Penobscot building

[bpstrat]

I'm glad to hear the ceiling still exists! Does anyone know if the mural is still there, or any of the other original features? This lobby has always been one of the things I'm most curious about in Detroit's buildings. Knowing that part of it is still there is great. Now I'll just have to wait until the building changes owners and they [[hopefully) restore it.

[Chloe]

When I worked for First of America Bank in the 1990’s , a similar mural of Michigan was in the main banking hall of the Penobscot. It was not the one pictured in the original image, I also recall that all the stained woodwork had been painted white to update the space. When FOA was vacating the building, I recall them removing a portion of the paint to show the intact woodwork. Also of note, was all the empty offices on the mezzanine level with the beautiful wood paneling intact. The horrible part was the attempt to update the space. I remember some pretty hideous 70’s era carpet, artwork, and a hodgepodge of low budget office furniture in the space. What a shame. The Friend of the Court occupied the space after FOA left.

[Chloe]

Another quirky thing about the Penobscot had to do with the building being built in various phases. On one of the areas in the FOA space, the floor was not level, so there was a small stairway [[3 steps?) in that particular area.

[David L]

I wonder if one of the earlier buildings should be emptied, [[gasp) torn down and a dedicated parking garage built in it's place

[gumby]

I wonder if one of the earlier buildings should be emptied, [[gasp) torn down and a dedicated parking garage built in it's place

No way. there are way too many flat lots downtown where garages can be built. Many within close proximity to the Penobscot.

[Gistok]

I wonder if one of the earlier buildings should be emptied, [[gasp) torn down and a dedicated parking garage built in it's place

Not gonna happen... the 1905 original 13 story Penobscot Building....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penobs...Detroit_MI.jpg

... and 1922 23 story Penobscot Annex....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penobs...tAnnex2010.jpg

... should never be torn down. They are both on local and national Historic Registers. Even the historic Silvers Building next door [[2 stories) was rejected as a tear down for Penobscot parking.

[Zads07]

I wonder if one of the earlier buildings should be emptied, [[gasp) torn down and a dedicated parking garage built in it's place

This is just a dumb comment. That will not happen and has already been fought and it lost. The building is owned by Gilbert and thankfully is restored.

[Gistok]

This is just a dumb comment. That will not happen and has already been fought and it lost. The building is owned by Gilbert and thankfully is restored.

I think that he meant one of the other 2 earlier Penobscot Buildings on the block. The People's State Bank Building of 1902 was already denied permission for demolition for parking, and the Penobscot owner sold it to Gilbert.

One idea about the People's State Bank Building from about 15 years ago was the idea of putting a 20 story hotel tower on top of the building. Engineers studied the idea, and said that the foundations were so overbuilt that they would be able to support a 20 story tower.

The architect of the original building was Stanford White [[of famous NYC architectural firm McKim Meade & White), and this is his only Michigan commission, besides a mausoleum at Woodlawn cemetery). This building is so sumptuous on the inside, that it would make a very fine Hotel lobby, with ballroom/meeting rooms in the basement level, and other hotel functions on the main floor mezzanine level.

[[P.S. Stanford White was the leading architect of his era, and lead a very flamboyant life... until it was tragically ended when he was publicly assassinated in 1907, for messing with the wrong guy's wife. Google it for an interesting story!)

[stasu1213]

Don't need to raze another building for a parking structure or parking lot. Improve the transit system especially from suburb to city and more riders will commute downtown via bus. Downtown Detroit was design as the downtown in other major cities at the time. To correlate with the transit system where office and retail employees and others could commute downtown from their neighborhoods by streetcars, railways, taxis, and busses. As far as the Penobscott, the building will not be fully renovated until a more serious person such as Gilbert purchases it and fully utilizes it with offices, restaurants, and retail

[RaumVogel]

http://nicholasdanish.com/gallery#/d...-pop-up-cards/

[Detroitdave]

As was the case with so many buildings that were "modernized" in the 1950s... the Penobscot Building had it's entrance lobby split up by floors.

Here is a rare image of the way the building looked when it was first built. Nowhere near as fancy as the Guardian Building, but the original multifloor lobby as built. By the look of it, it's possible that everything still exists behind drop ceilings and covered walls.

Thank you for including the photo. I always wondered why such a important building had such a depressing lobby, seeing that they have the same architect,Writ Rowland, and being built around the same time as the guardian.
Hopefully the Penobscot can find a owner ,like Dan Gilbert , that can bring the building back to it's original beauty.

[Jason]

The Penobscot Building's lobby is more or less original.

The image of the big room is of the banking hall on the second floor. I think this area has been converted to a conference room, but I'm not sure, and I'm not sure about the extent of any modifications to this room. There were, however, stairs which led straight from the lobby up to the banking hall, and those were removed.

The Penoboscot Building was built as a speculative office building with Guardian Bank as the main tenant, and with a banking hall built for them within the building. What is now the Guardian Building was built for the Union Trust Company, but the banks were growing and merging so quickly at the time once the dust settled Guardian was HQed in the Guardian Building. ...and then the Great Depression happened...

[Bradley]

Anyone heard about the much talked about observation deck that seemed to disappear in the headlines? The owner is pretty shady...

[archfan]

Anyone heard about the much talked about observation deck that seemed to disappear in the headlines? The owner is pretty shady...

I went on a tour that included the observation deck many years ago. I don't remember it having anything to prevent people from falling [[or flinging themselves off). The owner would need to build that before he could open up the deck for tourists. He might not make his money back in tour fees.

[Gistok]

I went on a tour that included the observation deck many years ago. I don't remember it having anything to prevent people from falling [[or flinging themselves off). The owner would need to build that before he could open up the deck for tourists. He might not make his money back in tour fees.

Preservation Wayne [[now Preservation Detroit) used to have that as part of their downtown building tours. Now the roof is locked.

[Pam]

https://www.clickondetroit.com/consu...ng-water-mold/

The Penobscot Building is one of Detroit’s iconic skyscrapers, but new images from inside show parts of the building are in disarray and could be a danger to workers.

[EastsideAl]

https://www.clickondetroit.com/consu...ng-water-mold/

What a mess. I think we all pretty much knew that this was what was going on behind the scenes. Back to the days of 'demolished by neglect' while the owners wait to try to flip the place for maximum dollars [[with minimum investment).

Interesting that that article doesn't actually mention either Triple Group or the Apostolopoulos family who owns it.

[EGrant]

Looks like some of the before photos on the Book Tower...

[Kathleen]

Sad. I worked in the Penobscot Building from 1982 to 1998. My employer Gale Research did a lot to create a very nice working space when we moved into the building in 1982, and they continued to do so as we expanded to additional spaces. But there were always issues with the public spaces, i.e., restrooms and hallways. The company moved out in 1998, so it's been over 20 years. I would not want to see what the Gale space looks like now!

[stinkytofu]

Building is a complete dump and literally dangerous now. If their budget allows, any company should certainly look elsewhere. Really disappointing how the owner has let it fall to its current state.

[mallory]

I went on a tour that included the observation deck many years ago. I don't remember it having anything to prevent people from falling [[or flinging themselves off). The owner would need to build that before he could open up the deck for tourists. He might not make his money back in tour fees.

I worked there from '88 - '91 and went up on the roof one night. This is true, you could definitely just plunge right off the top if you wanted to. And there was no problem getting up there either. I'll give you that it was 30 years ago but it's pretty scary up there.

It really hurts to see what has become of this gem. When I worked there, I was so proud to be part of the hustle and bustle of the business life of that building. Maybe Gilbert can buy this one too.

[EastsideAl]

Things you find when searching for other things. From Free Press, June 28, 1928:



Dimmed, never to shine again?

[swingline]

Things you find when searching for other things. From Free Press, June 28, 1928:



Dimmed, never to shine again?

The ball has been lit on many nights this winter. Last saw it on Saturday.

The building is struggling though. The lobbies need better lighting. The large bank branch space in the lobby needs re-activation. Having brown paper taped over the windows for the past two years has not been a good look. The lobby conditions are major obstacle for any major tenant thinking of making a commitment. The elevators have worn out carpet, button panels and beat up walls. The deferred maintenance on the elevators [[the building has at least a couple dozen elevators) might exceed $10 million. The rent is low $20's sq/ft plus electric which isn't outrageous but isn't a bargain either for Class B space. With the building's significant vacancy and middle of the road lease rate likely not producing decent cash flow, there's nothing extra with which to make any capital improvements. The building is stuck in kind of a slow declining purgatory. Triple Properties won't make an investment any time soon. Hope it doesn't deteriorate to the point where the DTE balance prompts a shut-off threat.

[stasu1213]

The owner is a slumlord just probably sitting on the building for tax exempt purposes. Just let Bedrock gobble this one up then we would see a positive turnaround

[401don]

While I don't think Triple ever intended to do anything but flip it, the fact that they haven't been able to is another indication the office market is reaching saturation. Ilitch is trying to market office space instead of residential now as well, which isn't helping. Gilbert has enough on his plate. Time for someone else to step up.