The building stands atop what used to be the Savoyard Creek near its confluence with the Detroit River. In 1836, the creek was covered and turned into a sewer. The Savoyard Club occupied the 27th floor of the Buhl Building from 1928 until its membership dwindled and the club closed in 1994.
On June 11, 1982, a man upset over a delayed insurance payment entered a law firm on the 8th floor and opened fire with a shotgun, killing a law clerk, and starting a fire using a Molotov cocktail. People in the building smashed windows for fresh air and to enable rescue, but were forced to wait as Detroit Fire Department ladders were unable to reach above the 6th floor. An off-duty Detroit Police sergeant responded to the scene and took the man into custody; he was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.[4]
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, a civil engineering firm, is also based in the building.
At one time Real Times Media, the owner of several black newspapers in the US, had its headquarters in the building.[9]
Michigan Nonprofit Association, a statewide membership organization that serves the nonprofit sector, has its Metro Detroit office in the Buhl Building.[10]
^"About Real Times Media". Real Times Media. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2013. Headquarters: The Buhl Building; 535 Griswold Street; Suite 1300; Detroit, MI 48226
^"Contact Us". Michigan Nonprofit Association. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Shadowing Parducci, unpublished manuscript, Detroit.
Meyer, Katherine Mattingly; McElroy, Martin C. P. (1980). Detroit Architecture A. I. A. Guide. Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (Revised ed.). Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN978-0-8143-1651-1.
Savage, Rebecca Binno; Kowalski, Greg (2004). Art Deco in Detroit. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN978-0-7385-3228-8.