- One Detroit Center
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One Detroit Center 
Alternative names Comerica Tower at Detroit Center General information Type Commercial offices Location 500 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MichiganCoordinates 42°19′48″N 83°02′42″W / 42.33°N 83.045°WCoordinates: 42°19′48″N 83°02′42″W / 42.33°N 83.045°W Construction started 1991 Completed 1993 Height Antenna spire 188.7 m (619 ft) Roof 184.9 m (607 ft) Top floor 176.2 m (578 ft) Technical details Floor count 43 (+2 underground) Floor area 1,674,708 sq ft (155,585.5 m2) Elevator count 22 Design and construction Architect Philip Johnson
John BurgeeReferences [1][2][3]
One Detroit Center, also known as Comerica Tower at Detroit Center after its tenant, is a skyscraper and class-A office building located downtown which overlooks the Detroit Financial District. Rising 619 feet (189 m), the 43-story tower is the tallest office building in Michigan, and the second tallest overall in the state behind the central hotel tower of the Renaissance Center, located a few blocks away. Although the Penobscot Building has more floors (45 above-ground floors compared to 43), One Detroit Center's floors are taller, with its roof sitting roughly 60 feet (18 m) taller than Penobscot's. Its floor area is 1,674,708 square feet (155,585 m2).[4]In December 2009, Comerica announced it would vacate the Comerica Tower by 2012, consolidating its Michigan operations at 411 West Lafayette Boulevard after having moved its corporated headquarters to Dallas in 2007. The move will put the naming rights for One Detroit Center into play. [5]
Contents
Architecture
One Detroit Center from Jefferson Avenue.
The building was designed by noted architects John Burgee & Philip Johnson, partners influential in postmodern architecture.[6] One Detroit Center was constructed from 1991 to 1993. It houses numerous other tenants, including many prominent Detroit law firms, and other banks. Some, however, have expressed concern over the building's lack of exterior lighting at night, in contrast to the easily identifiable orb of the nearby Penobscot Building. In addition to retail, the building also contains a restaurant.
The building is famous for its postmodern architectural design topped with Flemish-inspired neo-gothic spires which blend architecturally with the city's historic skyline.[6] It is constructed mainly of granite. Sometimes called a "twin gothic structure", for its pairs of spires, it is oriented North-South and East-West (as named on a plaque along the Windsor waterfront park). One Detroit Center won the Award of Excellence for its design in 1996. One Detroit Center replicas have become a souvenir item along with other Detroit skyscrapers.[7]
Project plans for twin tower, Two Detroit Center proposed directly east of the tower were placed indefinitely on hold.[8] Two Detroit Center parking garage was constructed on the site in 2002.[9]
Tenants
The building is occupied by Comerica Bank. In efforts to expand its U.S. presence, the bank has engaged in a succession of takeovers in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California. In 2007, Comerica moved its headquarters to Dallas, Texas but maintains its major operations in Detroit. The bank's lease on Comerica Tower at Detroit Center runs through 2012.[10] Comerica is a major sponsor of Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. The building is also occupied by Clark Hill law firm.
Images
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View from Cadillac Square.
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View from the Courtyard Marriott
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One Detroit Center in the city skyline.
References
- ^ One Detroit Center at Emporis
- ^ One Detroit Center at SkyscraperPage
- ^ One Detroit Center at Structurae
- ^ "One Detroit Center". SkyscraperPage.com. http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=525. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
- ^ "[1]." Retrieved on October 12, 2010.
- ^ a b Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
- ^ InFocusTech skyscrapers. Retrieved on July 16, 2009.
- ^ Gallagher, John and Dick Rochan (October 27, 1991).Unbuilt Detroit.Detroit Free Press Magazine. Retrieved on June 9, 2010.
- ^ http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/cx/?id=115856
- ^ Alejandro Bodipo-Memba, (2007-03-06).Comerica moving HQ to Dallas.Detroit Free Press.
Further reading
- 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.
- 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.
External links
Categories:- Skyscrapers in Detroit, Michigan
- Office buildings in Detroit, Michigan
- Bank buildings in Michigan
- Skyscrapers between 150 and 199 meters
- John Burgee buildings
- Philip Johnson buildings
- Buildings and structures completed in 1993
- Postmodern architecture in the United States
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