Book Tower

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name = Book Tower

| built = 1916 - 1926
use = office
location = 1265 Washington Boulevard
Detroit, Michigan
USA
roof = 145 m (475 ft)
top_floor =
antenna_spire =
floor_count = 38 stories
floor_area = 118,571 m²
architect = Louis Kamper, Book Tower Development, Inc| skyscraperpage_id = | The Book Tower is an Italian Renaissance styled tower in Detroit, Michigan. Construction began in 1916 as an addition to the original Book Building and finished a decade later. Designed in the Academic Classicism style, it is 475 feet (145 m) and 38 stories tall (not including two basement levels), with two mechanical floors at the top encasing the green copper roof, a roofing style shared by the nearby Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel. Retail and gallery floors reside on the first and second floors, with businesses occupying the rest.

Named after the famous Book Brothers of Detroit, it was briefly the tallest building in the city until the completion of the Penobscot Building in 1928. A taller Book Tower of 81 stories was to be built at the opposite end of the Book Building, but the Great Depression cancelled those plans.

Redevelopment

On July 25, 2006, the Book Tower was sold to the Pagan Organization, a New York-based investment group. Early plans call for a renovation and conversion of both the Book Tower and Book building into retail, residential, and office units.

The Pagan Organization created the Northeast Commercial Services Corp. shortly after taking over the building. Northeast Commercial Services Corp. filed for Chapter 11 protection Wednesday, May 24, 2007, after defaulting on their loan from [http://www.ksicapital.com KSI Capital Corp.] , a New Jersey-based commercial hard-money lender. [ [http://www.woodtv.com WOOD-TV.com] ] Many tenants in the building are unhappy with problems in the building, such as ineffective heating and frequent elevator breakdowns.Fact|date=December 2007

References

*Cite book | author=Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher | title= AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture| year=2002 | publisher= Wayne State University Press | id=ISBN 0-8143-3120-3
*Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, "Architectural Sculpture of America", unpublished manuscript
*Cite book | author=Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A.| title=Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition | year= 1980| publisher= Wayne State University Press| id = ISBN 0-8143-1651-4
*Cite book | author= Sharoff, Robert | title=American City: Detroit Architecture| publisher=Wayne State University Press| year=2005| id=ISBN 0-8143-3270-6
*Cite book | author=Savage, Rebecca Binno and Greg Kowalski | title= Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America) | publisher=Arcadia | year=2004 | id=ISBN 0-7385-3228-2

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=19&ll=42.333423,-83.051652&spn=0.000823,0.001177&t=h&om=1 Google Maps location of the Book Tower]
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=118554 Book Tower at Emporis.com]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1416 SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on the Book Tower]