Book Building
Three Book brothers—J. Burgess, Herbert and Frank—developed what Eric Hill and John Gallagher identify as downtown Detroit’s West Necklace in their book, AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Before Henry Ford successfully marketed his Model T, downtown Detroit was well along to becoming a major center for business and commerce. Skyscrapers and impressive banks were built between the Detroit River and Grand Circus Park including the Chamber of Commerce Building (1895), the State Savings Bank building (1900), the Penobscot Building (1905), the Ford Building (1909) and the Dime Building (1910). The Book Brothers saw an opportunity to develop Washington Boulevard. Many cities participated in the City Beautiful movement that emanated from the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The most memorable persisting feature of Mayor Brietmeyer’s effort to bring the City Beautiful movement to Detroit is the Cultural Center. Edward H. Bennett, an acclaimed architect and city planner who worked extensively with Daniel Burnham and was responsible for the 1909 plan for modern Chicago collaborated with Frank Miles Day to design Detroit’s Cultural Center. Continuing his efforts to spread the City Beautiful movement, Bennett proposed tearing down the unattractive low rise building along Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit and replacing them with suitably elegant building.. The Book brothers saw an opportunity intended to create a “Fifth Avenue of the West”—an elegant shopping district lined with architecturally interesting buildings providing offices for booming firms. As a result of their efforts, the Book Building and neighboring Book Tower stand on the west side of Washington Boulevard near Michigan while the Book Cadillac Hotel is located at northwest corner of the intersection of Michigan and Washington Boulevard.
The Book building is the first of four major structures that the Book Brothers intended to located upon their “Fifth Avenue of the West.” This is the first major commercial building that Louis Kamper designed for his patrons. The style is basically that of a typical large downtown office building of the World War I era. It is a limestone faced thirteen story building topped with a penthouse. The Book Brothers presumed that prosperous shops would be located at the Washington Boulevard level with the upper floors providing prestigious, modern office space. Kamper attempted to make the exterior interesting by adding Italianate details and then placed a dozen caryatids to support the Washington Boulevard cornice. The 174-foot height of this building makes it challenging to appreciate that detail. The Book Building, the Book Tower and the Book Cadillac still grace downtown Detroit, although the Book Building and Tower pale in comparison to later structures such as the Fisher Tower and the Guardian Building. The fourth building in the Book Brothers’ series was to have been an 81-story office tower that would humble the existent Book Tower. Alas, the Depression curtailed economic activity in Detroit and their massive building was never constructed.
Architect: Louis Kamper
Architectural Style: Modern 1920s office building with classical and Italianate
details
Date of Construction: 1917
Use in 2005: office building
City of Detroit Local Historic District: Not listed
State of Michigan Registry of Historic Sites: Not listed
National Registry of Historic Places: Not listed
Picture: Ren Farley; July 7, 2005