TheFisher Building is alandmarkskyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of theNew Center area ofDetroit,Michigan. The ornate 30-story building, completed in 1928, is one of the major works of architectAlbert Kahn, and is designed in anArt Deco style, faced withlimestone,granite, and several types ofmarble. The Fisher family financed the building with proceeds from the sale ofFisher Body toGeneral Motors. It was designed to house office and retail space.[3]
The Fisher brothers located the building across from the General Motors Building (Cadillac Place), as General Motors had recently purchased theFisher Body Company. The two massive buildings spurred the development of a New Center for the city, a business district north of its downtown area.
The building's hipped roof was originally covered with gold leaf tiles, but duringWorld War II these tiles were covered in asphalt because it was feared that the reflective surface would attract enemy bombers.[3] After the war, the asphalt could not be removed from the gold tiles without harming them, so they were replaced with green tiles. Since the 1980s, these tiles have been illuminated at night with colored lights to give them a gold appearance. OnSt. Patrick's Day, the lights are changed to green and, in recent years, to celebrate theNHL playoffs, the tower is illuminated with red lights in honor of theDetroit Red Wings.
In 1974, Tri-Star Development purchased the Fisher Building and adjoiningNew Center Building for approximately$20 million.[7]
In 2001, FK Acquisition LLC, a real estate firm based in Southfield, purchased the two buildings fromTrizecHahn Corporation for $31 million.[8] FK Acquisition LLC lost the buildings to its lender in 2015.
In 2002,Detroit Public Schools (DPS) paid the owner of the Fisher Building $24.1 million to purchase five floors to house administrative offices, citing the high cost of renovations needed at theMaccabees Building, the previous headquarters, to comply with building and safety codes.[9][10]
In July 2015, Southfield-based developer Redico LLC, in partnership withHFZ Capital Group of New York City and Peter Cummings of The Platform, a Detroit-based development company, taking advantage of the general decline in Detroit real estate values, purchased the Fisher Building and adjacent Albert Kahn Building, plus 2,000 parking spaces in two parking structures and three surface lots in New Center for only $12.2 million at auction. Redico said the partnership plans to transform the two buildings, which are connected by an underground pedestrian concourse, into what it called a "true urban" mixed-use development, with a mix of office, retail, residential and entertainment uses. The multi-year project has a potential cost of $70 million to $80 million in addition to the purchase price. The Redico interest was purchased by Cummings and his partner in The Platform, Dietrich Knoer, in 2016.[11][12]
The Fisher Building rises 30 stories with a roof height of 428 feet (130 m), a top floor height of 339 feet (103 m), and the spire reaching 444 feet (135 m). The building has 21 elevators. Albert Kahn and Associates designed the building withJoseph Nathaniel French serving as chief architect.[14] French took inspiration fromEliel Saarinen's Tribune Tower design of 1922, seen in the emphasis on verticality and thestepped-back upper stories. The building is unlike any other Albert Kahn production.[15] It has been called "Detroit's largest art object".[3]
In 1929, theArchitectural League of New York honored the Fisher Building with a silver medal in architecture.[16] The opulent three-storybarrel vaulted lobby is constructed with forty different kinds of marble, decorated by Hungarian artistGéza Maróti, and is highly regarded by architects.[4][5] The sculpture on the exterior of the building was supplied by several sculptors including Maróti,Corrado Parducci, Anthony De Lorenzo andUlysses Ricci.[17]
Designs called for two flagpoles atop the gilt roof. While they were installed, they were essentially unusable as a radio antenna was installed when one of the building's oldest tenants, radio stationWJR, leased space in December 1928. On-air hosts often mention that broadcasts originate "from the golden tower of the Fisher Building." This was a requirement of the station's original lease in exchange for a nominal rent.[18] Two other radio stations,WDVD-FM (the former WJR-FM) andWUFL, also have broadcast studios in the building.
In 1970, building employees discovered a storage room sealed with tape. None of the staff knew what the room contained or why it was sealed. When they located the key, they found the flags of 75 nations that apparently were created in 1928 and intended to be flown for foreign visitors.[3]
The building is also home to the Fisher Theatre, one of Detroit's oldest live theatre venues. The theatre, designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm of Anker S. Graven & Arthur G. Mayger, originally featured a lavishAztec-themed interior in theMayan Revival style, and once had Mexican-Indian art,banana trees, and livemacaws that its patrons could feed.[19] After the Depression, the theatre operated primarily as a movie house until 1961. Originally containing 3,500 seats, the interior was renovated into a 2,089-seat playhouse that allowed for more spacious seating and lobbies for patrons at a cost of $3.5 million. The decor was changed to a simple mid-century design.
TheNederlander Organization opened the "new" Fisher Theatre on October 2, 1961 and operated it until April 2021 when it sold the venue to theAmbassador Theatre Group.[20][21] It primarily features traveling productions ofBroadway shows and has hosted numerous out-of-town tryouts.
Befitting the Fisher Building's history in association with art, three nationally recognized fine-art galleries have occupied space in the structure including theGertrude Kasle Gallery and London Fine Arts Group.
^"Fisher Building".National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived fromthe original on October 6, 2012. RetrievedJune 27, 2008.
^"Real Estate Report"(PDF). Detroit Public Schools' Office of Inspector General. October 7, 2011. p. iii. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on April 9, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2018.
^"Joseph N. French, Fairlane Architect".Detroit Free Press. March 2, 1975. p. C16. RetrievedMarch 21, 2011.In the meantime he had served as chief architect for the Fisher Building...
^"Office of InnovationArchived July 26, 2017, at theWayback Machine." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "DPS Office of Innovation Fisher Building, 9th Floor 7321 Second Avenue Detroit MI 48202"
^"Division of TalentArchived December 22, 2017, at theWayback Machine." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building, 10th Floor 3011 W Grand Blvd Detroit, MI 48202"
^"Office of PayrollArchived January 6, 2018, at theWayback Machine."Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "Fisher Building 11th Floor Detroit, MI 48202" and "The Office of Payroll to distribute Aline cards to employees from the Payroll Dept. on the 11th Floor of the Fisher Building. "
^"Rutherford Elementary Operator"(PDF). Detroit Public Schools. March 1, 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on August 11, 2014. RetrievedMay 8, 2014.Fisher Building – 14th Floor; 3011 W. Grand Boulevard; Detroit, MI 48202-2710
^"Operations GroupArchived December 22, 2017, at theWayback Machine." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 30, 2015. "Fisher Building – 14th Floor 3011 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202"
^"Locations". Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. RetrievedNovember 30, 2015. "Detroit Service Center / Council Shop 3011 W. Grand Blvd. 500 Fisher Bldg. Detroit, MI 48202[...]SHOP HOURS (1st Floor):"
^"Contact Us."Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. Retrieved on January 2, 2018. "Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation 3011 West Grand Blvd Suite 218 Detroit, MI 48202"
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