We Detroiters like to think of our skyline as the most beautiful in the world. Itβs always nice when we hear that others agree.
βIn our travels across America, I canβt think of too many cities that can compete with Detroit for its collection of really terrific, especially art deco, historic skyscrapers,β says Mark Houser, author of Highrises Art Deco: 100 Spectacular Skyscrapers from the Roaring β20s to the Great Depression.
Below is a guide to some of those art deco gems, plus other soaring scrapers.ΜύThe skyscrapers are listed in order of appearance in the above photo from left to right, top to bottom.
GM Renaissance Center
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1977
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ727 feet high, 73 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt was the tallest hotel in the world when it opened, and itβs still the tallest building in Detroit.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Renaissance Towers
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1977
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ509 feet high, 39 floors (each tower)
- Of note:ΜύIn 1996, General Motors Co. acquired the buildings for its headquarters.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Fisher Building
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1928
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ441 feet high, 28 floors
- Of note:ΜύItβs known as βDetroitβs largest art object.β
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
David Stott Building
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1929
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ436 feet high, 38 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt opened four months before the Great Depression began.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Cadillac Tower
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1927
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ437 feet high, 40 floors
- Of note:ΜύThis beautiful late Gothic revival-style skyscraper is perhaps best known in modern times for its hanging murals, like the 14-story Barry Sanders mural that was there from 1994 to 2000.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Ally Detroit Center
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1993
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ619 feet high, 43 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt is Michiganβs tallest office building, and the second tallest building overall.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
One Woodward Avenue
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1963
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ430 feet high, 32 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt is the first skyscraper Detroit architect Minoru Yamasaki designed and has been called the forerunner to Yamasakiβs later project New York Cityβs World Trade Center.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Penobscot Building
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1928
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ565 feet high, 47 floors
- Of note:ΜύWhen it opened, it was the eighth tallest building in the world.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1976
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ393 feet high, 27 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt was named for a U.S. Senator
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
DTE Energy Headquarters
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1971
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ374 feet high, 25 floors
- Of note:ΜύItβs comprised of three buildings. The Walker-Cisler Building is the tallest.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Guardian Building
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1929
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ496 feet high, 40 floors
- Of note:ΜύItβs often thought of as one of the most beautiful Art Deco buildings in the country.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Broderick Tower
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1927
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ369 feet high, 34 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt became the third tallest abandoned building in the United States when it closed in 1985.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Book Tower
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1926
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ475 feet high, 38 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt was the tallest building in Detroit for two years before Penobscot opened.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
211 West Fort Street
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1963
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ368 feet high, 27 floors
- Of note:ΜύVisit Detroit, the NFL Draft host, calls it home.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Buhl Building
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1925
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ366 feet high, 27 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt was designed so that every office has an outside window.
- Address: Μύ
150 West Jefferson
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1989
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ455 feet high, 28 floors
- Of note:ΜύItβs across the avenue from Hart Plaza where draft events will take place.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
- °Ώ±θ±π²Τ±π»ε:Μύ1924
- ±α±πΎ±²΅³σ³Ω:Μύ29 floors
- Of note:ΜύIt was the tallest hotel in the world when it opened.
- ΄‘»ε»ε°ω±π²υ²υ:Μύ
Higher Love
Mark Houser and Chris Hytha, the writer and artist behind a beautiful book about Art Deco skyscrapers in the U.S., tell us what they love about Detroitβs high-rises.
Penobscot Building
This skyscraper exemplifies the art deco βzigguratβ form, with its heavy monolithicΜύbase tapering to a light metal spire. While the buildingβs ornamentationΜύis minimal, its form and setbacks become the star of the show. It is an unmistakable landmark towering above Detroitβs skyline. βChris Hytha
Buhl Building
Detroiters have the easiest architectural walking tour in America on Griswold Street, where three great 1920s skyscrapers by the brilliant local architect Wirt Rowland stand just a block apart. Rowlandβs Buhl, Penobscot, and Guardian buildings exude the energy and experimentation that characterized the best of art deco. βMark Houser
Guardian Building
I am captivated by the use of color and materiality on this unique skyscraper. The architect, Wirt Rowland, was inspired by a tripΜύto Barcelona when he conceived of this skyscraper, and I can certainly see the influence. The colorful geometric patterns on the facade are unlike any skyscraper I have seen across the country. βCH
David Stott Building
An English immigrant of humble farming origins, David Stott surely could not have imagined he would have his own skyscraper one day. And though he died before it was built, what a legacy his children created for him with this glowing orange namesake tower flecked with sparkling polychrome panels. βMH
Fisher Building
Most skyscraper facades are made of stone, tile, or brick, so wrapping one in marble makes a statement. The Fisher boysβ gleaming tower showed off how rich they got with their Motor City chassis-making business, not only on the outside but with its lobby, among the most spectacular in any city. βMH
Book Tower
When a one-of-a-kind building like this reemerges from limbo, it reinforces the hope thatΜύa hard-hit community can bounce back revitalized with a new purpose. Having seen it at its worst, I look at Book Tower now as a metaphor for cities like Detroit and my hometown of Pittsburgh. βMH
Highrises Art Deco: 100 Spectacular SkyscrapersΜύfrom the Roaring β20s to the Great Depression isΜύnow available to order at .Μύ
This story is one piece of our 2024 City Guide, which appeared in the April 2024 issue of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit magazine. For the rest, pick up a copy of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit at a local retail outlet. OurΜύdigital editionΜύwill be available on April 5.
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