| Chrysler House | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Chrysler House | |
| Alternative names | Griswold Place Dime Savings Bank Building Commonwealth Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 719Griswold Street Detroit,Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°19′52″N83°02′54″W / 42.331063°N 83.04832°W /42.331063; -83.04832 |
| Completed | 1912 |
| Renovated | 2002 |
| Owner | Bedrock Detroit |
| Height | |
| Roof | 325 ft (99 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 23 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Daniel Burnham |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Barton Malow |
Chrysler House | |
  | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical |
| Part of | Detroit Financial District (ID09001067) |
| Designated CP | December 14, 2009 |
| References | |
| [1][2][3] | |
Chrysler House is a 23-story, 325-foot (99 m)skyscraper located at 719 Griswold Street inDowntown Detroit, Michigan. The building is adjacent to thePenobscot Building in the heart of the U.S. designatedDetroit Financial District. It is used as anoffice building, withretail space on the street level. It was originally known as theDime Building but has carried numerous names over the years.
The building was constructed between 1910 and 1912[4] and known for many years as theDime Building. When completed, the tower was named the Dime Savings Bank Building for its primary tenant. It was later renamed the Commonwealth Building, briefly known as Griswold Place. It became the Dime Building again in 2002, before being renamed in 2012.
The originalLincoln Highway Association national headquarters occupied office 2115 on the 21st floor from 1913 to 1928.
For several years through 1983, the building housed the headquarters of Bank of the Commonwealth until that bank merged withComerica. In 2002, a $40-million renovation was completed.[5]
In August 2011,Quicken Loans founderDan Gilbert purchased the building along with the nearbyQube,First National Building andWright-Kay Building.[6]
On April 30, 2012, Gilbert andChrysler Group LLC chairmanSergio Marchionne announced that Chrysler will move its Great Lakes Business Center and some executive offices, with approximately 70 employees, into the two top floors of the building. As part of the lease, the building was renamed for the company.[7]
The tower was designed in theNeoclassical architectural style byDaniel Burnham.[8][9] The steel-framed structure is faced with white glazed brick and terra cotta trim. The most distinctive feature is the central light court which begins on the third floor and creates a U-shaped floor plan on the upper office floors.[8] This feature can be seen in an earlier version on Burnham's Miner's National Bank Building, now Citizens Bank financial Center, completed one year earlier in downtownWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Miner's National Bank is a similar, but smaller-scale design with the main banking hall in the space below the light court and featuring a large skylight. A later expansion of the building altered the U-shape of the upper floors.[10]
In a subsequent renovation, the lower two floors were refaced with gray granite and a pediment above the central entrance and cornice were removed.
Media related toDime Building at Wikimedia Commons| Historic districts |
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