Barlum Tower

The Barium Tower qualifies for listing on the National Register for Historic Places under Criterion C for its significance as an important example of Late Gothic Revival skyscraper architecture in Detroit and as an outstanding example of the work of the local architecture firm, Bonnah & Chaffee.

The Barium Tower, a steel frame high rise office building located at 65 Cadillac Square in the heart of downtown Detroit, Michigan, soars 40 stories in height. John J. Barium funded the construction of this white terra-cotta-clad, Late Gothic Revival skyscraper in 1926-1928, and it has remained in continuous use as an office building since that date. Presently known as the Cadillac Tower, this building occupies the northwest corner of Cadillac Square and Bates Street. The Barium Tower stands in the vicinity of a collection of high rise office buildings near Cadillac Square, a boulevard with separated lanes and a wide median. The building's footprint measures 100 by 100 feet square. The Barium Tower is clearly visible from a block to the west, at the intersection of Woodward Avenue, Monroe Street and Cadillac Square, as the building is surrounded by parking lots to the north and west and Campus Martius, a civic plaza, also due west across Monroe Street. The building abuts a narrow alleyway to the north. Despite the fact that the storefronts, main lobby and interior offices have been altered with contemporary materials over the years, the Barium Tower continues to retain a high level of integrity.