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McGregor Memorial Conference Center
GeotaggedNational Register
Photos
(11)
Photo by Andrew Petrov
National Register of Historic Places Filing
National SignificanceArchitecture1957-58
The McGregor Memorial Conference Center, designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki of Yamasaki, Leinweber & Associates, Detroit, Michigan, was constructed in 1957-58. Financed by the McGregor Foundation, the building, dedicated to the memory of the foundation founders and philanthropists Tracy McGregor and wife and widow Katherine Whitney McGregor, was a gift to Wayne State University for use as a community conference center. The building meets National Register criterion C at the national level of significance in that it marked the beginning of Yamasaki's national and eventually international reputation as an architect and as the designer of a brand new type of Modernism that consciously strove for beauty and embraced the goals of 'richness of texture and form' and 'a sense of peace and serenity through interior spatial arrangement and sensitive landscaping.' The McGregor Conference Center was the first component of Yamasaki's substantial body of work for Detroit's Wayne State University in the 1956-64 period that also included a master plan for the campus and three other campus buildings and it was the first of his many important commissions in Detroit.
Physical Description
The McGregor Memorial Conference Center is a two-story steel-frame and concrete folded slab Modernist building designed in the International style. The building stands on a platform raised several steps above street level. The square-shaped structure is divided into east and west halves separated by a glass atrium. In each half of the building are conference rooms that can be divided into various shapes. The center of the building's first floor contains a lobby space with a two-story ceiling and view to the atrium skylight. The building's exposed triangular section frames form ceilings beneath the support floors and roof. The triangular design influenced other design elements including the diamond-patterned atrium skylight and the aluminum sculptural door screens. The building is sheathed in Roman travertine marble and tinted grey glass, while the thin square-plan columns of shallow east and west porticos are finished in white marble. The basement of the building includes the dining room and kitchen areas. The roof is flat, its surface built up with white marble chips.
Architect/Builder
Minoru Yamasaki, Yamasaki, Leinweber & Associates
NRHP Ref# 10001023 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Historical Photos
(8)MI_Wayne County_McGregor Center_0001
Public Domain (Michigan Filing)
From Wikipedia
The McGregor Memorial Conference Center is a meeting and event facility on the campus of Wayne State University in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, designed by noted American architect Minoru Yamasaki (1912–1986) and completed in 1958. The design marks a shift in style from Yamasaki's earlier International Style work to the New Formalism of his later years. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architectural quality in 2015.HistoryThe McGregor Memorial Conference Center was funded by the McGregor Fund, as a memorial to Tracy W. and Katherine McGregor who initiated the fund in 1925. The McGregor Fund specified that the building be used as "a community conference center for groups of citizens interested in exploring ways and means of being helpful to others." To that end, Wayne State University hired architect Minoru Yamasaki in August 1955 to design the building. The commission came after Yamasaki's long convalescence and subsequent trip to Japan, and was his first opportunity to put into practice his re-envisionment of architecture. The center was completed in 1958, and opened to immediate accolades from architectural magazines who called it "delightful" and "refreshing," and from the American Institute of Architects who awarded Yamasaki a First Honor Award for the design. Over the next seven years, Yamasaki designed three more buildings for Wayne's campus: the Education Building, Prentis Hall, and DeRoy Auditorium.DescriptionThe McGregor Memorial Conference Center is a two-story symmetrical pavilion covered with travertine marble. It sits on a podium faced with Mankato stone, with integral reflecting pool and sunken garden wrapping around the building on two sides. The building exhibits a triangular design motif on the outside and inside. Inside, a skylit entry hall, dividing the interior space in two, is flanked by two levels of conference rooms. The McGregor Center contains 11 meeting rooms, a 600-seat auditorium, a 2,500 sq ft (230 m2) reception area, and a 3,500 sq ft (330 m2) exhibit space. The conference rooms can be combined to accommodate groups of various sizes. Interior design features white marble floors, red carpeting, and black leather chairs by Mies van der Rohe.GallerySee also• List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan• National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit, MichiganReferences
Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Building Details
- Architect
- Minoru Yamasaki
- Year Built
- 1958
- Style
- New Formalism
- Building Type
- conference center
- National Register
- Listed
- Ref# 10001023
