Metropolitan Building (Detroit)

Metropolitan Building
General information
Type	office
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
Location	33 John R Street Detroit, Michigan United States
Coordinates	42°20′7.37″N 83°2′55.87″W / 42.3353806°N 83.0488528°W / 42.3353806; -83.0488528Coordinates: 42°20′7.37″N 83°2′55.87″W / 42.3353806°N 83.0488528°W / 42.3353806; -83.0488528
Construction started	1924
Completed	1925
Height
Antenna spire	182 ft 10 in (55.7 m)
Roof	173 ft 8 in (52.9 m)
Technical details
Floor count	15
Design and construction
Architect	Weston and Ellington

The Metropolitan Building is a high-rise office building located on a triangular lot at 33 John R Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Grand Circus Park.

The building was built in 1924 and finished in 1925. It stands at 15 stories and was once occupied by shops, offices, and the facilities of jewelry manufacturers and wholesalers leading it to also be known as the "Jeweler's Building". The manufacture of luminous watch dials in the building left behind several toxic substances that have thwarted redevelopment plans.^[1] Architects Weston and Ellington designed it in a Neo-Gothic style.^[2] The exterior of the building is faced with brick, granite, and terra cotta.

The Metropolitan Building closed in 1977 and current plans call for development into lofts. In March 2010, the Downtown Development Authority voted to install safety scaffolding and netting on the building to prevent parts of the facade from falling.

Notes

1. ^ Joe Swickard (16 July 2011). "Neighbor cheers judge's repair order of crumbling Wurlitzer skyscraper". Detroit Free Press (freep.com). http://www.freep.com/article/20110716/NEWS01/107160369/Neighbor-cheers-judge-s-repair-order-crumbling-Wurlitzer-skyscraper?odyssey=mod. Retrieved 2011-07-16. 
2. ^ Hill, Eric J., and Gallagher, John (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture, p. 52. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.

References

• Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4. 
• Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6. 
• Gallagher, John. "Metropolitan Building in Detroit to get safety scaffolding". http://www.freep.com/article/20100310/NEWS01/100310073/0/NEWS05. Retrieved 12 March 2010. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Detroiturbex.com
• Metropolitan Building details at Emporis.com
• SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on the Metropolitan Building