Buildings of Detroit | Every building in Detroit has a story

03/10/2010

UPDATES: We're still trying to get back on track following the burglary of BOD HQ and furiously working on the book (due out this summer).
The rest of the Lafayette Building came down Saturday night. There's nothing but a giant mound of twisted steel and pulverized limestone now.
Thought some of you also might like to know that we dropped off a huge batch of vintage Detroit postcards for sale at City Bird's store at 460 W. Canfield in Midtown. They're cheap. They're neat. They make great stocking stuffers. And by buying them, you help keep this site running AND help out a great business run by two of Detroit's greatest people, Andy and Emily Linn.
More photos to come soon. Pinky swear.

03/03/2010

NEW PHOTOS: We've added a few more exteriors of the Wurlitzer Building, as seen from the roof of the Detroit Opera House. Also added: a few historical photos of the Majestic Building and the Detroit Museum of Art.

03/01/2010

NEW VIDEO, PHOTOS: The eastern wall of the Lafayette Building is no more, but we caught the 4:30 a.m. collapse on video. Check out the footage from four vantage points on our YouTube page. We've also got new photos in the Lafayette's demolition photo gallery.

Hammond Building

The Hammond Building was Detroit’s first skyscraper. It was the cradle of Detroit law. It was the building that ushered the city into the age of the skyscraper. And it was a monument to a guy who slaughtered cattle. At 10 stories, it towered over everything else around it for years. Gawkers literally came from all over Michigan to see this architectural wonder. It was proof that Detroit was a city destined for bigger things – and bigger buildings. But like so many skyscrapers that would follow it, the Hammond fell to the hammer of progress.