Fisher Building

The Fisher Building is a 30-story Art Deco skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the New Center neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. The ornate building, completed in 1928, is one of the major works of architect Albert Kahn, and is designed in an Art Deco style, faced with limestone, granite, and several types of marble. Commissioned by the seven Fisher Brothers as a monument to their adopted city, the building has earned the nickname "Detroit's Largest Art Object" and stands as one of the most ornamented commercial structures in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 as a "superbly designed complex which displays some of the finest craftsmanship in any Art Deco style building constructed in the U.S. in the 1920s," according to the National Parks Service.

Background: The Fisher Brothers and Fisher Body

The story of the Fisher Building cannot be told without understanding the family behind it. After learning the coach-building trade from their father in their native Norwalk, Ohio, the seven close-knit siblings moved north and established Fisher Body Co. in Detroit in 1908. Their names were Frederick J., Charles T., William A., Lawrence P., Edward F., Alfred J., and Howard A. Originally carriage-makers, the brothers popularized the closed body for the automobile, which made year-round car travel possible.

Realizing that downtown Detroit did not have sufficient office space to accommodate their rapidly expanding operations, the Fisher brothers used proceeds from the sale of Fisher Body to General Motors in 1926 to help fund the construction of the landmark Fisher Building. The brothers had tried to buy a downtown block on Woodward Avenue, but couldn't secure the rights to enough parcels for the project, so they decided to build their monument in New Center.

Fred Fisher, being the oldest of the brothers, announced on January 15, 1927, that they had bought 32 parcels of land on the block bounded by West Grand Boulevard, Lothrop Road and Second and Third avenues — 332,000 square feet. More than $30 million (equivalent to roughly $373 million today, adjusted for inflation) was to be spent to erect a sprawling three-tower complex. While only one of the three spires would ultimately be built, the Fisher brothers still spent $9 million (approximately $116.5 million today) on the present-day Fisher alone, excluding the cost of the theater.

The Fisher brothers located the building directly across from the General Motors Building (now known as Cadillac Place), as General Motors had recently purchased the Fisher Body Company. The two massive buildings spurred the development of a New Center for the city, a business district north of its downtown area.

Architecture and Design

Sparing no expense in creating what they envisioned as the premier office and retail space in the world, the Fisher brothers hired renowned architect Albert Kahn and his associates, led by chief architect Joseph Nathaniel French, to create an emblem of the American work ethic and art sensibilities. French took inspiration from Eliel Saarinen's Tribune Tower design of 1922, seen in the emphasis on verticality and the stepped-back upper stories.

The Fisher Building rises 30 stories with a roof height of 428 feet (130 m), a top floor height of 339 feet (103 m), and the spire reaching 444 feet (135 m). The building has 21 elevators. The designers used a series of setbacks to taper the upper levels into a 30-story tower with a pointed pyramidal crown reminiscent of famous Gothic architecture.

Sumptuous appointments include 641 bronze elevator doors, 1,800 bronze window frames, and 325,000 square feet of exterior marble, making the building the largest marble-clad structure in the world. At street level, the interior arcade is no less spectacular. The opulent three-story barrel-vaulted lobby is constructed with forty different kinds of marble, decorated by Hungarian artist Géza Maróti. Kahn hired Géza Maróti, an artist from Budapest, Hungary who worked at Cranbrook, for the inside sculptures, mosaics, and frescoes. His works in the Fisher Building contain extensive symbolism focusing on two ideas: the wealth and power of the United States conveyed through commerce and transportation, and American culture and civilization imparted through music and drama. The sculpture on the exterior of the building was supplied by several sculptors including Maróti, Corrado Parducci, Anthony De Lorenzo, and Ulysses Ricci.

When the building was completed, its elevators were also considered a technological marvel of the era. The Fisher's elevators were "automatically controlled in every way," and at the time, most elevators in the city still used elevator attendants. Its express elevators ran as fast as any in the world — 800 feet per minute.

When completed in 1928, Kahn was awarded the Architectural League's silver medal, which named the Fisher Building the most beautiful commercial building of that year. The Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record captured the mood of the moment, noting that the Fisher Building was "the most distinctive piece of modern construction in Detroit and Michigan" and "the most thoroughly discussed building among architects and builders in the United States," having "already begun to achieve national distinction."

The Unbuilt Towers

The Fisher Building that stands today was originally conceived as only one component of a far grander campus. Architect Joseph Nathaniel French of Albert Kahn Associates planned for a complex of three buildings, with two 30-story structures flanking a 60-story tower. The Great Depression hit a year after the Fisher Building's completion, thwarting the Fisher brothers' grand vision for the two additional towers. The single completed tower nonetheless fulfilled the brothers' ambition to give Detroit a building of international stature.

The Golden Tower: Roof and Illumination

One of the most storied features of the Fisher Building is its rooftop, which has changed dramatically over the decades. One of the most recognizable sights on Detroit's skyline, the building is also known as "The Golden Tower." The original gold-leaf tiles on the tower were covered with asphalt during World War II for fear of bombing. After the war, the asphalt could not be removed from the gold tiles without harming them, so they were replaced with green tiles. Since the 1980s, these tiles have been illuminated at night with colored lights to give them a gold appearance. On St. Patrick's Day, the lights are changed to green and, in recent years, to celebrate the NHL playoffs, the tower is illuminated with red lights in honor of the Detroit Red Wings.

Tenants, Uses, and the Fisher Theatre

There are also tunnels connecting the Fisher Building to what was the General Motors Building across Grand Boulevard and to the New Center Building. The building has long served as a hub for business, culture, and civic life in Detroit. The building, which contains the elaborate 2,089-seat Fisher Theatre, was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989. It also houses the headquarters for the Detroit Public Schools and the studios of radio stations WJR, WDVD, and WUFL.

From the biggest Broadway hits to intimate concerts and events, the Fisher Theatre is Detroit's home for Broadway entertainment. Productions such as Fiddler on the Roof, Hello, Dolly!, The Wiz, and many others have appeared on the Fisher Theatre stage.

In 2002, Detroit Public Schools (DPS) paid the owner of the Fisher Building $24.1 million to purchase five floors to house administrative offices, citing the high cost of renovations needed at the Maccabees Building, the previous headquarters, to comply with building and safety codes.

The Fisher Building offers 505,000 square feet of office space and 68,000 square feet of retail space for lease. Among the most noteworthy occupants are Albert Kahn Associates, the architectural firm responsible for the original design work, and The Christman Co., the corporate successor of the construction contractor.

Ownership History and Modern Restoration

The building passed through multiple owners across the latter half of the twentieth century. On December 7, 1962, it was announced that the Fisher and the 11-story New Center Building — now known as the Albert Kahn Building — were sold for about $15 million by the four surviving Fisher brothers to a Detroit real estate partnership headed by prominent investors Louis Berry and George D. Seyburn. It was one of the biggest real estate transactions in Detroit history at the time.

In 1974, Tri-Star Development purchased the Fisher Building and adjoining New Center Building for approximately $20 million. In 2001, FK Acquisition LLC, a real estate firm based in Southfield, purchased the two buildings from TrizecHahn Corporation for $31 million.

In July 2015, Southfield-based developer Redico LLC, in partnership with HFZ Capital Group of New York City and Peter Cummings of The Platform, a Detroit-based development company, purchased the Fisher Building and adjacent Albert Kahn Building, plus 2,000 parking spaces in two parking structures and three surface lots in New Center, for $12.2 million at auction. The Redico interest was subsequently purchased by Cummings and his partner in The Platform, Dietrich Knoer, in 2016.

Under The Platform's stewardship, the building has undergone a substantial restoration effort. Since 2015, more than $30 million has been invested in building improvements. The magnificent hand-painted frescoes atop the three-story Arcade have been restored. Building comfort and efficiency has been improved through a multi-million-dollar HVAC system. In addition, the fire suppression system and elevators have been upgraded and modernized.

In June 2023, The Platform announced that the Michigan State University (MSU) endowment and MSU Federal Credit Union have invested in the historic Fisher Building and several nearby development sites. The move by MSU followed months after the university and Henry Ford Health System laid out detailed plans for a $100 million–$150 million research center, a key component of a $2.5 billion planned investment by Henry Ford Health, MSU, and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores to build a new hospital tower across from the existing hospital on West Grand Boulevard, as well as 500-plus residential units in the surrounding area.