Broderick Tower
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It was originally called the Eaton Tower, after Theodore Horatio Eaton, an importer and dealer in chemicals and dye. This 34-story tower, built on the site of the Gladwin Building, was designed in the 1927 by famed architect Louis Kamper, who also designed the Book-Cadillac Hotel, Book Tower and many other Detroit landmarks. It is said to be modeled like a column with a Chicago School style base and a Beaux Arts style top. It is the only skyscraper with a parallelogram-shaped foundation.
The barrel coffered, dark-marble lobby leads visitors to the building's five elevators.
Tenants included barbershops, dentists, and at one time, a radio station.
In the 1940s, an insurance broker named David Broderick bought the building and named it after himself. He owned it until his death in 1957.
Toward the 1980s, the building struggled to hold tenants and closed in 1985. A bar had operated out of the first floor since the building closed, but it closed in 2005, leaving the tower entirely vacant before reopening as the Pit Stop in 2007.
Michigan born artist Wyland painted the whale mural, titled 'Whale Tower,' that was dedicated Oct. 13, 1997.
In May 2005, a sign on the front doors, and a banner advertising JCBeal, appeared on the building, but no change has occurred at the building except for a change of a sign on the front doors.
JCBeal president Fred Beal stated during a phone call in January 2006 that the Broderick Tower redevelopment was "in pursuit of finance, with a late summer start." He also stated the building's completion was set for early 2008.
On July 30, 2006, a vinyl draping advertising Jeep was placed on the east elevation of the building, covering up the whale mural. The owners of the structure had to appeal the Historic District Commission's decision to not allow the advertisement. The wall has since been used for various ads, the latest of which being Verizon Wireless. Its owners say 100% of the ad revenue has gone toward the building's redevelopment costs, which include full architectural drawings, environmental studies, and tax credit applications and legal documentation.
The current owners of the tower, Motown Construction Partners LP, also own the building next door, 1556 Woodward.
