. Dodge.
The Labor Monument on Hart Plaza
Sitting next to the walking path on the river’s edge is the
Underground Railroad Memorial, “Gateway to Freedom”,
designed by sculptor Ed Dwight and dedicated in October of 2001.
Ed Dwight himself is an interesting story: a former Air Force Test
Pilot, he is also America’s first African American Astronaut
Trainee as well as a successful entrepreneur. Dwight’s sculpture
highlights that Detroit was an important site in the Underground
Railroad, the network of secret routes and safe houses that took
19th century African-American slaves to freedom. A similar statue
by the same artist is located on the other side of the Detroit River,
in Windsor, Canada. Detroit was an important point of debarcatation
for thousands of enslaved Africans in their quest to escape to safety
and freedom.
"Gateyway to Freedom" commemorates the Underground Railroad
Heading back into the city from the waterfront we passed by the
“Spirit of Detroit”, a large bronze statue that was
dedicated in 1958. This statue is often dressed up in sports jerseys
when Detroit’s professional sports teams make it into the
playoffs. Up the street on Woodward Avenue is Campus Martius Park,
one of Detroit’s most popular outdoor spaces since its opening
in 2004. Local residents had expressed a strong desire for a greenspace
in downtown Detroit, particularly since Hart Plaza is a primarily
hard-surfaced area.
Spirit of Detroit
A Michigan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument anchors the
south side of Campus Martius Park; the centre holds a café,
outdoor seating and a green space that is used as a skating rink
in the winter. The north side of Campus Martius Park is highlighted
by the new Compuware Headquarters which opened in 2003. Compuware,
one the USA’s most important software firms, relocated its
head office to its new location, a successful example of business
relocation into the downtown financial district.
Campus Martius
From here we headed to the lobby of the David Stott Building,
another Art Deco skyscraper dating from 1929. Designed by Donaldson
and Meier, its 37 stories feature a reddish granite base, brick,
marble and limestone as well as sculptures by Corrado Parducci.
We then crossed over to Washington Boulevard where we walked north
past several historic buildings, including the headquarters of the
Archdiocese of Detroit and a Catholic church built in 1930.
The historic Book Tower on Washington Boulevard
At the north end of Washington we saw a grouping of historic skyscrapers
including the recently renovated Kales Building, the David Broderick
Tower and the David Whitney Building, many of which have been converted
into apartments. This area also used to be the home of the renowned
Statler Hotel and the Hotel Tuller which were demolished in 2006
and 1992 respectively. Because of its many abandoned and demolished
buildings this area is often referred to as “skyscraper graveyard”.
Three early 20th century beauties
After concluding our downtown tour Bob and I drove a few minutes
east to the Eastern Market, Detroit’s historic market near
Gratiot and Mack Avenues. The first farmer’s market in Detroit
was opened in 1841 downtown, and additional markets were opened
in the 1850s, including one on the site of the current Eastern Market.
The current outdoor sales sheds date back all the way to 1891 while
the surrounding brick Victorian buildings house many additional
food and other retailers. Today, the Eastern Market is the largest
historic public market district in the United States.
Detroit's Eastern Market
This Saturday morning the Eastern Market was hustling and bustling,
and all sorts of produce, meat, spices and other products were on
sale. On average the market attracts 45,000 locals and out-of-towners
every Saturday. A cooking demonstration was underway and several
musicians were performing live for the crowds. Halloween pumpkins,
gourds and chrysanthemums were on display everywhere, providing
a colourful reminder of the fall season.
The bounty of the fall harvest
Following our brief visit to the market Bob dropped us off at the
Bucharest Deli where we had a delicious lunch with chicken and bean
soups and vegetarian shawarmas. Appropriate strengthened after a
tasty meal, we were ready for our next adventure: a walking tour
of Brush Park,
a historic neighbourhood in transition.
