Book Tower is a , 38-story

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

located at 1265 Washington Boulevard in

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan, within the Washington Boulevard Historic District. Construction began on the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

-style building in 1916, as an addition to the original Book Building, and finished a decade later, making it, at the time, the tallest building in Detroit. The building was designed by architect Louis Kamper, an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, active in and around

and

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the List of the most populous counties in the United States, 19th ...

. It has a green

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

roof, a roofing style shared by the nearby Westin Book Cadillac Hotel. Retail and art galleries once resided on the first and second levels, with businesses previously occupying the upper levels. The last tenant closed in 2009, at which time Book Tower sat vacant until it was acquired by Bedrock in 2015. Over the next seven years, a Bedrock-led extensive restoration project culminated in a fully revitalized residential, ROOST apartment/hotel, event venue and mixed-use space.

History

Named for the famous Book Brothers of Detroit who owned much of the property on Washington Boulevard, it was briefly the tallest building in the city from 1926 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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

cancelled those plans. The building contains a

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by the Detroit architectural sculptor

Corrado Parducci Corrado Giuseppe Parducci (March 10, 1900 – November 22, 1981) was an Italian-American architectural sculpture, sculptor who was a celebrated artist for his numerous early-20th century works. Early life and education Parducci was born to Giuli ...

. From its opening through the mid-1970s, the Book Tower remained a prestigious address on Washington Boulevard. Like many structures in the city, its fortunes declined until 1988 when the owners defaulted on the mortgage. In 1989, Travelers Insurance, the principal mortgage-holder, took possession and sold the building to developer John Lambrecht, who had previously purchased and renovated the Cadillac Tower a few blocks east. Lambrecht had similar plans for the Book Building and Tower. His untimely death later that year brought things to a halt. Lambrecht's widow attempted to manage the property and made some improvements, but she was unable to maintain momentum. In July 2006, she sold the Book Tower to the Pagan Organization, a New York-based investment group. Pagan's plans were for a renovation and conversion of both the Book Tower and Book building into a mix of retail, residential, and office units. The Pagan Organization created the Northeast Commercial Services Corp. to manage the building. Northeast Commercial Services Corp. filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

protection in May 2007, after defaulting on its mortgage loan. The last tenant, Bookie's Tavern, closed in January 2009, and moved to a new location downtown, leaving the entire building vacant. In November 2009, Key Investment Group of Clinton Township, Michigan announced intentions to buy and renovate the building as a

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

with high rise residential units, office space, and retail. Weeks earlier, the investors revealed that they were looking to purchase the building from AKNO Enterprises of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

for a green renovation. In January 2010, Rosemarie Dobek, CFO of Key Investment Group, reported that the group was pursuing plans for a US$320 million green renovation to include the Book Tower and four other Detroit buildings. In August 2013, Book Tower owner ANKO Enterprises of Vancouver, British Columbia, filed a tax abatement for a future renovation of the building. Specific plans were not disclosed. In August 2015, Bedrock, owned by Dan Gilbert, purchased the Book Tower for a reported $30 million.

Renovation and modern use

Following Bedrock’s acquisition, the company spent seven years and nearly $400 million on the historic renovation and restoration, transforming it into residential, ROOST apartment/hotel, an event venue, and mixed-use space including office, retail, and bars and restaurants. Tours were given in 2019 and 2021 showing the progress of the project, with its extensive renovation completing in 2022. It is one of the largest

adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse is the reuse of an existing building for a purpose other than that for which it was originally built or designed. It is also known as recycling and conversion. The adaptive reuse of buildings can be a viable alternative to new con ...

projects in Michigan. The rehabilitated Book Tower currently boasts a three-story art glass rotunda within the building’s grand entryway, adorned with more than 6,000 glass panels and 7,000 jewel embellishments, along with intricate, hand-painted plaster ceilings, doors and flourishes throughout the building. Its fully restored exterior features 2,483 windows refurbished for optimal energy efficiency, as well as 29 caryatids across the building’s revitalized façade. Today, the modernized Book Tower consists of 229 renovated residential apartments spread across 28 floors and 46 different floorplans, 117 uniquely designed ROOST apartment/hotel suites and 52,000 square feet of retail, office, bars and restaurants – including an upscale event space with a skylit ballroom. In May 2023, Book Tower was named one “The World’s 11 Most Beautiful Repurposed Buildings” by Architectural Digest. ROOST Detroit opened on June 1, 2023, with 117 furnished studio, one and two-bedroom apartment hotel rooms.

Gallery

File:Downtown, Detroit, MI, USA - panoramio (6).jpg, File:BookTowerCaryatids.jpg,

Caryatid A caryatid ( ; ; ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient t ...

s by an unknown sculptor File:Booktowerdetroit.JPG, The tower from

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a Game warden, warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which b ...

File:DPM Times Square.jpg, The

Detroit People Mover The Detroit People Mover (DPM) is a Elevated railway, elevated People mover, automated people mover system in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, United States. The system operates in a one-way loop on a single track encircling downtown Detroit, using ...

approaching Book Tower

References

External links

Book Tower official websiteBook Tower Residences official websiteROOST Detroit at Book Tower official websiteHistoric Detroit — Book TowerGreen Renovation Article
{{Architecture of metropolitan Detroit Skyscraper office buildings in Detroit Historic district contributing properties in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Buildings with sculpture by Corrado Parducci Office buildings completed in 1926 1926 establishments in Michigan Neoclassical architecture in Michigan Renaissance Revival architecture in Michigan Rock Ventures Louis Kamper buildings

History

Renovation and modern use

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links