Wright-Kay Building
Encyclopedia
The Wright-Kay Building, originally the Schwankovsky Temple of Music, is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Detroit, Michigan
. It was completed in 1891, and sat on the growing fringe of Detroit's Woodward Ave. It is between Grand Circus Park and Campus Martius Park
, at the corner of Woodward and John R. It was later used by the founders of Wright-Kay jewelry from 1920 to 1978. Its current use includes a nightclub on the first floor with offices and residential units above. In 1980, the building was listed on the State of Michigan's Historical Register as #P25241.
The building was constructed for the F. J. Schwankovsky Company, a retailer of musical instruments. The second floor of the structure contains a one-time concert ballroom. The Schwankovsky Company went out of business several decades after the building opened. It is a Queen Anne style building with brick and brownstone
trim. The corner turrets extend from the second to fifth floors. The building was erected using a cast iron frame and was the first in Detroit with an electrical elevator
— a technology that facilitated the skyscraper
.
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...
. It was completed in 1891, and sat on the growing fringe of Detroit's Woodward Ave. It is between Grand Circus Park and Campus Martius Park
Campus Martius Park
Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It is where the "point of origin" of Detroit's coordinate system is located...
, at the corner of Woodward and John R. It was later used by the founders of Wright-Kay jewelry from 1920 to 1978. Its current use includes a nightclub on the first floor with offices and residential units above. In 1980, the building was listed on the State of Michigan's Historical Register as #P25241.
The building was constructed for the F. J. Schwankovsky Company, a retailer of musical instruments. The second floor of the structure contains a one-time concert ballroom. The Schwankovsky Company went out of business several decades after the building opened. It is a Queen Anne style building with brick and brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
trim. The corner turrets extend from the second to fifth floors. The building was erected using a cast iron frame and was the first in Detroit with an electrical elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
— a technology that facilitated the skyscraper
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...
.