''The'' Penobscot Building is the original 13-story building of the
Penobscot Block complex in
downtown Detroit,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. It is the first Penobscot Building, and one of three buildings of the same name in the later-constructed complex. It is located at 131 West Fort Street, within the
Detroit Financial District
The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the ...
.
History
The Penobscot Building was designed by
Donaldson and Meier
Donaldson and Meier was an architectural firm based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1880 by John M. Donaldson (1854–1941) and Henry J. Meier (1858–1917), the firm produced a large and varied number of commissions in Detroit and ...
in the
Beaux-Arts style, and incorporates
brick and
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
into its materials. Construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1905.
[ P. 92.] Its building was financed by prominent Detroit businessmen, including lumberman
Simon J. Murphy, Sr.
Architecture
The lower three stories of the building are faced in limestone, the middle seven in brick, and the upper three in terra cotta. The façade is divided into five bays, each with a pair of double-hung windows.
Corinthian column piers front the eleventh and twelfth stories, and the original building cornice has been removed.
Present day
The present day use of the
office building
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
is primarily for
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...
shops and services. It is a
contributing property in the
Detroit Financial Historic District, and on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
See also
*
Penobscot Building
The Greater Penobscot Building, commonly known as the Penobscot Building, is a class-A office tower in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Constructed in 1928, the Art Deco building is located in the heart of the Detroit Financial District. The Penobs ...
(47-story tower)
*
Penobscot Building Annex
*
Penobscot Block
*
References
External links
Official Penobscot Building websiteGoogle Maps location of The Penobscot Building*
*
Skyscraper office buildings in Detroit
National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan
Historic district contributing properties in Michigan
Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Beaux-Arts architecture in Michigan
Office buildings completed in 1905
1905 establishments in Michigan
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