David Whitney Building
Encyclopedia
The David Whitney Building is a historic class-A skyscraper
on the northern edge of downtown
Detroit
, Michigan
. It is located at 1553 Woodward Avenue, adjacent to Grand Circus Park
. The building stands on a wedge-shaped site at the junction of Park Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Washington Boulevard. Construction on the 19-floor structure began in 1914. It is currently unused and awaiting redevelopment.
It is named for David Whitney Jr., a wealthy Detroiter who earned millions of dollars as a lumber baron dealing in white pine
; his father was said to be the employer of Paul Bunyan. Famed Chicago
-architect
Daniel Burnham
designed the Whitney. Appropriately for Detroit, the exterior was originally styled with clean lines in a Neo-Renaissance style faced with terra cotta
and glazed brick. The original facade
was altered in 1959 when decorative cornices were replaced with a 'modern' top. The first four stories of this building contain a large retail atrium
. It was one of Detroit's first major mixed-use projects and was a popular location for many medical offices. The Detroit People Mover
's Grand Circus Park station
is located at the first and second floors of this building.
It stands across Woodward Avenue from the David Broderick Tower
. The building is visible from the Detroit People Mover
, as well as Comerica Park
. Together with the adjacent Broderick Tower, it forms a "gateway" of sorts to downtown Detroit when viewed from the north. The Metro Times
, an early alternative weekly
, once published from offices in the highrise. There are 19 floors housing office and retail space with a two-story mechanical penthouse at the rear of the building.
In January 2011, the Detroit Downtown Development Authority approved a $1 million loan to help Whitney Partners purchase and renovate the building. Their plan includes creating a mixed-use building and restoring the decorative exterior elements that were removed in 1959 and the four-story lobby. The partnership is still finalizing plans and financing for the project.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
on the northern edge of downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is located at 1553 Woodward Avenue, adjacent to Grand Circus Park
Grand Circus Park (Detroit)
Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial center. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams...
. The building stands on a wedge-shaped site at the junction of Park Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Washington Boulevard. Construction on the 19-floor structure began in 1914. It is currently unused and awaiting redevelopment.
It is named for David Whitney Jr., a wealthy Detroiter who earned millions of dollars as a lumber baron dealing in white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
; his father was said to be the employer of Paul Bunyan. Famed Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
designed the Whitney. Appropriately for Detroit, the exterior was originally styled with clean lines in a Neo-Renaissance style faced with terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
and glazed brick. The original facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
was altered in 1959 when decorative cornices were replaced with a 'modern' top. The first four stories of this building contain a large retail atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
. It was one of Detroit's first major mixed-use projects and was a popular location for many medical offices. The Detroit People Mover
Detroit People Mover
The Detroit People Mover is a automated people mover system which operates on a single set of tracks, and encircles downtown Detroit, Michigan....
's Grand Circus Park station
Grand Circus Park (Detroit People Mover)
Grand Circus Park is a Detroit People Mover station in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Housed inside the David Whitney Building, it is located at the intersection of Park Street and Woodward Avenue. The station takes its name from the adjacent Grand Circus Park Historic District...
is located at the first and second floors of this building.
It stands across Woodward Avenue from the David Broderick Tower
David Broderick Tower
The Broderick Tower is a skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan currently under redevelopment. Construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1928. The tower was the second tallest building in Michigan when it was completed in 1928. It stands 35-stories tall, with two basement floors. The building is...
. The building is visible from the Detroit People Mover
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
, as well as Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
. Together with the adjacent Broderick Tower, it forms a "gateway" of sorts to downtown Detroit when viewed from the north. The Metro Times
Metro Times
The Metro Times is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed free of charge every Wednesday in newsstands in businesses and libraries around the city and suburbs...
, an early alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
, once published from offices in the highrise. There are 19 floors housing office and retail space with a two-story mechanical penthouse at the rear of the building.
In January 2011, the Detroit Downtown Development Authority approved a $1 million loan to help Whitney Partners purchase and renovate the building. Their plan includes creating a mixed-use building and restoring the decorative exterior elements that were removed in 1959 and the four-story lobby. The partnership is still finalizing plans and financing for the project.
See also
- David Broderick TowerDavid Broderick TowerThe Broderick Tower is a skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan currently under redevelopment. Construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1928. The tower was the second tallest building in Michigan when it was completed in 1928. It stands 35-stories tall, with two basement floors. The building is...
, a nearby building - Grand Circus Park
- Detroit Statler HotelDetroit Statler HotelThe Detroit Statler Hotel , a.k.a. the Detroit Hilton Hotel, was located at 1539 Washington Boulevard across from Grand Circus Park between the David Whitney Building and Hotel Tuller in the Foxtown neighborhood of downtown Detroit, Michigan...
, a former nearby building - Urban development in DetroitUrban development in DetroitUrban development in Detroit refers to a series of revitalizations, over many decades, aimed at enhancing the city's economy and quality of life. An early effort, in response to civil disturbance and racial unrest in the late 1960s, was the "New Detroit" committee, a group of business and community...