Walking around downtown Detroit, you’ll see a number of impressive buildings, from towering skyscrapers, to theaters, and historic churches.
One building that stands out for many people is the beautiful orange brick and gorgeous facade of the 40-story building at the corner of Congress and Griswold
Known as the Cathedral of Finance, the Guardian Building built in the late 1920’s, was the tallest masonry building in the world when it opened in 1929.
Built for the Union Trust Company, the Guardian Building has been the home for banks, a World War II Army command center, Michigan Consolidated Gas headquarters, and is currently the headquarters for Wayne County, Michigan government (which owns the building).
The Guardian Building is on the United States National Register for Historic Places and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
And while the outside of the building is impressive, it’s the interior of the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit that captures your attention.
My son and I visited the Guardian Building last week when we did our holiday shopping in downtown Detroit. He knows I love to visit historic churches and buildings, and usually finds a way to avoid joining me. I could spend days exploring buildings!
But this time, even he was interested in walking about, looking at the design, exploring the architectural details, and checking out the beautiful marble used throughout the building.
Walking through the doors, we entered a beautiful lobby with a three-story vaulted ceiling adorned with Aztec designs created with local Detroit Pewabic Pottery tiles with their iridescent glazes.
We took the stairs to the promenade where Pure Detroit, Rowland Cafe, and the Bank of America are located. You can tell this section was originally built as the banking hall, with cutouts of teller windows that line the left and right sides of the hall.
As my son and I stared at the architecture throughout the banking hall, I felt I was in a church cathedral rather than an office building. Ornate orange, yellow, and blue Art Deco designs cover the ceiling.
I wish I could have sat in the Rowland Cafe seating area for the afternoon, gazing at the ceiling, mural of Michigan, and the beautiful Tiffany clock above the stairs that led down to the lobby.
But we headed out to finish our shopping. I’m hoping to return for one of the Guardian Building tours so I can learn more about the building.
