The Albert (Detroit)

Griswold Building
Location1214 Griswold Street
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates42°19′58.77″N 83°2′56.23″W / 42.3329917°N 83.0489528°W / 42.3329917; -83.0489528
Built1929
ArchitectAlbert Kahn
Architectural styleModern Movement
Part ofCapitol Park Historic District (ID99000338)
NRHP reference No.80001923[1]
Added to NRHPJune 09, 1980

The Albert, formerly the Griswold Building, is a former office building named after architect Albert Kahn, located at 1214 Griswold Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and is part of the Capitol Park Historic District.[1] In 2014, it was renovated into apartments.[2]

History

The Griswold Building was built in 1929 as an office building,[3] on the former site of the Miles Theatre, and was later converted to residential use in the 1980s as senior apartment building.[4]

The Albert was renovated as of fall 2014. The renovation converted the building's HUD Section-8 senior housing to 127 market-rate apartments, with 14,000 square feet of retail space on the building's first floor.[2]

Description

The Albert stands 12 floors in height, with 127 units/rooms. The high-rise was designed by Albert Kahn in the Art Moderne architectural style, and is significant as an example of the architect's transition from Art Deco to Art Moderne.[3] The façade is divided into two sections: a lower, three-story portion faced with limestone and divided into nine bays, and an upper, nine-story portion constructed of brick with five center bays set back from the main façade.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "The Albert Nears Complete Renovation, Interior Fuses History into Design". dBusiness.
  3. ^ a b c Griswold Building from Woodward Avenue.
  4. ^ Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3. P. 76.