The Buhl brothers, Frederick and Christian, came to Detroit early in the Nineteenth
Century. They made their money in the fur trade and then in the hat business.
As Detroit became a leading industrial metropolis, they turned to manufacturing
as well as retailing and property development. They founded the Detroit Locomotive
Works and then the Buhl Iron Works that later became the Detroit
Copper and Brass firm. They added to their wealth by entering the
hardware business and then erected an office building at the corner of Griswold
and Congress
that became an attractive location for prosperous law firms. Frederick Buhl
served as mayor of Detroit in 1848, while his brother, Christian, served
as mayor twelve years later after holding a variety of other political offices.
The skyscraper building boom in Detroit reached its zenith in the late 1920s,
reflecting the demand for office space generated by the vehicle industry. A
third generation of Buhls decided to make more profitable use of their prime
downtown land by replacing their small office building at Griswold and West
Congress with the 26 story building that you see. They selected the Smith,
Hinchman and Grylls firm and, fortunately for them, the skilled and imaginative
Writ Rowland was selected as the architect. His most magnificent accomplishment
is the nearby Guardian Building but he created a beautiful structure in the
Buhl Building, one that has great appeal some eight decades after he first
sketched it.
Modern air conditioning for large office buildings was not available until
the end of the 1920s and, when Rowland designed this building; electric lighting
was less effective than it is today. To solve these challenges, Daniel Burnham—the
father of the modern skyscraper—placed large light wells in his building,
giving every office external light and air. The light well in the nearby Dime
Building faces Griswold while the light well in the adjoining Ford Building
is reversed so it is visible from West Congress but not from Griswold. Nevertheless,
the light well was only a partial solution and, perhaps, not such a good one
for offices on the low floors. By the time Rowland designed the Buhl Building,
he believed it would be more effective way to capture natural light and gentle
Detroit breezes was the cruciform style. This design also had the advantage
of providing eight external corner offices, offices that could be rented at
higher rates. The skyscraper is largely Gothic in style but the numerous details
at the lower level are Romanesque. If you look at the impressive columns and
the barrel vaulting of the main entrance, you will find the images traditionally
incorporated in classical Roman buildings: ram's heads, acanthus leaves, basket
weaving, along with elaborate laurel and floral work. At the time he designed
this building, I believe that Writ Rowland was working on the design for the
Gothic Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian
Church and, I have been told, for a Romanesque
bank. I don’t know the name of the bank but the Gothic and Romanesque
elements used in the Buhl Building may be linked to his other simultaneous
commissions. Quite a few Detroit building from this era display a carved Indian
on their exterior, perhaps to remind us of the cities past. The one on the
Buhl Building was sculpted, I believe, by Carrado Parducci. The striking globe
for the hung lamp at the entrance dates from 1925.
Architect: Writ Rowland employed by Smith, Hinchman and Grylls
Architectural Style: Modernized Romanesque
Date of Completion: 1925
Use in 2006: Major Office Building
City of Detroit Designated Historic District: Not listed
Michigan Register of Historic Sites: Not listed
National Register of Historic Sites: Not listed
Photograph: Andrew Chandler; July, 2004
Description refreshed February, 2006.