UAW-Ford National Programs Center
Encyclopedia
The UAW-Ford National Programs Center is a tall building in Hart Plaza, Downtown
Detroit
, Michigan
. The high-rise building was constructed in 1948 as the Veterans Memorial Building. It stands at 41 m (134.5 ft) in height, with 10 above-ground floors. It was designed in the international architectural style by the firm of Harley, Ellington and Day
who also designed the nearby 211 West Fort Street
Building and the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
. The exterior of the building is faced with marble to conform with the master plan of the Civic Center. Windows on the east and west walls are square with a single marble frame extending the length of each floor. The narrow north wall has a 30-foot high Victory Eagle by sculptor Marshall Fredericks
carved in relief
over the inscription In honored memory of those who gave their lives for their country. Above the eagle at the roof line are 13 stars. The building was dedicated on June 11, 1950 and housed offices for city agencies and veterans groups.
Inside the building is a 450-seat theatre-style conference center, with a 200-seat lecture hall. Both of which are on the ground floor of the building. This building also contains a lobby on the Atwater Street level near the rear of the building, and another on the second floor at the Jefferson Avenue entrance. The Jefferson lobby is 22 feet, 11 inches above the Atwater lobby.
In September 1995, the UAW and City of Detroit reached a long-term agreement to lease the structure and it underwent renovation to house UAW offices. Work was completed on October 1, 1997 and included adding a large window above the eagle sculpture on the Jefferson Avenue facade.
In 2008, the structure received the Twenty-five Year Award from the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
.
This building is located between Cobo Hall
and Hart Plaza. Although its address is on Jefferson Avenue, it is located several feet south of Jefferson on Civic Center Drive. To the west are seven pylons carved also carved by Marshall Fredericks which depict the founding of Detroit and the ends of several conflicts in which the US played a part.
Downtown Detroit
Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Downtown is bordered by the Lodge Freeway to the west, the Fisher Freeway to the north, Interstate 375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.Downtown contains much historic...
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"....
. The high-rise building was constructed in 1948 as the Veterans Memorial Building. It stands at 41 m (134.5 ft) in height, with 10 above-ground floors. It was designed in the international architectural style by the firm of Harley, Ellington and Day
Harley Ellis Devereaux
Harley Ellis Devereaux is an architecture and engineering firm based in Southfield, Michigan with offices in Southfield, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside, California. The firm was founded in 1908 by architects Alvin E. Harley and Norman S...
who also designed the nearby 211 West Fort Street
211 West Fort Street
211 West Fort Street is a skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan. Standing at 27 stories, construction began in 1961 and it was occupied in 1963. The building stands at the southeast corner of Fort Street and Washington Boulevard...
Building and the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center is a class-A office building in downtown Detroit, near Hart Plaza, One Detroit Center and the Renaissance Center. Originally called the City-County Building, it was renamed for former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, shortly after his death in 1997...
. The exterior of the building is faced with marble to conform with the master plan of the Civic Center. Windows on the east and west walls are square with a single marble frame extending the length of each floor. The narrow north wall has a 30-foot high Victory Eagle by sculptor Marshall Fredericks
Marshall Fredericks
Marshall Maynard Fredericks was an American sculptor.-Biography:Fredericks was born of Scandinavian heritage in Rock Island, Illinois on January 31, 1908. His family moved to Florida for a short time and then settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up...
carved in relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
over the inscription In honored memory of those who gave their lives for their country. Above the eagle at the roof line are 13 stars. The building was dedicated on June 11, 1950 and housed offices for city agencies and veterans groups.
Inside the building is a 450-seat theatre-style conference center, with a 200-seat lecture hall. Both of which are on the ground floor of the building. This building also contains a lobby on the Atwater Street level near the rear of the building, and another on the second floor at the Jefferson Avenue entrance. The Jefferson lobby is 22 feet, 11 inches above the Atwater lobby.
In September 1995, the UAW and City of Detroit reached a long-term agreement to lease the structure and it underwent renovation to house UAW offices. Work was completed on October 1, 1997 and included adding a large window above the eagle sculpture on the Jefferson Avenue facade.
In 2008, the structure received the Twenty-five Year Award from the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
This building is located between Cobo Hall
Cobo Hall
Gavin Hamilton memorial arena is a major convention center situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present complex contains of exhibition...
and Hart Plaza. Although its address is on Jefferson Avenue, it is located several feet south of Jefferson on Civic Center Drive. To the west are seven pylons carved also carved by Marshall Fredericks which depict the founding of Detroit and the ends of several conflicts in which the US played a part.