The Book Tower Restoration Project

**Burnsie** · November-07-22, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

As you move down Washington Blvd. on Google maps... just before it shows as razed... there is this final image of it....

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3321...7i16384!8i8192

Anybody know the history of this building or its' former age? It almost looks like it may have been a historic building that once had a facade-ectomy, and could once have had a cornice, or something like that. It is ugly upon closer inspection.

It opened on 10/23/1919 as the new home of Finsterwald's Furniture, which moved from Randolph & Monroe. At some point it became the Lippman Building.

Facadectomy was performed in early 1964 when it became the Gateway Center Building. Tenants such as Alitalia Italian Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Avis Car Rental and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines moved in. Later in 1964 the building was expanded, extending its Michigan Ave. frontage by about 60 feet.

Rendering from 9/21/1919 Free Press:

**Burnsie** · November-12-22, 09:47 AM

You're welcome, Gistok.

**401don** · November-12-22, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Burnsie

It opened on 10/23/1919 as the new home of Finsterwald's Furniture, which moved from Randolph & Monroe. At some point it became the Lippman Building.

Facadectomy was performed in early 1964 when it became the Gateway Center Building. Tenants such as Alitalia Italian Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Avis Car Rental and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines moved in. Later in 1964 the building was expanded, extending its Michigan Ave. frontage by about 60 feet.

Rendering from 9/21/1919 Free Press:

Maybe the last new construction before what happened 3 yrs. later.

**Gistok** · November-12-22, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Burnsie

It opened on 10/23/1919 as the new home of Finsterwald's Furniture, which moved from Randolph & Monroe. At some point it became the Lippman Building.

Facadectomy was performed in early 1964 when it became the Gateway Center Building. Tenants such as Alitalia Italian Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Avis Car Rental and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines moved in. Later in 1964 the building was expanded, extending its Michigan Ave. frontage by about 60 feet.

Rendering from 9/21/1919 Free Press:

Thanks Burnsie! Sorry... somehow missed your post. It looked like a nice, but somewhat plain building... that was made even plainer with the facade-ectomy.

It didn't look like it needed to be torn down though. They could have added some "Lee Press-On" ornamentation, or given it some color to make the drabness less so. But it's not like they lost another Lafayette Building.

**Danny** · November-12-22, 03:56 PM

What to do about the empty lot on the corner of Washington Blvd. and Michigan Ave? Oh, I know make another surface parking lot!

**night-timer** · November-13-22, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by Danny

What to do about the empty lot on the corner of Washington Blvd. and Michigan Ave? Oh, I know make another surface parking lot!

If the refurbished Book Tower becomes primarily a residential building or business offices, then I think parking is needed more so than if the Book Tower is primarily going to be a hotel or retail shops for short-term/occasional visitors rather than long-term tenants.

**stasu1213** · November-13-22, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by night-timer

If the refurbished Book Tower becomes primarily a residential building or business offices, then I think parking is needed more so than if the Book Tower is primarily going to be a hotel or retail shops for short-term/occasional visitors rather than long-term tenants.

There should be an elevator designated for residents whom have key passes to control it if there will be residents renting apartments inside the Book Towers

**mikeg19** · November-14-22, 07:55 AM

If parking is needed, you could go the new Huntington tower route and go with 10 floors of parking topped with an additional residential/office tower.

**timduc21** · January-09-23, 09:13 PM

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**Gistok** · January-10-23, 01:30 AM

Thanks for the nice photos and welcome to the group timduc21~!!

The stained glass dome looks magnificent. As much as I would have loved for that to have been colored glass, it is interesting to see the slightly different shades of ivory glass. And the monochrome glass does bring out the specific details in it.

I can't wait to visit the Book Tower/Building when it is finished!!

**Satiricalivory** · January-10-23, 04:10 PM

I saw pics of the dome on instagram a month or so ago but was too lazy to post it here. Looks amazing.

That rooftop bar is gonna be great. Can this open already? It's gotta be happening soon.

**401don** · January-10-23, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Satiricalivory

I saw pics of the dome on instagram a month or so ago but was too lazy to post it here. Looks amazing.

That rooftop bar is gonna be great. Can this open already? It's gotta be happening soon.

They're still not listing it as leasing the apts. yet on their website.

**ShadowSoarer** · January-11-23, 09:51 AM

Has there been an retailers announced for the Book Tower?

**stasu1213** · January-11-23, 11:50 AM

I would love to see Restoration Hardware open in that building

**dtowncitylover** · January-11-23, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by ShadowSoarer

Has there been an retailers announced for the Book Tower?

Yeah Pan Am, American Airlines, Northwest,

**Gistok** · January-15-23, 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by Burnsie

You're welcome, Gistok.

Thank you... I've been a little slow posting and reading lately... but catching up.

Sad that the original facade wasn't still there anymore. The only way they could have done any justice to that plain facade... was to give it a really fancy paint job... sort of "Oberammergau", but with a modern architectural twist.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ober...N_enUS958US959

**Gistok** · January-15-23, 04:37 AM

That 7 story building the next block over from the Book Building, and across the street from the Book Cadillac, really should not have come down. Granted the early 20th century building had it's entire skin butchered mid-20th century. But being a blank canvas of a facade... it could have been cool to give it a really fancy paint "tromphe l'oeil" job... It would have been a perfect canvas for such a facade [maybe a fool the eye] architectural complement to the Book Cadillac.

But too late now!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Th...!4d-83.0502136

https://www.google.com/search?q=Trom...ih=577&dpr=1.5

**NSortzi** · January-15-23, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

That 7 story building the next block over from the Book Building, and across the street from the Book Cadillac, really should not have come down. Granted the early 20th century building had it's entire skin butchered mid-20th century. But being a blank canvas of a facade... it could have been cool to give it a really fancy paint "tromphe l'oeil" job... It would have been a perfect canvas for such a facade [maybe a fool the eye] architectural complement to the Book Cadillac.

But too late now!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Th...!4d-83.0502136

https://www.google.com/search?q=Trom...ih=577&dpr=1.5

The owners of that building had talked about building a new apartment building on that site a few years ago and they had recently acquired the parking lot north of that building before demolition began. They have bigger plans for those sites than that vacant 6 story building would have allowed.

**Gistok** · January-15-23, 06:14 PM

^ Were there any images posted about the replacement? Or is it just going to be another fallow field for many years. Hopefully it is not another Fugly modern building with random narrow slits for windows.

**Gistok** · March-20-23, 03:00 PM

A computerized fly-thru of the Book Building/Tower put out today.

Amazing!

Ironically the older Book Building [1917] part of the complex is where the large public spaces are. The Book Tower has no large public spaces, just hallways and a small elevator lobby.

**Gistok** · March-20-23, 06:31 PM

After 7 years of work... the Book Building/Tower will be opening this spring... with 117 Roost Apartment Hotel rooms, 229 Apartments, 52,000 sq. ft. of retail, 3 restaurants, and office space.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...w6lvxlwNvr7snQ

As the comedian Rich Hall once said... "good things comes to those who wait, but crap shows up right away".

**Satiricalivory** · March-21-23, 09:24 AM

I don't understand why this renovation took insanely long.

**Gistok** · March-21-23, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Satiricalivory

I don't understand why this renovation took insanely long.

There is something that we have to keep in mind with Gilbert owning over 100 buildings in the city center. Back when the Renaissance Center opened up in 1977, it brought so much commercial/hotel space online all at once, that it sucked the life force out of other downtown office towers and hotels. It took over a decade to recover from that.

With Gilbert owning so much of downtown, he's likely taking it slow to develop all of it, so as not to have a repeat of 1977. He has major and minor buildings in the works to bring them online, and the Pandemic made that more challenging than it otherwise would.

So he's doing a balancing act in how frequently he brings buildings downtown back online.

**stasu1213** · March-21-23, 09:46 PM

I would love to see Restoration Hardware open in the Book Building

**ShadowSoarer** · March-21-23, 11:40 PM

For comparison City Modern broke ground late 2016 and it looks like it is unlikely that it will be completed at the end of this year in 2023. So almost 7 years of construction. If the Brewster Douglas development was to ever break ground hopefully they don’t maintain the same pace otherwise it could take more than 21 years to complete.