DETROIT | Penobscot Building | 664 FT Spire | 1928
 

Classic Art Deco.

Seen from above, it is built in the shape of an H, typical of high rise buildings of its time. It is easily identifiable with it's many setbacks leading up to a spire. It was the tallest building in all of Michigan until the Ren Cen was completed in 1977. (I'll probably add more history about it later, im lazy atm).

The spire is capped with a large red aviation orb that has recently been turned back on after 5 years of nights gone unlit. As if a metaphor for the spirit of the city it's in.

Today, it still stands as an iconic example of Art Deco high rises like the Empire State Building of the Midwest (at least I think so). I personally like it from a distance because it makes that perfect cone silhouette.

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The Penobscot Building was designed by local architect Wirt C. Rowland who also designed the nearby Buhl and Guardian Buildings. Like the Guardian, the Penobscot features Native American motifs although these details are dwarfed by the size of the building.

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Photo credit: me/flickr

Below is a detail from a spandrel:
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Photo credit: Bill Yagerlener/flickr

Above the main entrance:
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Photo credit: Bill Yagerlener/flickr

On SSC someone commented that the Penobscot Building was "a poor man's ESB", but that person did not realize that the Penobscot was completed 3 years before the Empire State Building. Its "modern" shape may have even influenced the design of the ESB.

I like this building enough to build a 11 foot high LEGO model.

Painfully good deco.

World class beauty with uglyish antennae.

Can't really make them all that pretty. The ESB's saving grace is that it's 10x bigger and has more detailing.

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Empire State Building Spire by Arathrael, on Flickr

Back in the good ol days of simple telecommunications, the antenna looked quite clean.

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Top and bottom.

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King and Queen of Detroit's Financial District by mgsmith, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/...0a3f2fb8_b.jpgDSCN0556 by AnimatedMartian, on Flickr

A real beauty. It looks amazing at night too.

Now that you mention it, here are some more lovely night shots. :D

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Penobscot - with a cherry on top by mgsmith, on Flickr

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Detroit from Downriver by rexp2, on Flickr

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Detroit March 30, 2013 by Paul Higginbottom, on Flickr

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Detroit by Paul Higginbottom, on Flickr

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Detroit from Windsor by philbabbey, on Flickr

Beautiful Pictures!
 

Thank you to everyone who shared those amazing photographs! The Penobscot Building has always been my favorite Detroit skyscraper. Hopefully, this building will be preserved for decades to come. We must never lose this building and if we do, it would be one of the city's greatest architectural losses IMO. There's too many to count, sadly, but man what the city would be like if the Hammond, Old City Hall, Majestic, Hudson's, and Train Depot were still around.

Not just the city's, the country's. That is one great-looking building.

Penosbcot may have its observation deck reopened pretty soon.

• Video Link

Here's a video from a few years ago by a radio technician who was up there. If they ever do reopen the deck, they are supposedly going to remove most of that antennae crap and put up safety barriers. But man what a view. :cool:

• Video Link

Detroit is seeing a revival so dont worry.

Drone shots are something else.

Good find :tup:

That's really cool!

An interesting old video I found.

• Video Link

^great video. nice find.

That's crazy cool. But I would not have wanted to ride in that 'skiff'.

Here are my recent pics of the building, taken in the fall:

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All photos taken by geomorph in 2017.

I love that lettering!