David Whitney Building

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The David Whitney Building is a historic skyscraper on the northern edge of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1553 Woodward Avenue, adjacent to Grand Circus Park. The building is easily found, as it stands at the corner of Park Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Washington Boulevard. Construction on the 19-floor structure began in 1915, and it opened the following year. It is named for David Whitney Jr., who earned millions of dollars as a white pine baron; his father has been called the employer of Paul Bunyan. The building was constructed using the Chicago School architectural design, using terra cotta materials. It stands across the street from the Broderick Tower Lofts.

The building is visible from the Detroit People Mover, as well as Comerica Park. Together with the adjacent David Broderick Building, it forms a "gateway" of sorts to downtown Detroit when viewed from the north.

The Metro Times, an early alternative weekly, once published from offices in the highrise.

The David Whitney Building is currently vacant. Various redevelopment proposals have come and gone. The first 19 floors are office floors, and there are 2 mechanical elevator floors recessed to the back of the building. The building was named for one of Detroit's wealthiest citizens at the turn-of-the-century who died in 1900. The facade was drastically changed in 1959. All decorative cornices were removed and replaced with a 'modern' top. The first four stories of this building contain a large retail atrium. It was one of Detroit's first major mixed-use projects.

[edit] External links

• Google Maps location of the David Whitney Building
• David Whitney Building at Emporis.com
• SkyscraperPage.com's profile on the David Whitney Building

Coordinates: 42°20′8.5″N, 83°3′1.5″W