The Book Tower Restoration Project

**NSortzi** · September-16-20, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Satiricalivory

A parking garage built in the 1920's? Wow I've never heard of such a thing, I had no idea the taller book building was even going to be built with a garage.

Detroit still has a few '20s parking garages. There's one currently being renovated at Cass and Lafayette and the former Fort Shelby garage that's now part of WDIV's building on Howard and First. There's also the garage in the First National Building, which I think was built in the '30s. The now-demolished garage at Clifford and Elizabeth was also built in the '20s.

Most older cities have a few remaining garages like these. I know there's at least one in downtown Youngstown and downtown Dayton, and plenty of other places.

**Gistok** · September-17-20, 02:43 AM

I believe that many parking garages don't last as long as office buildings do, since they are generally open to the elements.

**ILKSGAMI** · September-17-20, 09:45 AM

Wasn't the Fisher Building [[1928) built with a parking garage? I seem to remember the tour guide making mention of one when I toured that beauty a while back.

**Dmberko11** · September-17-20, 10:02 AM

Would love to see a black and white photo of old cars parked in a 20s era parking garage

**EGrant** · September-17-20, 10:55 AM

It appears I have reached my photo upload limit, but scroll down to the last image on this page. Hard to see the cars, as the garage looked more like an office building instead of a garage.

**Gistok** · September-17-20, 04:09 PM

EGrant... send Lowell a PM... he will up your photo limit upon request.

**Jason** · September-17-20, 05:04 PM

Here's the Fisher's garage: https://goo.gl/maps/FXYxZMrAsqq16NmU8

At the time they bragged about the size and efficiency of the garage in press releases, and off the top of my head it might have even won awards for it.

For the Book Tower garage I think the most interesting thing about it is that it might have given some insights into the design of the tower, if it was intended to be incorporated into it later. None of the renderings of the tower are very good so we don't really know much about how it was supposed to look.

**Jimaz** · September-17-20, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

EGrant... send Lowell a PM... he will up your photo limit upon request.

Or you can go to your settings and delete any unnecessary attachments [[leaving their posts a bit messed up).

Or, if the photo's already posted elsewhere on the web, you can enclose the photo's url like this: [center][img]https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/3754/booktowergarage-IU.jpeg[/img][/center] to produce this:

The second technique doesn't burden the DetroitYES server unnecessarily.

**EGrant** · September-17-20, 05:18 PM

Thanks for the tip!

**MSUguy** · September-18-20, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Satiricalivory

^ No, that proposal document is old [[2017), there is currently no garage in the most recent plans [[the ones EGrant posted) submitted on March 2020.

So I believe they changed their minds. They are however restoring the skywalk that goes to City Club's parking deck. Which is why people think they're using that parking instead.

Not necessarily, they only have go before the HDC when they want a building permit. They simply may be not ready for that yet for whatever they intend to put on that spot.

**Satiricalivory** · September-18-20, 03:22 PM

That doesn't make any sense. They had the garage clearly shown in their plans from years ago. Why does this most recent document of their plans where every little detail is intricately described have no trace of any garage? The commission even made a complaint in it that they don't know what they intend to build there.

We have no reason to believe that they still want to build a garage here. I think Bedrock sees the potential of this spot and is saving it for later.

**Lowell** · October-24-20, 10:59 AM

Progress pics of Book Tower from two days ago with an impressive construction elevator and crane busily at work. The cleaned exterior is such a delight to see.

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**p1acebo** · October-25-20, 09:59 PM

Looks gorgeous!

**Gistok** · October-25-20, 10:58 PM

One other thing about the Book Tower portion of the building. There will no longer be an outdoor fire escape. If you look at page 43 of the presentation...

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm...esentation.pdf

... it shows that floors 14-36 will have 2 sets of interior emergency staircases. The more westerly one is very close to where the fire escape used to be. There is a more easterly one that does not exist in the old building layouts. Somewhere I have a floorplan of one of the upper floors [[can't find it at the moment)... and there is only the westerly staircase in the tower [[and the nearby emergency exit location). The easterly one will have to be cut into the building. However, that will eliminate the need for an outdoor fire exit. I'm sure that putting a stairwell into the building where there wasn't one before, is not a cheap undertaking.

**Satiricalivory** · October-26-20, 12:17 AM

They already restored the fire escape though.

**Gistok** · October-26-20, 01:24 AM

Originally Posted by Satiricalivory

They already restored the fire escape though.

Restored? Or replaced? They may have had OSHA requirements while renovating the tower to put it back into working order [[repaired it)... because until they add the 2nd staircase on the inside, one staircase may not be sufficient for building workers.

If you look at all of the images of the Book Tower in that document, the fire escape is not shown in the plan.

For a work crew a repaired fire escape may have been sufficient, but if it was an occupied tower... I would not want to venture out onto this...

**Satiricalivory** · October-26-20, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

If you look at all of the images of the Book Tower in that document, the fire escape is not shown in the plan.

You keep looking at an OLD document though, it's from 2017. You should be looking at this from 2020: https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm...evelopment.pdf

I still see the fire escape in some of the drawings. If it does go I probably wouldn't miss it much but I think it's a cool little quirk about the building.

If there was a fire in the building then one wouldn't have much choice.

**Lowell** · October-26-20, 01:04 PM

The replacement bridge [at the end of the 2020 document to the parking lot across Grand River is rather bland and uninspiring. Short of eliminating it, it would have been nice to seem something more elegant replace it.

That is about the only tiny critique I have for what is otherwise a simply awesome project that will return another polished crown jewel of downtown. Once the residential fills it up, along with the City Club Apartments and Free Press Building there will be some serious population density along Washington Blvd.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · October-26-20, 11:46 PM

Originally Posted by p1acebo

Looks gorgeous!

it looks positively amazing so clean!

**Gistok** · October-28-20, 09:31 AM

The confusion over whether the exterior fire escape is being kept or not is due to the fact that in the 2017 design, there is a 2nd interior fire escape staircase being added to the tower. In the 2020 design the exterior stairwell shows up because the 2nd interior stairwell is no longer included, although the space for it on each floor is set aside for a possible future addition.

**Vitalis** · October-29-20, 04:59 PM

Gale Research was a directory publisher at the time they leased space in the Book structures. This was back in the 60s and 70s, then they went over to the Penobscot building before heading out to Farmington Hills where they are today as Gale-Cengage, an educational publisher. Corporate offices,
editorial, sales, and warehouse were all in the Book complex back in the day. Of course, someone will correct me or provide more info and please do!

**MSUguy** · February-04-21, 04:01 PM

Here's an long overdue update. The project is seeking HDC approval to demolish the western two bays of 1201 Washington and to extend the alley to create an additional loading zone for the building.

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm...C%20Letter.pdf

https://detroitmi.gov/government/may...gton-boulevard

**Gistok** · February-04-21, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by MSUguy

Here's an long overdue update. The project is seeking HDC approval to demolish the western two bays of 1201 Washington and to extend the alley to create an additional loading zone for the building.

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm...C%20Letter.pdf

https://detroitmi.gov/government/may...gton-boulevard

Thanks for the info MSUguy!!

From all these pieces of information we've gathered [[including the main PDF about the entire Book project)... I am fascinated with the fact that the foundations of the 81 story never built tower exists underneath this 2 story "temporary" wood framed building. Those foundations continue westward underneath part of the People Mover HQ/Garage.

I would love to see what lies underneath those buildings... if it is an open columned space, or filled in with dirt?

**EGrant** · February-04-21, 06:34 PM

Yeah, that is fascinating. There was a parking garage on that location at one point, which was demolished, so I imagine the foundation is filled in?

**wolverine** · February-04-21, 06:56 PM

Gistok's post took me down memory lane as I took that photo long ago, I can't even remember when, but the tower was still open and building management didn't want us out on the fire escape, but at least it felt sturdy. They are not meant to hold up alot of people, only enough for the few occupants who can't use the inside stair. I had another experience when maybe a hundred people in my office building crowded out onto the fire escape during the Blackhawks Stanley cup parade. The exceeded weight capacity overloaded it, and it had to be permanently removed. That said, leaving them in place becomes a liability as they become balconies for those not afraid of heights. Plus with a change in building occupancy, I'd imagine a 2nd interior stair is absolutely mandatory and cannot be "grandfathered" in.