Wish you would have mentioned the history of the Ambassador Briidge - built by Joseph A. Bower !
The Scarab Club, very close to the Detroit Institute of Arts, has some rooms worth seeing.
Having grown up on the East Side of Detroit, I am of course familiar with most of the buildings and areas mentioned in the article. Strange to me, though, is the suburb of Grosse Pointe Shores, mentioned several times in the article. Where is that?
Perhaps Mr. Dorman was referring to the adjacent suburb of St. Clair Shores?
1
It’s right next to st Claire shores. It’s a small city just to the south on the water. Jefferson (lake shore dr) runs up it.
2
Other Albert Kahn buildings also exist or existed across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario, Canada Where Henry Ford, Hiram Walkers an others commissioned Industrial, commercial, and residential structures.
2
Another reason to love Detroit. I do love it. An amazing city.
4
Agree
1
Here is a new book from Wayne State Press about Albert Kahn:
Building the Modern World:
Albert Kahn in Detroit
by Michael Hodges
Great writing, wonderful pictures, very insightful.
3
While Albert Kahn is certainly one of the most significant industrial architects of the 20th century and a major contributor to modernism, many of the buildings produced by Albert Kahn Associates in Detroit were influenced by, if not completely designed by, Leonard Willeke. Willeke’s Contribution to the Edsel Ford estate, the Fisher building, and his residential contributions to Indian village are in estimable.
1
Don't miss the Clements Library if you're going to UMICH. http://clements.umich.edu/images/history-images/avenirroom.jpg
4
John Dorman, great article on Albert Kahn and the comeback of Detroit. We visited motor city last year and were amazed at the City's comeback. Great architecture, great history, great new energy and new hope. It was fascinating as a local elected official to see how a city that had so many challenges and at such a deep degree was able to reboot. Detroit has a long way to go but we can all learn from their effort. My longer essay is electpaullawler.com/news/detroit
5
The photo of the wrought iron staircase railing at the Detroit Athletic Club was designed and forged by Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia.
3
I loved the campus architecture living in Ann Arbor for 30 years, both historic and modern, Robert A.M. Stern, Charles Moore, and James Polshek. Now I live in Grosse Pointe Park and love the residential architecture in the GPs and the rejuvenation of Detroit. I have to mention that Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills is worth a visit too for fans of Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames.
Riding a bike is the best way to see Detroit architecture and enjoy it's riverfront. There are no hotels in the Grosse Pointes, but Airbnbs run the gamut from stately colonials to MCM loft style apartments.
6
Brings back memories. I recall the Nat Sci building at U of M as being comparatively modern in design, with little ornamentation and very large square windows to let in lots of natural light. I was in that building, at a biology 101 lab, when JFK was assassinated.
Thank you very much for writing this story on Albert Kahn. I spent many hours trying to find out more about Albert Kahn after I visited the Ford/Edsel house. The human scale and attention to detail make his designs outstanding. I tried to combine some of his dimensions in my school work. I await the book, and will certainly take "Pure Detroit" tours next year.
5
Isamu Noguchi was commissioned to design Hart Plaza, which is located near the Detroit river right near the tunnel to Canada.
5
In Ann Arbor, try to visit the William L. Clements Library, part of the University of Michigan. Designed by Albert Kahn, it’s said to be his favorite building.
10
There are some fine buildings in Detroit, but not at the same degree as NYC or Chicago. What those and other cities have and Detroit is almost completely lacking is density. The impressive buildings in Detroit are easy to find because they're basically the only ones left. The city has lost so much of its architectural heritage, but it can at least say that some remain. What the place needs now is a new architectural heritage. Unfortunately, some of the new projects that have started (Hudson block, apartment projects) or have been proposed (Monroe blocks) are mundane at best.
10
I have a few days in Detroit in November... this excellent article will help me enjoy my stay.
9
Be sure to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts if you have time; there's a large new exhibition on Asian art opening the first week of November, and the rest of the museum has countless other pieces.
9
Thank you for the excellent article and photographs. Albert Kahn also served on the same Arts Commission as Edsel Ford and Ralph Booth at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the museum is the beneficiary of many gifts from these families. Kahn encouraged his colleague Paul Phillipe Cret to bid for the construction of the DIA, which faces Cass Gilbert's Detroit Public Library. In the neighborhood are also excellent works by Minoru Yamasaki found at Wayne State University and the College of Creative Studies.
10
Isn't the Ford House more generally "Tudor" vs. "Cotswold"? Cotswold seems more rustic/cottage-y. Also, what is a "slate roof, with stone shingles"? Is it stone or slate? or is this merely redundant?
2
Edsel and Eleanor Ford traveled to England with Albert Kahn when planning their house. They were looking for inspiration and architectural elements to use in its design. Near Wales, they were taken with the style of residential building in the Cotswolds in County Gloucestershire. The house as built was meant to resemble a Cotswold village, in that the sixty-room structure was of course out of scale with the cozy cottages of the region. Twenty-five years ago, I produced an orientation video for the Ford House. Regarding "slate" and "stone shingles," slate is stone, so that is redundant.
12
Fine article.
Three years ago my wife and I bought a neo-Georgian house on Victoria Ave in downtown Windsor, which is said to be designed by Albert Kahn. [The real estate agent pointed out a small built-in cabinet with a detail that Kahn enjoyed secreting in his house designs.] A genuine Kahn? Maybe yes, maybe no.... perhaps just designed by someone in his office... for, there are many Kahn buildings in Windsor, mainly in Walkerville. In any event, the house is a gem, and inspired a new interest for me in the Kahn buildings in Detroit [where I grew up] and Ann Arbor [where I went to school].
Thanks for the article, which makes these wonderful buildings come to life.
19
Native Detroiter. Thanks for the memories...
-- "From the golden towers of the Fisher Building"
-- My eye doctor on the 10th floor and going down to the basement cafeteria for lunch while waiting for my eyes to dilate.
-- Taking the park & ride bus down to Wayne State and half the people on the bus getting off at the GM Building.
They sure don't build buildings like this anymore :(
20
I work for Albert Kahn Associates and really enjoyed this well done article.
13
Also worth checking out Pallister Park, a quirky, pedestrian only street, only a few blocks from the New Center area!
8
Great work, John! Your pieces on Detroit are always good.
12
I moved to Michigan when Detroit was the dynamo powering American industry. After its pinnacle was reached it was excruciating to watch business flee the city and decay set in. Today through the efforts of government and brash young entrepreneurs Detroit is coming back. Bravo to everyone driving this Detroit rebirth!
30
While an apprentice architect, Kahn's superiors began to suspect that he was color blind and he was called into the office and asked to identify the colors in the oriental rug there. He identified the obvious colors and guessed the rest. (If you're color blind, as I am, you know that you can guess most colors.) I can only imagine what may have been lost if he guessed wrong, but he wasn't the city's only great architect. While here, be sure to check out the Guardian Building.
20
Pure Detroit also offers tours of the Guardian Building worth seeing too.
4
thanks for this wonderful article!
10
Yes, there is some great architecture in Detroit.
ALL of the auto barons' homes are worth a visit!
10
Thank you for this wonderful article and the lovely photos. Speaking of, I have a picture of my Grandmother on Belle Isle that is decades old. I mean...this goes way back. And here it is today, still a lovely jewel. As all of Kahn's designs are!
20
There's a lot of beauty around when we stop to look.
13
Many of the Albert Kahn designed buildings in Detroit have been designated National Historic Landmarks including The Fisher Building. It is an Art Deco gem with beautiful handpainted vaulted ceilings and has been dubbed a "Cathedral to Commerce." It was built in 9 months time with a carte blanche budget by the Fisher Brothers and opened in 1928 complete with a movie theatre, inside parking deck and a daycare Nursery! The middle tower that didn't get completed due to the crash of the stock market would have been 60 stories tall, just amazing! It is Detroit's largest art object and should be seen by all. It's a great place to visit, be sure to stroll the 3rd floor and admire the chandeliers, ceilings & marble columns with over 40 different varieties from all over the world! It was a dream come true to work there for 14 years! Loved It!!!! I encourage everyone to go and see it.
27
FYI -many of the paintings in the Ford house are reproductions. The originals were donated to the Detroit Institute of Arts ages ago.
11
Thanks for this wonderful article and great photos, which are so imposing.
I'm from Detroit, but moved away as a child, and have very few memories of the architecture. I've been back several times since becoming an adult, and have some great photos of the wonderful skyscrapers in the center of the city.
My last trip, when I stayed at a B&B in Ann Arbor and walked about the city for several days, included numerous photos of the Hill Auditorium and Burton Memorial Tower.
7
Thank you for this wonderful article. I was privileged to live with my then husband and two little children in a Georgian Colonial In Indian Village designed by Albert Kahn and built in 1911-12. We moved three blocks when we bought this house in 1972--not because we "needed such a large house," but because we'd fallen in love with it. It was an awesome experience to live in such a treasure. My favorite room was the library with its cove ceiling.
14
I expected Detroit to at least land in the finalist list of cities for Amazon's second HQ. It didn't. This totally baffles me. Detroit has everything, from the perfect location, tech resoucres, and practically a clean slate for a company to completely revamp an urban environment. A great opportunity squandered by Amazon. I can imagine what kind of a modern city Detroit would have become if it were chosen as HQ. Now, they wait, 50 years and counting.... for a savoir to arrive.
21
There are no saviors coming, and that is for the best. Detroit is saving itself. Detroiters are making Detroit into the most unique American city, in an age of increasing homogenization....
29
As a Detroiter myself, I - and many of my neighbors - are relieved that Amazon passed us over. We've seen what the company did to Seattle and aren't eager to risk our culture and history for a large influx of money (that so often creates other financial strains for low-income residents).
We happily welcome companies to come to our beautiful city, invest in our people and and pitch in, but don't you think the idea that we're a damsel in distress waiting for a "savior" is a little bit insulting? I think we're doing some awesome things - I welcome you to visit and see for yourself. I'm happy to offer suggestions.
47
As someone who lived in Ann Arbor during the 70s and currently lives near Seattle, residents should BE. VERY. HAPPY. that Amazon did not choose them for their headquarters. The changes that will be foisted on whichever city winds up with this monstrosity of a business will not be for the better (except for the individual's financial gains, if they are fortunate enough to merit one of the better paying jobs). The company in general, and Bezos in particular, are ugly.
12
Love the beautiful buildings of Detroit. I attended the University of Windsor for awhile and marvelled at the past glory of the Motor City. I believe Big D is back!
9
The Detroit Masonic Building at 500 Temple St. has very interesting architecture. While its fraternal use has declined, the space is rented out for wedding and theater performances. Tours are offered.
http://www.themasonic.com/
10
hope the big D has a comeback and funds and will available to preserve these gems.....
10
I remember the Fisher Building and the Belle Isle Aquarium quite well. As children we would always visit the aquarium on Sundays after swimming in the Detroit River by the bath house. I often walked thru the tunnel that connected the Fisher Building with the GM Building.
"Detroit, as I knew it",
www.efn.org/~hkrieger/detroit.htm
13
Walkerville, Ontario, now a part of Windsor also has a fine collection of Kahn homes and buildings. Walkerville is directly across the river from Detroit and was originally conceived as a company town for the Hiram Walker Distillery.
21
What gems of architecture! Thank you for this educational article & photos.
21
As a native to the area, I have been in all of these and many other Kahn buildings. My father's office was in the Vinton Building aka 600 Woodward Ave. What an amazing time it is here, we often forget the great legacy Kahn gave to "The D". Kahn's building are only half of the story. The Guardian Building, for example, though not designed by Kahn, is a national treasure and considered by many to be the epitome of Art Deco design.
32
Much of our finest colonial architecture is in Salem MA
why ?
early in our history, Salem was a major port - a staggering % of federal revenue was duties from Salem
The wealthy merchants built fine houses
Then, suddenly, larger ships became available; Salem harbor was to shallow so traffic shifted to Boston
Salem became poorer, so there was no new money to rebuild; Salem was frozen in time
I think something similar happened to Charleston SC
which is why the mile and a half of Chateaux that use to line 5th avenue (AIA guide to NYC) no longer exists, except for the Frick and one or two others
5
Something similar happened in Ocean Grove, NJ. Started in 1869 as a Methodist camp meeting, it became extremely popular by the 1890s, but waned following WWI. The result is a time capsule of late Victorian and early 20th century architecture.
5
Downtown Detroit in the late 70s/early 80s was amazing. Jaw dropping. For anyone who liked urban art deco architecture, it was a candy store, though a tragically foreboding one. The streets were pretty much deserted. Incredible skyscrapers of yore sat empty, all but abandoned except for the solitary watchmen in the lobbies (and some pigeons). But for anyone with an appreciation for these jewels, it was a treat. And, no, not dangerous, not downtown. With the empty streets it was something like a dystopian Blade Runner movie set, but there was no one there. Motor City is back and on the march. Its people are amazing. It will rise, again.
25
There are no more abandoned skyscrapers in Detroit. The last one, the Book Tower, has been acquired and is currently under renovation. Occupancy levels for residential units downtown hover around 99% and nearly every sizable building has waiting lists. This city's metamorphosis over the past decade has been stunning.
19
And if you go, don't miss the Wizard of Oz interior of the Guardian Building, which will rock your socks off, or the Terkel house, Wright's absolute finest work. The East Coast doesn't have everything. Neener neener
27
Thank you for showcasing some of my favorite Detroit buildings ...from my town to downtown.
13
To play on the stage of Hill Auditorium is a magical experience. The acoustics are unbelievable. A whisper to your stand partner can be heard in the very back row of the balcony. It is well worth a trip to hear one of the magnificent concerts programmed by the University Musical Society. Many very famous musicians have commented from the stage about how much they love playing in Hill Auditorium.
42
Let's not forget about Detroit's Orchestra Hall with it's incredible acoustics and rescue story and how wonderful our world class Detroit symphony orchestra sounds there.
10
There's a Secretary of State office in Cadillac Place and frequently vintage luxury cars are on display in the atrium. The building is gorgeous and well-maintained and well guarded for there is a Michigan State police office in the compound as well. Now we have the new toy trains that go from the New Center called Midtown by the new folks. Renew your license, have an architectural walk and grab a sandwich. and an outdoor concert in the summer. Henry Ford Health Systems has a huge campus within four blocks of this site as well. Beautiful architecture.
8
Thanks for taking me back to Michigan for a tour of some of my favorite buildings from my youth. As you mention in the article, most big cities still have ornate architecture from their period of rapid growth and wealth, and I make time on trips to seek these out. You should continue this series (without an architect focus but rather a period focus) and pick up smaller towns as well such Rochester NY in the late 1800s, Riverside, CA at the turn of the century, etc.
13
This a great article and showcases a great American city that had fallen into disrepair. The rebirth is heartening, but sadly the 2017 estimated population of the city is only 672,795. It was 1,849,568 at its peak in 1950.
7