Maccabees Building

The Maccabees Building was built in 1926 as the world headquarters of the Order of the Maccabees, a fraternal beneficiary society first organized in 1878. The Maccabees became well known for their liberal beneficent laws. The building is an important work of Albert Kahn, Detroit's foremost industrial architect. Kahn, a pioneer in the development of the use of reinforced concrete and the advancement of industrial design also produced fine commercial office buildings as evidenced in the Maccabees Building. The Maccabees were one of the first non-sectarian fraternal beneficiary societies to be organized after the Civil War. Organized in London, Ontario, Canada in 1878 under the leadership of W. O. McLaughlin, the order was based upon the history and traditions of the ancient Maccabees and their leader, Judas Maccabaeus. Maccabaeus held the Jewish nation together, preserved the Temple at Jerusalem and re-established and maintained the Judaic form of worship. Judas Maccabaeus demanded that his soldiers help provide for the 'Widows, orphans, and disabled.' It was this idea of promoting the general welfare of human society which gave impetus to the fraternal society. The original plan required that each member contribute ten cents at the death of a fellow member, to be given to the widow of a deceased brother. Unfortunately, the order knew little of the principles of a sound insurance operation, resulting in mistakes which necessitated the complete reorganization of the society. The reorganized Maccabees, headquartered in Port Huron, Michigan, became the Modern Maccabees in 1881, under the leadership of Major N. S. Boynton, who was called the 'Father of the Maccabees.' Growing very rapidly, it became the most popular fraternal society in Michigan. Because of a limitation in its charter, its operations were confined exclusively to the State of Michigan. To meet the growing demands throughout the country, the Supreme Tent of the Maccabees of the World was instituted in 1883 as a separate organization to operate in other states. While distinct organizations, the two used the same ritual and pass-word, and for many years maintained friendly social relations. It, too, grew rapidly, and the name Maccabee became known throughout the country. In 1886, the men were joined by women who adopted the name of the Ladies of the Maccabees. This group, led by Mrs. Adelphia Grace Ward, was first organized in Muskegon, Michigan, and later headquartered in Port Huron, Michigan. In 1892 the Supreme Hive Ladies of the Maccabees of the World was organized. These were the first auxiliary beneficiary societies composed exclusively of women. The ladies aided the men in their social and community functions, but maintained the operation of their groups as separate entities. In 1915, the amalgamation of the Modern Maccabees and the Supreme Tent became effective, and the name of the merged order was changed to the Maccabees. Eleven years later, in 1926, the Ladies of the Maccabees merged with the men under the name of the Maccabees. This union made it possible for the Maccabees to cover the entire field of family protection.

The Maccabees Building, located approximately two miles north of Detroit's central business district, is an impressive fourteen-story office building designed by Albert Kahn and built in 1927. The building is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Woodward and Putnam Avenues in an area bounded by the Medical Center on the south, the Cultural Center on the north and east and Wayne State University on the west. The building is of steel frame construction with reinforced concrete floors, a Kahn trademark, and is sheathed with stone. The building occupies a corner, rectangular site and thus has two major elevations. The fourteen-story, central tower is flanked by four six-story wings providing an H-shaped plan. Characteristic of Kahn's work, the building has a vigorous vertical thrust which is created by the strong, continuous piers and grouped windows. The building is bound together at the street level by an arcaded band of polished grey-pink granite. The principal facade, located on Woodward Avenue, is dominated by a two-story, arched entranceway, similar to the one found on Kahn's earlier Detroit Free Press Building of 1922. The tall arched entrance further emphasizes the verticality of the central tower. The stone surround of the entranceway is highlighted by applied bronze letters which state the original name of the building. The archivolt molding is composed of a band of continuous stone carving which illustrates medieval knights. Within the recessed entranceway, Levant and Tennessee marble panels are located immediately above the bronze doorways. A large, glazed area, designed to allow natural light into the lobby area, fills the arch above these marble panels. Flanking the entranceway are Art Deco-style polished granite light standards and niches which contain marble statues of medieval knights. Above the arched entrance opening at the second floor level are eight round-arched windows. Round arches are repeated in the street level windows and the termination of the vertical fenestration. The Putnam Avenue facade contains the secondary entrance, and the street level is composed of large round-arched display windows alternating with flat-headed windows with a circular window above. The tower shaft above the ground floor is stone pier and spandrel composition with double-hung windows. Metal spandrels, located between the eighth and ninth floors and the thirteenth and fourteenth floors, have centered bas-relief animal heads and separate the round-arched upper level windows from the flat-headed windows below. The parapet wall contains a stone gargoyle above each window bay at the ninth-floor level and perforated stone panels at the top level. The interior public spaces of the Maccabees Building are remarkably beautiful and intact. The floor of the public lobby utilizes a six-pointed star motif executed in two shades of marble. The walls are of polished travertine marble. The most spectacular element of the interior design, however, are the mosaics which cover the transverse barrel vaults. The iconography is derived from early Christian and Medieval sources and is executed in intense blues, greens and reds on a gold field. The central vault has an early Christian pattern which consists of squares inscribed in quatrefoils. Illustrated on the southern arch is a bee hive, often seen in Renaissance coats of arms, symbolizing industry and thrift; the northern arch uses symbols such as an anchor, scales, mercury wings, and caduceus; and on the western arch are birds and foliage. The Maccabees meeting room/auditorium on the first floor has been remodeled and modernized. The upper floors contain ordinary office space, much of which was lease space. The building now houses the Detroit Board of Education, but with few exceptions, remains unaltered in its original splendor.