The Architects Building is an office building located at 415 Brainard Street in Midtown

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

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 was listed 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 artist ...

in 1995.

History

The Architects Building is a seven-story building erected in 1924 by Thomas J. Thompson, a man involved with the hotel and restaurant trade.Architects’ Building
from the city of Detroit Thompson hired Richard H. Marr, a well-known Detroit architect, to design the building. Its original purpose was to provide space for all architectural professionals and trades in one building.Architects' Building
from Woodward Avenue When the Architects Building opened, 25 firms had space in the building, including Marr and architect

Marcus R. Burrowes Marcus R. Burrowes (1874–1953) was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He was widely known in southeas ...

. However, the Great Depression was hard on the building. In 1933, only three architects remained in the building, and in 1936 Thompson' estate (he had died in 1928) lost the building to foreclosure. After 1940 both Marr and Burrowes moved out, and the building's association with the field of architecture seems to have ended. In 1950, the building was renamed the Contractor's Storage Building, and in 1974, it was purchased by the Salvation Army. In 1985, it was purchased by the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation.

Description and significance

The Architects Building is a seven-story Neo-Classical Revival commercial building, built with a reinforced concrete frame, faced with buff brick, and trimmed in stone.Architects Building
from the state of Michigan It is the tallest building in the immediate vicinity, and despite the sweeping changes elsewhere in the neighborhood, the exterior is in good condition. The first floor lobby, the most significant area within the building, is still in good condition and looks much as it was designed.

Current use

In 1999, the CCNDC renovated the building and turned it into 27 apartments for low-income residents.Kristin Palm
"Building in green," ''Metro Times,'' March 31, 1999.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Office buildings in Detroit Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Office buildings completed in 1924 National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Architecture in Michigan