
Photo: Sk8terjacob, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Built in 1928, the Book Cadillac Hotel is an architectural gem that, after 20 years of vacancy, was remodeled into an upscale hotel in 2008. It was designed with neo-classical elements and building sculptures, incorporating brick and limestone. Among its notable features are the statues of General Anthony Wayne, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, Chief Pontiac and Robert Navarre along the ornate Michigan Avenue facade and the three copper terraces at top the building.
The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit is a historic hotel in downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Washington Boulevard Historic District. Designed in the Neo-Renaissance style, and opened as the Book-Cadillac Hotel in 1924, the 349 ft (106 m), 31-story, 453-room hotel includes 65 exclusive luxury condominiums and penthouses on the top eight floors. It reopened in October 2008, managed by Westin Hotels, after a $200-million restoration.
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This park and 17 surrounding buildings are included in the Capitol Park Historic District. Some of the more famous ones are the Art Deco-style David Stott Building, and the Modern Movement-style Griswold Building. The nearest People Mover station to this historic place is the Times Square Station, on Grand River, between Cass and Washington Boulevard.
The building was the tallest in Michigan from its completion in 1928 until the construction of the Renaissance Center's central tower in 1977. It is now the third tallest. Like many of the city's other Roaring Twenties buildings, it has Art Deco influences, including its "H" shape, which allows maximum sunlight into the building, and the sculptural setbacks that cause the upper floors to seem to "erode".
Campus Martius is the main park of Detroit. Hart Plaza, on the Riverfront, was made to replace Campus Martius, but Hart Plaza is hard-surfaced, so Campus Martius was re-established. The new Campus Martius Park includes two stages, sculptures, public spaces and a seasonal ice skating rink. Cadillac Square Park, immediately to the east of Campus Martius, provides park space. Several skyscrapers surround Campus Martius Park. The more popular of these include: Compuware World Headquarters, which is home to a beautiful lobby and several shops and stores; Cadillac Tower, which will be connected to the Cadillac Centre, which will be built in a similar architectural style as the Guggenheim Museums; and 1001 Woodward, which is the only building in Detroit in the Chicago-style architecture. The park is also home to a few historic monuments, such as Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, which is a Civil War monument first unveiled in 1872, and Bagley Memorial Fountain, which is a monument to 16th governor of Michigan, John J. Bagley, whose will contained $5,000 for the construction of a drinking fountain for the people of Detroit, to have "water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream." The nearest People Mover station to Campus Martius Park is the Cadillac Center station, at Gratiot Avenue and Library Street.
This historic upscale hotel was designed in the Beaux Arts style. Built in 1916, it was renovated in 2008 and is the first full-service Hilton brand hotel to operate in the city in 33 years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
This five-acre park connects Detroit's theater district to its financial center. The park is home to several statues and monuments, such as the Thomas Edison Memorial Fountain, a statue of former Detroit mayor, William C. Maybury, a statue of Hazen S. Pingree, former mayor of Detroit and former governor of Michigan, and the Russel Alger Memorial Fountain. Across the street from the park is the Victorian Gothic-styled Central United Methodist Church. The new headquarters for Quicken Loans is planned near this park. However, due to the park's proximity to the theater district, Comerica Park, and Ford Field, the fortunes of these skyscrapers are brighter, as many undergoing or are planned for renovation. Grand Circus Park has its own station on the people mover, at Park Street, near Woodward Avenue.
Built in 1929, the building is a bold example of Art Deco architecture, including art moderne designs. At the top of the Guardian Building's spire, is a large American flag, complementing the four smaller flags atop nearby 150 West Jefferson. The Guardian Building's interior is lavishly decorated with mosaic and Pewabic and Rookwood tile. The semi-circular exterior domes are filled with Pewabic Pottery. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It was used as headquarters for production during World War II.