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Detroit Travel: An Architectural Walking Tour of Detroit and a Visit to the Eastern Market

On my second day in Detroit I got a great start to the day with a scrumptious breakfast at the just reopened Cadillac Hotel: a strawberry waffle with whipped cream. That's one menu item I can't resist. I was enjoying the sleek décor and pleasant ambience of the Boulevard Room restaurant of this historic hotel which has just been restored to glory after being shuttered for 24 years.

Shortly after 8 am I was joined by Bob Goldsmith of Detroit Tour Connections who was about to take me on an architectural walking tour of Detroit. Bob is a Detroit native and a true enthusiast of the Motor City. In addition to his full-time profession as a lawyer, Bob dedicates his time to providing scheduled weekend walking tours, regular Wednesday walks as well as customized walking and bus tours for groups. Many of his tours are centered around specific themes, such as downtown churches, historic hotels, cool bars, places with unique art etc. His bus tours focus on such topics as Detroit's ethnic enclaves, the city's sports history, or the recent revitalization that has been taking place in Detroit.

To admire some of Detroit's outstanding architecture we did not have to go far since the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue offers a great view of many historic buildings. To the north of the hotel are the 13-story Book Building from 1917 and the 36-story Book Tower from 1926, which were both designed by famous Detroit architect Louis Kamper.

The 47-story Penobscot Building was Detroit's highest building until the construction of the Renaissance Centre in 1977. Designed by renowned architect Wirt Rowland and opened in 1928, it features an H-shaped design to allow light into the offices. The Penobscott Building is connected to two earlier Penobscot Buildings dating to 1905 and 1916 with a shared lobby and shared access to restaurants and various stories on the lower levels. Looking east of Michigan Avenue we got a great view of this famous setback skyscraper which also was an inspiration for the Empire State Building, opened three years later and built by many of the same construction workers that also worked on the Penobscot.

Walking down on Washington Boulevard, we had a good look at some of Detroit's architectural landmarks: the 1923 Lafayette Building sits east at the intersection of Lafayette and Washington and has been empty for many years. A building next to the Lafayette Building holds two famous Detroit landmarks: the Lafayette Coney Island and the American Coney Island, both offering Coney Island style hotdogs. In Detroit and other parts of Michigan, the term "Coney Island" is not only used for the hot dog but also for the diner-like food establishments that serve this popular food.

We walked by the austere Federal Court Building, or more properly named the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse, a sleek moderne style structure which sits next to the Detroit Free Press Building, an Art Deco design by Albert Kahn which opened in 1925. Then we headed east on Griswold Street where we admired the imposing entrance of the Penobscot Building.

On the other side of the Street is the Guardian Building, originally called the Union Trust Building, one of the most stunning examples of Art Deco design. Featuring abundant Aztec-style decoration, amazing mosaic and tilework, this 1929 masterpiece used to be referred to as the "Cathedral of Finance".

The exterior domes of the Guardian Building feature decorations made by the famous Pewabic Pottery Company, and tile, limestone and terra cotta adorn the outside brickwork which consists of 1.8 million red bricks, an unusual cladding material for a skyscraper. The granite base features carvings by renowned architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci whose magnificent work also adorns the Buhl Building, the Penobscot Building, the Masonic Temple and many other landmarks in Detroit.

The interior of the Guardian Building is stunning, particularly the former banking hall with its three story vaulted ceiling adorned by multi-colour Aztec ornamentation and Rockwood pottery. The building is accented by different types of marble, and for the particularly rare Numidian marble architect Wirt Rowland went to Africa to reopen a quarry that had been closed for 30 years.

The southern end of the cathedral-like space features an oversize mural with a map of Michigan. Today this space is used as a retail space as the current owners decided that it was important to turn this area back into publicly accessible space. What a great move for architecture lovers! I am glad they did; as you can probably tell, the Guardian Building had quickly became my favourite. A coffee shop anchors the centre of the former banking hall, and we ended up chatting to Shawn Santo, the café's proprietor who also owns the Pure Detroit retail store on the east side of the building.

Leaving the Guardian Building behind, we strolled south to Hart Plaza, Detroit's Civic Centre, also the location of the 1701 landing of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit. This French explorer played an important role in the history of New France when he landed on the shores of the Detroit River and founded a settlement by the name of Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit. The word "Detroit" itself is derived from the phrase "le détroit du Lac Érie – the strait of Lake Erie". By 1765 Detroit was the largest city between Montreal and New Orleans. Detroit changed hands from the French to the British in 1760, and then from the British to the United States in 1796. Lots of history unfolded right here, in the area of today's Hart Plaza.

Approaching this space I was impressed by a giant suspended fist – the Joe Louis Fist Sculpture, created by artist Robert Graham to honour Detroit's legendary boxer Joe Louis. The hard-surface open area of Hart Plaza holds a number of outdoor installations: a giant circle-shaped monument to the labour movement features quotes by famous labour and human rights leaders including Nelson Mandela as well as a fountain dedicated to Horace E. Dodge.

Sitting next to the walking path on the river's edge is the Underground Railroad Memorial, "Gateway to Freedom", designed by sculptor Ed Dwight and dedicated in October of 2001. Ed Dwight himself is an interesting story: a former Air Force Test Pilot, he is also America's first African American Astronaut Trainee as well as a successful entrepreneur. Dwight's sculpture highlights that Detroit was an important site in the Underground Railroad, the network of secret routes and safe houses that took 19th century African-American slaves to freedom. A similar statue by the same artist is located on the other side of the Detroit River, in Windsor, Canada. Detroit was an important point of debarcatation for thousands of enslaved Africans in their quest to escape to safety and freedom.

Heading back into the city from the waterfront we passed by the "Spirit of Detroit", a large bronze statue that was dedicated in 1958. This statue is often dressed up in sports jerseys when Detroit's professional sports teams make it into the playoffs. Up the street on Woodward Avenue is Campus Martius Park, one of Detroit's most popular outdoor spaces since its opening in 2004. Local residents had expressed a strong desire for a greenspace in downtown Detroit, particularly since Hart Plaza is a primarily hard-surfaced area.

A Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument anchors the south side of Campus Martius Park; the centre holds a café, outdoor seating and a green space that is used as a skating rink in the winter. The north side of Campus Martius Park is highlighted by the new Compuware Headquarters which opened in 2003. Compuware, one the USA's most important software firms, relocated its head office to its new location, a successful example of business relocation into the downtown financial district.

From here we headed to the lobby of the David Stott Building, another Art Deco skyscraper dating from 1929. Designed by Donaldson and Meier, its 37 stories feature a reddish granite base, brick, marble and limestone as well as sculptures by Corrado Parducci. We then crossed over to Washington Boulevard where we walked north past several historic buildings, including the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Detroit and a Catholic church built in 1930.

At the north end of Washington we saw a grouping of historic skyscrapers including the recently renovated Kales Building, the David Broderick Tower and the David Whitney Building, many of which have been converted into apartments. This area also used to be the home of the renowned Statler Hotel and the Hotel Tuller which were demolished in 2006 and 1992 respectively. Because of its many abandoned and demolished buildings this area is often referred to as "skyscraper graveyard".

After concluding our downtown tour Bob and I drove a few minutes east to the Eastern Market, Detroit's historic market near Gratiot and Mack Avenues. The first farmer's market in Detroit was opened in 1841 downtown, and additional markets were opened in the 1850s, including one on the site of the current Eastern Market. The current outdoor sales sheds date back all the way to 1891 while the surrounding brick Victorian buildings house many additional food and other retailers. Today, the Eastern Market is the largest historic public market district in the United States.

This Saturday morning the Eastern Market was hustling and bustling, and all sorts of produce, meat, spices and other products were on sale. On average the market attracts 45,000 locals and out-of-towners every Saturday. A cooking demonstration was underway and several musicians were performing live for the crowds. Halloween pumpkins, gourds and chrysanthemums were on display everywhere, providing a colourful reminder of the fall season.

Following our brief visit to the market Bob dropped us off at the Bucharest Deli where we had a delicious lunch with chicken and bean soups and vegetarian shawarmas. Appropriate strengthened after a tasty meal, we were ready for our next adventure: a walking tour of Brush Park, a historic neighbourhood in transition.

 

About the Author

Susanne Pacher is a Travel Journalist specializing in Unconventional Travel you can get tons of great unconventional and unique travel information and tips if you Click Here

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