David Broderick Tower
| Broderick Tower | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Type | Residential |
| Location | 10 Witherell Street Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°20′9.5″N 83°2′59″W / 42.335972°N 83.04972°WCoordinates: 42°20′9.5″N 83°2′59″W / 42.335972°N 83.04972°W |
| Construction started | 1926 |
| Completed | 1928 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 369 ft (112 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 35 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Louis Kamper Paul Kamper |
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Broderick Tower
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| Part of: | Grand Circus Park Historic District (#83000894) |
| Designated CP: | February 28, 1983 |
The Broderick Tower is a residential skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan.[1] Original construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1928. The Broderick was fully renovated in 2012. The tower was the second tallest building in Michigan when it was originally completed in 1928. It stands 35-stories, with two basement floors. The building is designed with Neo-classical architecture, Chicago school, and Beaux-Arts designs. Limestone is a prominent material in the building's surface. It was designed by architects Louis Kamper and Paul Kamper for Theodore Eaton.
The tower is located at the Southeast corner of Woodward Ave and Witherell St., facing Grand Circus Park, in downtown Detroit, and stands across the street from the David Whitney Building, and stands in the "Foxtown" neighborhood of Detroit. The Broderick Tower is not a square, or even a parallelogram in shape.[2][3]
[edit] History
Before the decorative cornices were removed, this building was 371'-6" to the top of the parapet wall, and 376'-7" tall to the very tip of the decorative cornice. This tower is topped by a Beaux Arts/Neo-classical inspired crown.
The tower was originally constructed as the Eaton Tower, named after Theodore Horation Eaton, Jr., an importer and dealer in chemicals and dyes. The building changed ownership and names in 1945, when the tower was purchased by David Broderick, a Detroit insurance broker, which he then renamed after himself. After his purchase of the tower in 1945, David Broderick created the Sky Top Club on the 33rd floor of the tower, which was a private club used for entertaining Mr. Broderick's associates and guests. After David Broderick's death in 1957, the tower changed hands many times between 1963 and 1976, finally ending up in the hands of the Higgins family, which retains a stake in the ownership to this day.[4]
A bar called Tavern on the Park was preceded by a restaurant called The Flaming Embers, which also later closed. Another bar called The Pit Stop opened on the ground floor of the building in 2007 but eventually also closed. Currently the Sports Town Grill occupies the street level floor.[5]
The memorable humpback whale mural on the rear facade of the building was painted by Metro-Detroit native eco-artist, Wyland, and was dedicated on October 13, 1997. A billboard was placed over the mural in July 2006, covering up the Whaling Wall mural. The money generated from a recently added billboard was announced to benefit the restoration of the building, as the billboard is visible from the nearby Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.[3] In June 2010, the billboard was removed during a storm, once again revealing the mural.
Motown Construction Partners LLC, led by Fred J. Beal, Manager, and President of JC Beal Construction Inc., closed on financing for a comprehensive re-development of the Broderick Tower in December 2010. Renovations are now underway create 125 apartments on floors 5-34, three separate restaurant venues floor 1 and the adjacent lower level and mezzanine, and office space on floors 2 through 4. Leasing activities are in process, and occupancy is expected in September 2012.[6][7]
[edit] References
- ^ ModelDMedia
- ^ *Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4.
- ^ a b *Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
- ^ *Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
- ^ http://www.modeldmedia.com/developmentnews/pitstop9707.aspx
- ^ Bill Shea. "Detroit's Broderick Tower to get $50 million redevelopment". Crain's Detroit Business. http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20101221/FREE/101229960/detroits-broderick-tower-to-get-50-million-redevelopment#. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ http://www.brodericktower.com, Page 6; "Floorplans"
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- The David Broderick Tower at Emporis.com
- SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on the David Broderick Tower
- BuildingsOfDetroit.COM - David Broderick Tower
- Detroiturbex.com - Inside the Broderick Tower
