Good evening, everyone:

The fourth stop on our fabulous-architectural-interiors-of-Detroit is the third entry in Detroit’s Art Deco-skyscrapers-for-the-ages competition (+ Fisher + Guardian): the Penobscot Building, completed in 1928.

At 47 stories, it was then the fourth tallest building in the United States. The building was created for Simon J. Murphy, a lumber baron who relocated to Detroit after growing up on the Penobscot River in Maine. Designed by Wirt Rowland of Detroit, the Penobscot is credited as having influenced the design of the Empire Sate Building two years later – draw your own conclusions:

Its red orb at the top was a guide to early aviators – twelve feet across, it can be seen 40 miles away:

The original lobby was filled with marble, metalwork, and glass, but has been remodeled:

But the exterior entrance is nearly as spectacular now as it was nearly a century ago:

There are glimpses of its previous grandeur inside, but neglect, remodeling, and drywall have made them harder to find:

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So, Fox, Fisher, Guardian, Penobscot. I’ll be curious to see if there are others to add to the queue.

Rip

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