Book Tower

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Skyscraper In Detroit, MI

title: "Book Tower" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["skyscraper-office-buildings-in-detroit", "historic-district-contributing-properties-in-michigan", "national-register-of-historic-places-in-detroit", "buildings-with-sculpture-by-corrado-parducci", "office-buildings-completed-in-1926", "1926-establishments-in-michigan", "neoclassical-architecture-in-michigan", "renaissance-revival-architecture-in-michigan", "rock-ventures", "louis-kamper-buildings"] description: "Skyscraper In Detroit, MI" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_Tower" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Skyscraper In Detroit, MI ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox building"]

FieldValue
nameBook Tower
imageBooktower.JPG
image_size250px
captionThe Book Building in October 2006
location1265 Washington Boulevard
Detroit, Michigan
coordinates
start_date1916
completion_date1926
building_typeCommercial offices
roof144.78 m
top_floor122 m
antenna_spire152 m
floor_count38
2 below ground
floor_area483,973 sf
architectLouis Kamper
main_contractorStarrett-Dilks Company
website
ownerBedrock Detroit
ren_firmBedrock Detroit
ren_architectODA Architecture
ren_contractorChristman
nrhp{{Infobox NRHP
embedyes
nrhp_typecp
nocatyes
partofWashington Boulevard Historic District
partof_refnum82002914
architectureNeo-Classical and
Neo-Renaissance
designated_nrhp_typeJuly 15, 1982
references
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| name = Book Tower | image = Booktower.JPG | image_size = 250px | caption = The Book Building in October 2006 | location = 1265 Washington Boulevard Detroit, Michigan | coordinates = | start_date = 1916 | completion_date = 1926 | building_type = Commercial offices | roof = 144.78 m | top_floor = 122 m | antenna_spire = 152 m | floor_count = 38 2 below ground | elevator_count = | cost = | floor_area = 483,973 sf | architect = Louis Kamper | structural_engineer = | main_contractor = Starrett-Dilks Company | developer = | website = | management = | owner = Bedrock Detroit | ren_firm = Bedrock Detroit | renovation_date = | ren_architect = ODA Architecture | ren_contractor = Christman | nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP | embed = yes | nrhp_type = cp | nocat = yes | partof = Washington Boulevard Historic District | partof_refnum = 82002914 | architecture = Neo-Classical and Neo-Renaissance | designated_nrhp_type = July 15, 1982 | references =

Book Tower is a 38-story mixed-use building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States, within the Washington Boulevard Historic District. Designed by Louis Kamper in the Italian Renaissance style, it was constructed between 1925 and 1926, as an addition to the original Book Building. It was originally an office building, and was the tallest building in Detroit at the time of its completion. Following an extensive restoration completed in the 2020s, it now contains residential apartments and a hotel.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Book_Tower,_Detroit,Mich(NYPL_b12647398-74644).tiff" caption="A 1920s postcard depicting the Book Tower"] ::

Named for the famous Book brothers of Detroit who owned much of the property on Washington Boulevard, it was briefly the tallest building in the city from 1926 until the completion of the Penobscot Building in 1928. A taller Book Tower of 81 stories was planned to be built at the opposite end of the Book Building, but was canceled during the Great Depression.

From its opening through the mid-1970s, the Book Tower remained a prestigious address on Washington Boulevard. Like many structures in the city, its fortunes declined until 1988 when the owners defaulted on the mortgage. In 1989, Travelers Insurance, the principal mortgage-holder, took possession and sold the building to developer John Lambrecht, who had previously purchased and renovated the Cadillac Tower a few blocks east. Lambrecht had similar plans for the Book Building and Tower. His untimely death later that year brought those plans to a halt.

Lambrecht's widow attempted to manage the property and made some improvements, but she was unable to maintain momentum. In July 2006, she sold the Book Tower to the Pagan Organization, a New York-based investment group. Pagan's plans were for a renovation and conversion of both the Book Tower and Book building into a mix of retail, residential, and office units. The Pagan Organization created the Northeast Commercial Services Corp. to manage the building. Northeast Commercial Services Corp. filed for Chapter 11 protection in May 2007, after defaulting on its mortgage loan. The last tenant, Bookie's Tavern, closed in January 2009, and moved to a new location downtown, leaving the entire building vacant.

In November 2009, Key Investment Group, based in nearby Clinton Township, announced intentions to buy and renovate the building as a mixed-use development with high rise residential units, office space, and retail. Weeks earlier, the investors revealed that they were looking to purchase the building from AKNO Enterprises of Vancouver for a green renovation. In January 2010, Rosemarie Dobek, CFO of Key Investment Group, reported that the group was pursuing plans for a US$320 million green renovation to include the Book Tower and four other Detroit buildings.

In August 2013, AKNO Enterprises filed a tax abatement for a future renovation of the building. Specific plans were not disclosed.

Renovation and modern use

In August 2015, Bedrock Detroit, owned by Dan Gilbert, purchased Book Tower for a reported $30 million, and soon began an extensive restoration and renovation project. Tours were given in 2019 and 2021 during the restoration, showing the progress of the project, and construction on the project was completed in 2022. ODA Architecture led the restoration designs.

The restoration took seven years to complete and cost more than $300 million, and transformed Book Tower into a mixed-used building containing 229 rental apartments, a 117-room ROOST apartment hotel, commercial offices, and event space, with retail, bars and restaurants at ground level. Its grand re-opening took place in June 2023.

The restoration of Book Tower is one of the largest adaptive reuse projects in Michigan. Architectural Digest named Book Tower one of “The World’s 11 Most Beautiful Repurposed Buildings” in May 2023.

Architecture

The building contains a cartouche by the Detroit architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci.

The rehabilitated Book Tower currently boasts a three-story art glass rotunda within the building’s grand entryway, adorned with more than 6,000 glass panels and 7,000 jewel embellishments, along with intricate, hand-painted plaster ceilings, doors and flourishes throughout the building. Its fully restored exterior features 2,483 windows refurbished for optimal energy efficiency, as well as 29 caryatids across the building’s revitalized façade.

Criticism

Kamper's Book Tower was critiqued for not including an internal fire escape route, necessitating a strange exterior fire escape, possibly the tallest fire escape at the time. He was also critiqued for choosing an absorbent limestone that sucked in the pollution of the contemporary factories' smoke.

Nowadays, the building is generally praised is being unique and beautiful in proportion and design.

Gallery

File:Downtown, Detroit, MI, USA - panoramio (6).jpg| File:BookTowerCaryatids.jpg|Caryatids by an unknown sculptor File:Booktowerdetroit.JPG|The tower from Woodward Avenue File:DPM Times Square.jpg|The Detroit People Mover approaching Book Tower

References

References

  1. {{CTBUH. 10575
  2. "Emporis building ID 118554". [[Emporis]].
  3. {{SkyscraperPage. 1416
  4. {{Structurae. 20027663
  5. Berg, Nate. (2023-05-15). "How a vacant office tower became a symbol of rebirth in downtown Detroit". Fast Company.
  6. (3 October 2008). "Unbuilt Detroit".
  7. "Book Tower and Book Building".
  8. Reindl, J. C.. (2023-06-08). "Detroit's long-vacant Book Tower reopens with upscale apartments, hotel rooms".
  9. (17 January 2009). "Book Building".
  10. Duggan, Daniel. (6 November 2009). "New Book for an old chapter". [[Crain Communications.
  11. Kavanaugh, Kelli B.. (3 November 2009). "Book Building and Tower to be brought back to life".
  12. (20 January 2010). "New Hope for the Book Tower". Critical Detroit.
  13. Cox, Sarah. (August 5, 2013). "Evidence Suggests That Book Tower Might, Finally, Renovate".
  14. Austin, Dan. (August 28, 2015). "Dan Gilbert buys Detroit’s Book Tower skyscraper". Detroit Free Press.
  15. Walker, Micah. (7 September 2019). "Book Tower renovation tour in Detroit gives guests look behind the scenes". [[Detroit Free Press]].
  16. Klein, Kristine. (2023-12-08). "ODA’s restoration of Detroit’s Book Tower reveals a storied past".
  17. McNamara, Russ. (2023-06-08). "Detroit's historic Book Tower officially reopens after $400M in renovations".
  18. Anderson, Garrett. (2023-09-20). "Michigan Earns National Ranks, International Awards for Projects and Places".
  19. Collins, Charlotte. (2023-05-04). "The World's 11 Most Beautiful Repurposed Buildings".
  20. (2005-12-07). "Photo Du Jour – December 7, 2005 – Book Tower Front Door".
  21. Austin, Dan. "Book Tower and Book Building".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

skyscraper-office-buildings-in-detroithistoric-district-contributing-properties-in-michigannational-register-of-historic-places-in-detroitbuildings-with-sculpture-by-corrado-parduccioffice-buildings-completed-in-19261926-establishments-in-michiganneoclassical-architecture-in-michiganrenaissance-revival-architecture-in-michiganrock-ventureslouis-kamper-buildings