411 Lafayette 2
Printable View
411 Lafayette 2
411 Lafayette 3
I am now convinced that Robert Youngman worked on thse murals due to the photographic evidence. However, a local artist named Pablo Davis claims on his website that he was the one who did these murals.
Bravo Patrick- thanks for the pics. Any idea if Comerica plans to alter the exterior? I am concerned about the lobby sculpture, though.
Bland and void of detail is what corporate design is all about these days- so many fantastic artworks in banks and other buildings have been lost over the years.
411 could actually become one pof the premier properties in SE Michigan if a full parking deck were to be built across the street. yes, there is one now...that blue peice of shit that is from, what seems to be 1935. It has a nice cafeteria on the 9th floor, the only helipad around and a perfect central location. Only thing that sucks is the lack of eateries right in the direct vicinity.
Home Run Subs [[are they still in business?)
How many times can you have pastrami and soup? The Anchor Bar and that place in the Fort Shelby as well but the vast majority of people would simply go to the cafeteria and not even leave the building.Quote:
Gateway Deli, Fort Washington Plaza.
When Comerica says that they are going to consolidate offices into 411 W. Lafayette, does that include all of the suburban office complexes that they occupy also? Or just out of the Comerica Tower?
I believe that Comerica has a lot of employees in offices in Southfield and Livonia. I can't be sure, but I believe their investment bank is or was in Bloomfield Hills.
I'm pretty sure it's just consolidating their downtown operations. None of the articles on this makes reference to bringing any suburban employees to 411.
Doesn't Comerica have a large presence in Auburn Hills near the Chrysler HQ? In fact didn't they develop the office park that they are located in there?
Comerica has a huge-ass campus in Auburn Hills and a massive center in Livonia west of 275. In the 80s, Littman, from what I was told, advocated having Comerica make its HQ in Auburn Hills but the powers that be said they needed to leave a token in Detroit proper for sentimental value. Then, of course, you have the failed Cesar Pelli project next to Hart Plaze where their HQ would have went.
Comerica also has [[had?) a siginificant building in Southfield called the Comerica Southfield Tower on Telegraph near 12 Mile. It's 6 stories and nearly 170,000 square feet.
Yep. Detroit might have had its own smaller version of this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...anorama_II.jpg
In reality though, it probably would have looked more like this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ba...ate_Center.jpg
...or this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:We...rom_Foshay.jpg
From Friday's Detroit News, "The Home Newspaper:"
August 26. 2011 1:00AM
Comerica to unveil new Michigan headquarters
Firm moving from Woodward; Lafayette facility to house 1,300
Louis Aguilar/ The Detroit News
Comerica Inc. holds a public "ice cream social" today at its new Michigan headquarters at 411 W. Lafayette in downtown Detroit as it relocates more than 600 workers from its 500 Woodward location.
The larger message the financial institution wants to send is that its commitment to downtown remains strong four years after Comerica moved its headquarters to Dallas from Detroit.
Comerica began moving its workers from the Woodward location to the 411 W. Lafayette building earlier this year, and the move will be complete early next year. The lease at its Woodward location ends in 2012, and the bank owns the Lafayette building, which will be renamed the Comerica Bank Center.
"This is very good news for us and our customers," said Thomas Ogden, president of Comerica Bank-Michigan.
"It reaffirms Comerica's longstanding commitment to this community and brings most of our downtown Detroit employees together in one location."
The Lafayette building will get $18 million in renovations. Comerica also renovated its two banking centers downtown — one at the Renaissance Center and the other at Fort and Washington.
In 2007, the financial services company announced it was moving its headquarters to Dallas in an effort to gain business in fast-growing Southern and Western states, particularly Texas, California and Florida.
Comerica received $3.5 million from the state of Texas to relocate, plus another $500,000 from the city of Dallas. The company estimated the cost of the move at $15 million to $20 million.
In return, the bank has to move or create 200 jobs directly related to the headquarters operations, according to Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office.
Comerica's headquarters relocation didn't have much impact on downtown Detroit's office vacancy rate, "except for the building they are leasing," said John DeGroot, vice president of research in the Southfield office of Grubb & Ellis Co., a commercial real estate advisory firm.
About 1,300 Comerica employees will work in the new Michigan headquarters on West Lafayette, including some workers who will relocate from Houston, Texas, Ogden said.
laguilar@detnews.com
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110826/...#ixzz1WCSwqGLx
-- - - - - - -- - - - - - --
I myself drove by a few days ago and noticed them adding a new cool glass awning/entry on the Lafayette side and some new facade details - but maintaining the cool relief panels on the ground floor exterior. Despite the fact that they are moving out of their namesake, this could actually be a really good thing for this little corner of downtown, bringing a little more life to Lafayette in addition to the Fort Shelby and Detroit News.
I also noted a crew has been out powerwashing the exterior of the beautiful ornate Comerica branch on West Fort at Washington Blvd. They were even working today [[Sunday) in the early evening! Great to see them making this investment in their properties on the west side of downtown.
Thanks for the info Rocko....
I always loved the rich Corinthian columns on that Comerica Bank branch.
Although it's sad to see them leave the Comerica Tower [[will it go back to being called "One Detroit Center"?)... I have always felt that the 411 W. Fort Building was a nice work of architecture that has withstood the test of time as an attractive and NOT dated building.
When you think about it so very few buildings go into such detail as the cast artwork on 411 W. Fort. It's sort of reminiscent of a close view of the details of the "Death Star" in the first Star Wars movie... or some other futuristic landscape.
411 W. Fort is just one of those buildings that catches your eye... and forces you to study it a bit... architecture that draws you in.... good modern architecture!!
For a modern building, I like that one. And it's a building which replaced a parking lot. What buildings used to stand there?
Current streetview ... eh view.
So there those corporate NUTS from Comerica are moving their offices from their own tower built since 1991 to one of the old crappy small building built in the 1960s next to parking lots and the vacant Free Press Building away from its financial district THEY'RE CRAZY!
Maybe Dan Gilbert can buy it, consolidate more employees. Hopefully some other major company can purchase the building. Who else are the tenants besides Comerica, right now?
Hypestyles... I believe there are some law firms there now.
Danny.... although 411 West Fort is not as glamorous as the Comerica Tower... perhaps the fact that they OWN the building makes their decision to relocate more logicial. Also... the Free Press Building is going to be rehabbed... like the nearby Fort-Shelby. That part of downtown is getting better... and not worse...
It's a stupid ideal for folks from Comerica just gave up their giant jewel for some miserable piece of concrete.
Although I will say it is a downgrade in terms of overall building presence, this was a BUSINESS decision and an excellent one at that. At the end of the day, being in banking is about long term investment strategies. Investing in their own assets and in an up and coming part of Detroit it makes for a great long term play, go Comerica!