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Griswold Building
GeotaggedNational Register
Historic Photo from NRHP Filing
A black and white photograph of a multi-story building with shops on the ground floor.
National Register of Historic Places Filing
The Griswold Building was constructed in 1929 to the designs of the well-known Detroit architect Albert Kahn as a speculative office building. It is primarily of architectural significance as an interesting example of Albert Kahn's transition to the Art Moderne style after working for several years in a classically influenced Art Deco style. The building is significant in Detroit as one of the earlier Art Moderne office buildings. Unlike other Kahn office buildings of the late 1920s, this building is practically devoid of ornament and depends upon bold simple lines and contrasting color and texture for effect. Only the carved masks, the stylized pilasters at the arcaded second story, the plaques above the third story windows, and some simple denticulated moldings remain to suggest Kahn's love of the classical. In its massing and its use of brick, the building recalls two of its neighbors—the Guardian Building (1929) by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls and the David Stott Building (1929) by the Detroit architects, Donaldson and Meier. These buildings—the last large buildings erected in the city until the late 1950s—seem to have been pointing forward to a new local commercial style. Influenced by the work of internationally known Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, who was working and living at Cranbrook Academy outside of Detroit at that time, and other contemporary northern European architects, structures such as the Griswold Building represented a new direction for Detroit commercial architecture after decades of relying upon historical motifs and stylistic devices for the architectural treatment of these buildings. Unfortunately, the onset of the Great Depression cut short the city's boom period and office building construction ceased. The Kahn firm, of necessity, turned increasingly to industrial and government projects after 1930. Today, the nearly vacant structure is being given a chance to become useful and economically viable again as a result of its proposed rehabilitation for subsidized housing. This could ensure that it does not share the fate of so many underused central business district office buildings by being demolished to provide parking for other structures. As a result of these plans for the building, it was determined to be eligible by the Keeper of the National Register at the request of HUD on December 4, 1979.
Physical Description
The Griswold Building is a brown brick, twelve-story, rectangular office building located in the heart of downtown Detroit. It is sited facing a small park, Capitol Park, in an out-of-the-way enclave of office buildings situated between two major streets, Washington Boulevard and Woodward Avenue. It fills the entire lot and is closely abutted by other buildings so that it only has two significant elevations, the facade facing Griswold Street and the upper part of the north elevation. The structure is composed of two parts: a limestone-faced, nine-bay, three-story base containing shops on the first and second levels; and a U-shaped, brick, nine-story tower with the central five bays set back from the face of the building. The structure is modernistic in its design relying upon the contrast between clearly articulated horizontal elements (such as the ribbed brick spandrels and the boldly striped limestone and brick coursing at the attic level) and the upward thrusting vertical members such as the pilaster strips separating the bays. Further contrast is provided by the juxtaposition of the smooth masonry flat front of the lower stories and the textured brickwork and surface modulation of the tower. The fenestration consists of unusual, twelve-light steel-framed sash in rectangular openings, with the exception of the second and twelfth story windows, which have arched tops. Other than the decorative brickwork, exterior ornament is limited to the carved stone masks above the second story windows and the stone plaques above the third story windows. The interior contains no architectural spaces of note. The small lobby was extensively redecorated several times and now has a 1960s modern finish. Small shops fill the eight bays to the left of the lobby entrance which is located in the southernmost bay. The interior of the building is divided into simply-finished, plastered office suites arranged on either side of a central double-loaded corridor.
NRHP Ref# 80001923 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Historical Photos
(6)A black and white photograph of a multi-story building with shops on the ground floor.
Public Domain (Michigan filing for National Register of Historic Places)
From Wikipedia
The Albert, formerly the Griswold Building, is a former office building named after architect Albert Kahn, located at 1214 Griswold Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and is part of the Capitol Park Historic District. In 2014, it was renovated into apartments.The Griswold Building was built in 1929 as an office building, on the former site of the Miles Theatre, and was later converted to residential use in the 1980s as senior apartment building.The Albert was renovated as of fall 2014. The renovation converted the building's HUD Section-8 senior housing to 127 market-rate apartments, with 14,000 square feet of retail space on the building's first floor.The Albert stands 12 floors in height, with 127 units/rooms. The high-rise was designed by Albert Kahn in the Art Moderne architectural style, and is significant as an example of the architect's transition from Art Deco to Art Moderne. The façade is divided into two sections: a lower, three-story portion faced with limestone and divided into nine bays, and an upper, nine-story portion constructed of brick with five center bays set back from the main façade.• The Albert—Website• The Albert, Fun and stylish highlights the architect's design—Detroit News January 8, 2015• Google Maps location of The AlbertSkyscrapers and complexes • 150 West Jefferson• Ally Detroit Center• Book Tower• Broderick Tower• Buhl Building• Cadillac Place• Cadillac Square Building (demolished)• Cadillac Tower• Chrysler House• David Whitney Building• Detroit Life Building• Executive Plaza Building• Federal Reserve Building• First National Building• Fisher Building• Ford Building• Fort Pontchartrain Hotel• Francis Palms Building• Guardian Building• Hudson's Detroit• Industrial Building• Lafayette Building (demolished)• Michigan Central Station• Millender Center• One Campus Martius• One Griswold Street• One Kennedy Square• One Woodward Avenue• Penobscot Building• Renaissance Center• Riverfront Condominiums Detroit• David Stott Building• Westin Book Cadillac Hotel• Meridian Health Plan Headquarters (proposed)• Detroit Statler Hotel (demolished)• Water Board Building• Wurlitzer Building, a former Wurlitzer office buildingParks • Belle Isle• Campus Martius Park• Water Works Park (closed)Public art • Bagley Memorial Fountain• Scott Fountain• Russell Alger Memorial Fountain• General Alexander Macomb• Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument• The Spirit of Detroit• Stevens T. Mason• General Thaddeus KosciuszkoOther landmarks • Comerica Park• Detroit Athletic Club• Detroit Building• Detroit City Hall (demolished)• Detroit Opera House• Detroit Public Safety Headquarters• Detroit Club (club defunct, but building still exists)• Elwood Bar• Farwell Building• The Fillmore Detroit• Ford Auditorium (demolished)• Ford Field• Fort Shelby Hotel• Fort Street Presbyterian Church• Fox Theatre• Frank Murphy Hall of Justice• Gem Theatre• Griswold Building Senior Apartments• Hollywood Casino• Huntington Place• Joe Louis Arena (demolished)• Kennedy Fountain, a/k/a Kennedy Square (demolished)• MGM Grand Detroit• Park Avenue House• Town Apartments• Veterans' Memorial Building• Wayne County Building• William Livingstone Memorial Light, only marble lighthouse in the United States, located on Belle Isle• Women's City Club• Coleman A. Young Municipal Center• University Club (demolished)• Yondotega ClubDetroit People Mover stations • Broadway• Bricktown• Cadillac Center• Financial District• Fort/Cass• Grand Circus Park• Greektown• Huntington Place• Michigan Avenue• Millender Center• Renaissance Center• Times Square• Water SquareThis list is incomplete. The Michigan State University College of Law was in Downtown Detroit prior to 1997 and was known as the "Detroit College of Law." Low rise under 10 stories selectedParks and gardens • Belle Isle• Cranbrook• Campus Martius• Grand Circus• Metroparks• Matthaei Botanical Gardens• Riverfront parks• Detroit ZooMuseums and libraries • Cranbrook Educational Community• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History• Detroit Historical Museum• Detroit Institute of Arts• Detroit Public Library• Detroit Science Center• Edsel and Eleanor Ford House• Fair Lane• Ford Piquette Avenue Plant• The Henry Ford• Meadowbrook Hall• Pewabic Pottery• Southfield Public Library• University of Michigan Museum of ArtReligious landmarks • Religious landmarksPerformance centers • Theatres and performing arts venuesNeighborhood Historic DistrictsSee also: List of tallest buildings in Detroit
Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Building Details
- Architect
- Albert Kahn
- Year Built
- 1929
- Style
- Art Deco to Modern
- Building Type
- office building
- National Register
- Listed
- Ref# 80001923
