Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place, formerly the General Motors Building, is a landmark high-rise office complex located at 3044 West Grand Boulevard (between Cass and Second Streets), in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. It was renamed for the Royal French founder of the earlier French / British settlements of the Fort Detroit and subsequent City of Detroit, by Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac (1658–1730). It is a National Historic Landmark in Michigan, listed in 1985.[4][5]

History

General Motors Building

After much pressure by the General Motors Corporation Board of Directors, William C. Durant (1861–1947), agreed in 1919 to construct a permanent headquarters in Detroit for the company he formed a decade earlier in 1908. The corporation then purchased the block between Cass and Second Streets, facing on

Architecture

The building rises 15 stories to a total height of 220 ft, with the top floor at 187 ft. The building has 31 elevators. It was originally constructed with 1200000 sqft and expanded to 1395000 sqft. Designated a National Historic Landmark on June 2, 1978, it is an exquisite example of Neoclassical architecture.

Designed by architect Albert Kahn, the structure consists of a two-story base with four parallel 15-story wings connecting to a central perpendicular backbone. Kahn used this design to allow sunlight and natural ventilation to reach each of the building's hundreds of individual offices.[7] The entire building is faced in limestone and is crowned with a two-story Corinthian colonnade. In 1923, it opened as the second largest office building in the world (behind the Equitable Building in New York City).[7]

The base of the building is surrounded by an arched colonnade supported by Ionic columns. The entrance is set into a loggia behind three arches of the Grand Boulevard facade. It intersects the arcade to form a large elevator lobby with a coffered ceiling.

Interiors

The interior features a vaulted arcade. An Italian marble from quarries near Chiampo, Vicenza, Veneto, known as tavernelle,[13] covers its walls.[14] Floors on the ground level are gray Tennessee marble. The arcade was originally lined by stores and an auditorium which could be used for corporate functions or by community groups. The auditorium space was later converted into an auto showroom. On the upper stories, floors are also gray Tennessee marble, while corridor walls are covered in the original white Alabama marble.[6]

Two swimming pools were located on the lower level, one was converted into a cafeteria. Tile with a water theme gives a hint to the original use of the cafeteria space. A depressed driveway extending between Cass and Second divides the lower level of the main building from the lower level of the Annex.[6][15]

When the Fisher Building was constructed across Grand Boulevard in 1927, the two were connected with an underground pedestrian tunnel that also extends north to the New Center Building. They allow employees and visitors to traverse between the three buildings without going outdoors into inclement weather.

Annex Building

To the south of the main building is the five-story Annex which served as the original home of General Motors Research Laboratory. In 1930, the laboratories moved across Milwaukee Avenue to the Art Deco Argonaut Building. For many years after the Annex housed the Chevrolet Central Office. In 2009 when the Argonaut Building was sold, a fourth-floor pedestrian bridge connecting the two was removed and the Annex facade was restored.[16]

Renovation

Between 2000 and 2002, the General Motors Building was thoroughly renovated to house the State of Michigan offices. Architect Eric J. Hill participated in the redevelopment which was headed by Albert Kahn and Associates, the original architects. In addition to upgrading existing systems, reconfiguring some spaces and redecorating, the project installed central air conditioning. When the building was first occupied, it was cooled in the warmer months by opening windows. Later, General Motors installed window units to cool various offices and work areas. During the renovation, large-scale systems replaced almost 1,900 window units that were left when GM vacated the structure.[17]

former name	General Motors Building
location	3044 West Grand Boulevard (between Cass and Second Streets) Detroit, Michigan
coordinates	42.3686°N, -83.0756°W
construction start date	June 2, 1919
completion date	1922
renovation date	2002
building type	Government offices
architectural style	Neo-classical
material	Masonry and stone
roof	220 ft
floor count	15
elevator count	31
floor area	1395000 sqft
architect	Albert Kahn (1869–1942)
main contractor	Thompson-Starrett Co.
references	‡R1R‡‡R2R‡‡R3R‡

History

General Motors Building

New Center Development

Government of Michigan—Cadillac Place

Architecture

Interiors

Annex Building

Renovation

Photo gallery

See also

Further reading

External links

References