Rendering of the restored Book Tower atrium, Detroit, Michigan.
Bloom Images
The iconic Book Tower has long been an integral part of the Detroit skyline. Now, an ongoing adaptive reuse project by Detroit real estate company Bedrock and New York City architectural firm ODA has ensured the nearly century-old, 38-story tower a second life, one destined to further energize the Motor City’s downtown revival.
Designed by architect Louis Kemper in 1916, the Book Building required a decade to construct. It opened in 1926, showcased an Academic Classicism architectural style, and at 475 feet tall was the city’s tallest structure until the 47-story Penobscot Building opened two years later. Book Tower would go on serving as a key cog in the downtown Detroit office building scene right into the early 1970s.
Its downturn – starting at about the half century mark of its lifespan – mirrored the city’s own. A series of owners came and went before Bedrock bought the tower in 2015 and proceeded to complete a years-long exterior restoration, including replacement of its ornamental cornice and installation of exactly 2,483 historically-accurate windows.
Built as anchor
“Book Tower is one of the most recognizable structures in the Detroit skyline, and was built as an anchor along Washington Boulevard, where its namesake, the Book Brothers, grew up,” says Bedrock Chief Design Officer Melissa Dittmer. “The brothers imagined a building that would endure as a landmark for generations, while serving their community in a range of ways. We are working on carrying out that original vision.”
The next step is to create within Book Tower the blend of residential, hospitality, retail and office space that will help bring together businesses, residents, clients, customers and visitors on this stretch of the Washington Boulevard Historic District. Amenity spaces being sculpted on different levels, along with dramatic entertaining space on the roof of the Book Tower, will be shared by the building’s residents and guests.
“The objective is to add a forward-looking mixed-use program to Detroit’s growing downtown,” says Eran Chen, ODA founding principal.
“Bedrock has been an important catalyst, understanding the important role that architecture plays in the systemic evolution of cities. Restoring, designing and engineering the conversion of such a legacy structure requires the utmost reverence for the remarkable history of the Book Tower, but also the vision and ambition to deliver a civic hub [complementing] the movement happening in downtown Detroit.”
Book Tower’s revitalization involves engaging the surrounding streets, to create a pedestrian flow on Washington Boulevard and Grand River Avenue, Chen says.
“In order to emphasize its public character, the building is becoming a destination, a place where people will enjoy the qualities of the public floors, especially the Glazed Atrium in the heart of the building.
“Its civic value will shine in the landscape of great atriums in Detroit.”
Waited years
Detroit’s denizens have patiently cooled their heels for decades waiting for Book Tower to be accorded a restoration worthy of its legacy. “It’s finally underway and it looks spectacular!” exclaims Rebecca Binno Savage, historic preservation lead with Kraemer Design Group.
“The Book Tower is one of Detroit’s most significant historic skyscrapers and the restoration brings the building back to its 1917 style. Many Detroiters have memories of working in the Book Tower, eating in restaurants there or shopping in the retail stores. Detroiters purchased airline tickets at the Book Tower for many years, and remember it as the place where airline travel plans were made into reality.”
Resident, civic and corporate stakeholders hope the rebirth of the Book Tower, a symbol of the Motor City’s heyday, will be one more step in restoring a once-proud city to its long-overdue place among America’s rising urban stars.