Growing up in southeast Michigan, I knew about Detroit’s Fisher Building early on from local radio station WJR which broadcasts from the “golden tower of the Fisher Building” as well as the Fisher Theater, where I’ve attended plays and musicals for years.
And when you walk around midtown Detroit, there’s no way you can miss the 30-story skyscraper towering over the rest of the buildings at the corner of Woodward and West Grand Boulevard in the New Center.
So when I found myself with free time yesterday and remembered Pure Detroit had walking tours of the Fisher Building, I jumped at the chance to learn more about its history and architecture.
History of the Fisher Building
The Fisher Building was financed by the Fisher brothers, known for creating enclosed bodies for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hudson, Oldsmobile, Packard, Studebaker, and other Detroit automobile companies in the early 1900’s.
The seven brothers commissioned well-known architect Albert Kahn to design the Fisher Building. Kahn was told not to spare any expense in designing the structure.
The Fisher brothers wanted a commercial building for the headquarters of their Fisher Body Company, which had recently been bought by General Motors.
In addition, they wanted the Fisher Building to serve as a center for shopping and entertainment where Detroiters could shop for suits, dresses, hats, visit doctors, dentists, and other service providers, as well as enjoy movies and vaudeville shows.
It was originally conceived as a three-building complex, but the Great Depression in 1929 led to only one of the buildings being built.
Architecture
Opened in 1928, the Fisher Building took less than two years to build. The Art Deco structure was built of granite and more than 40 types of marble, including marble from Minnesota, Maryland, Missouri, Italy, Africa, and other locations.
The three-story lobby is stunning: ornate tile floors, fluted marble pillars, tile mosaics, and wet-plaster frescos on the ceiling hand-painted with gold-leaf. Amazingly, the frescos were completed in two months time.
Beautiful artwork depicts commerce, production, and agriculture in paintings and are repeated in the 21 gorgeous bronze elevator doors.
Bronze details are everywhere. I learned 420 tons of bronze finishing was used in the building, for window hardware, grills for radiators, door handles, elevator calling stands, railing in the second and third floors, and more.
The Fisher Building was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1980 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
Visit the Fisher Building
If you live in the Detroit area, or are visiting sometime in the near future, I hope you find time to visit the Fisher Building.
Several restaurants, delis, and coffee shops on the first floor give you the opportunity to enjoy your favorite beverage, snack, or meal as you take in the beautiful architecture, mosaics, floor tile, and paintings.
