Washington Boulevard Historic District
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Washington Boulevard Historic District | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Detroit, Michigan |
| Built/Founded: | 1901- |
| Architect: | Edward Bennett Louis Kamper Hamilton Anderson Associates |
| Architectural style(s): | City Beautiful, Beaux Arts, Neo-Renaissance, Academic Classicism |
| Added to NRHP: | July 15, 1982 |
| NRHP Reference#: | #82002914[1] |
Washington Boulevard Historic District is a multi-block area of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is bounded by Washington Boulevard between State and Clifford streets. In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It includes the Book-Cadillac Hotel, the Book Tower, the Industrial-Stevens Apartments, and Washington Square (Trolley Plaza) among other architecturally significant buildings. The Detroit Statler Hotel was located on the boulevard until it was demolished in 2005. Washington Boulevard was one of the large boulevards in Augustus Woodward's plan of 1807.
The street was broadened and ornamented in the early part of the twentieth century. The development was inspired by the City Beautiful movement and financed by J. Burgess Book Jr. and designed by Louis Kamper. It was to resemble New York's Fifth Avenue and European boulevards. A sculpture lined park between two one-way streets decorated a shopping district and upscale residential neighborhood. Edward Bennett, a well known master planner, turned Washington Boulevard into a Beaux Arts streetscape. More buildings were planned, but not built because of the Great Depression.
In the late 1970s, Washington Boulevard was redesigned with an urban pedestrian mall that included new sculptures and an amphitheater. It has since been restored to its original plan.
Contents |
[edit] Buildings
This list below shows the information on the buildings located along Washington Boulevard. This list starts at the Detroit River (south end), and heads northbound, terminating at Grand Circus Park.
| Address | Building Name | Building use | Year Built | Architectural Style | Floors | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West side of street | East side of street | ||||||||
| Detroit River | |||||||||
| Civic Center Drive | |||||||||
| 1 Washington Boulevard | Cobo Hall | Convention center | 1960 | modern | 5 | ||||
| 2 Washington Boulevard | Sheraton Detroit Riverside Hotel | Hotel | 1965 | modern | 25 | Stands on the site of Fort Pontchartrain | |||
| West Larned Street | |||||||||
| Unknown Address | Detroit Fire Department Headquarters | Government (Fire Department) | 1929 | 5 | |||||
| 243 West Congress Street | Marquette Building | Government and commercial | 1905 | Chicago School | 10 | Houses offices for the Michigan Secretary of State | |||
| West Congress Street | |||||||||
| 211 West Fort Street | 211 West Fort Street | Office building | 1963 | modern | 27 | ||||
| West Fort Street | |||||||||
| 231 West Lafayette Street | Theodore Levin United States Courthouse | Court House | 1934 | Art deco and art moderne | 10 | ||||
| 321 West Lafayette Street | Detroit Free Press Building | newspaper | 1924 | Art Deco | 16 | ||||
| West Lafayette Street | |||||||||
| 1020 Washington Boulevard | Holiday Inn Express Detroit - Downtown | Hotel | 1965 | modern | 17 | Stands at the site of "219 Michigan Avenue", one of Detroit's first high-rise skyscrapers. | |||
| Unknown | Gabriel Richard Building | ||||||||
| Michigan Avenue | |||||||||
| 1114 Washington Boulevard | Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel | Hotel | 1928 | Neo-Renaissance | 29 | Under Renovation | |||
| State Street | |||||||||
| 1265 Washington Boulevard | Book Tower | Offices | 1926 | Academic Classicism | 40 | ||||
| Unknown address | St. Aloysious Catholic Church and Archdiocese of Detroit Offices | Church, offices | |||||||
| 234 State Street | Washington Boulevard Apartments | Apartment building | 1922 | Chicago school | 23 | ||||
| 35 West Grand River Avenue | Clark Tower Lofts | Apartment building | 1922 | Chicago school | 10 | ||||
| Grand River Avenue | |||||||||
| 1410 Washington Boulevard | Industrial-Stevens Apartments | Apartments | 1929 | Art deco and Art moderne | 22 | ||||
| 1431 Washington Boulevard | Washington Square (Trolley Plaza) | Apartment building, parking garage | 1981 | modern | 23 | ||||
| Clifford Street/Clifford Road | |||||||||
| 1514 Washington Boulevard | Claridge Apartments | Apartment building | unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||||
| 1545 Woodward Avenue | Himmelhoch Apartments | Apartment building | 1901 | Neo-Renaissance | 8 | The structure was originally built as an office and retail building and was later leased to upscale women's department store Himmelhoch Brothers from 1923 to 1977. | |||
| 1539 Washington Boulevard | Detroit Statler Hotel | Hotel, now vacant lot | 1915 | Georgian architecture, a subset of English Renaissance Revival | 18 | torn down in 2006 | |||
| 1553 Woodward Avenue | David Whitney Building | Office tower | 1915 | Neo-Renaissance | 19 | Currently vacant, awaiting renovation and occupation | |||
| Witherell Street | |||||||||
| Grand Circus Park | |||||||||
[edit] Gallery
 Washington Blvd looking south from Clifford Street. |
 David Stott building appears from Washington Boulevard. |
 Himmelhoch building. |
 View from Grand Circus Park. |
 Modern sculpture in the median. |
 Structures of different eras share the boulevard. To the left, is the 1920s-era Book Tower, next to the 1980s-era Washington Square (Trolley Plaza). |
 Industrial-Stevens Apartments, another 1920s-era building |
 Augustus Woodward's plan following the 1805 fire for Detroit's Baroque-styled radial avenues and Grand Circus Park. |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
[edit] References
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
[edit] External links
- City of Detroit Planning and Development Department. Washington Boulevard Historic District
- Google Maps location
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