Guardian Building
The Guardian Building, located in the block of Griswold, West Congress and West Larned streets in downtown Detroit, Michigan, was first proposed by the Union Trust Company in the 1928.
Founded in 1890, the Union Trust Company, the second trust company allowed to organize under the Trust Act of 1890, prospered in Detroit. The city at the time was growing at breakneck speed, becoming known as the "Paris of the Mideast."(2) The trust constructed a new 11-story office tower, one of the city's first steel-framed buildings, in 1895. The trust, by 1926, had assets of $52 million. It merged with the National Bank of Commerce, which had $54 million. The size of the newly formed banking giant created the need for a much larger facility
The corporation commissioned the architectural firm of Smith Hinchman and Grylls to design a landmark office structure near the city's riverfront.(1) The design was completed in March 1927, and construction began shortly thereafter with the clearing of one city block for the 40-story, 486 ft. (151 m.) skyscraper.(2)
The building was completed in early 1929, and was one of the largest art deco structures completed in the United States.(1)(2) It was also the world's tallest masonry structure, and Detroit's second tallest building.(2) It's exterior boasted orange-colored bricks with a granite base, and poly-chromed terra cotta on the upper levels. The building's taller north tower and smaller south tower were connected by a 'cathedral', blended in vibrant hues influenced by Native American, Aztec and a mixture of Dutch, French and American arts and crafts. The building also contained painted murals and ceilings, a vaulted ceiling blanketed in vivid Rookwood tile laid in diamond patterns, Pewabic tiles and glazes and Numidian marble from a mine that had closed 30 years prior, but reopened for the sole purpose of supplying the building with extremely rare stone. The building also contained stained glass, reminiscent after a cathedral nave located in Beauvais, France.
The building earned the nickname, "Cathedral of Finance," for its vaulted ceilings and ornate displays.
Other features of the building included a gun range for the building security guards, a public theater on the 32nd floor, a conference room floor comprised of five woods, and a metal tablet in the lobby engraved with the names of 40 tradesmen who tired on the building.(2)
-Wirt Rowland(1)
The Union Trust Company, however, became bankrupt during the Stock Market Crash in the same year.(1) The company was reorganized into the Union Guardian Trust Company, and during World War II, the Guardian Building served as residence for the Army's Command Center for coordinating ordinance production.(2) After the war, the building returned to the New Union Building Company, although it filed for bankruptcy in 1949. Three years later, the building went to public auction, and was sold to the Guardian Building Company of Michigan Bank Corporation.
MichCon was the largest tenant in the building until the late 1950s, when the company constructed its own building. In 1975, The Guardian Building was sold to MichCon. Subsequently, MichCon sold it to General Electric Pension Trust under a leaseback contract.(2) In January 1983 MichCon separated from American Natural Resources, and moved back into the Guardian. The building was partially renovated five years later.(3)
On June 29, 1989, the Guardian Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.(3) In 1998, SHG, formerly Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, announced its intention to move 270 of its employees back into the building they designed.(2) The building was renovated again in 2003.(3)
Further reading
Sources
1. "Building History." Guardian Building 2005. 5 Feb. 2009 Article.
2. Zacharias, Pat. "Guardian Building has long been the crown jewel in Detroit skyline." Detroit News 10 March 2001. 5 Feb. 2009 Article.
3. "Guardian Building." National Park Service. 5 Feb. 2009 Article.
4. Farley, Ren. "Guardian Building/Union Trust Building." Detroit 1701. 5 Feb. 2009 Article.