Detroit Architecture: A.I.A. Guide

Let me share a quick anecdote. The last time I was in Detroit was in 1991. What I saw there so depressed me that I wrote the city off as an urban-industrial wasteland, a veritable dystopia. A few years ago I moved to Houston. While Houston certainly isn't a pretty city, I've always told myself, "Well, at least it's not as bad a Detroit." This guide proved me wrong on both points: Detroit is a treasure-trove of marvelous 19th and early-20th century American urban architecture (albeit, much in disrepair). And while far more prosperous, Houston is, in fact, a very unattractive large American city, save the few remaining structures (perhaps a dozen) by Staub, Watkin, Cram and Finn. Sorry to irritate all my Houstonian friends, but it's true. Ecclesiasticus! The catalog of beautiful historic churches and cathedrals ALONE is worth the price of the book. Then there are the old skyscrapers and the public buildings (such as the Art Institute). Written in standard AIA format with relatively few (400) exceptionally well-chosen entries, this book will feel familiar to all architecture lovers who've ventured into buying one (or many) of these expensive guides. You're collection is incomplete without this one, if only for the fact that it documents one of the most important and impressive collections of American urban architecture in existence. Many of the most important architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries worked in Detroit, and most of their work remains. One thing to keep in mind is that the book features more public and institutional architecture than residential, but important residential sites are included. The book format is perfect. The sites are well chosen. The photography is all monochrome, but the views are good and reveal the buildings well. There are even a few interior shots. Simple maps, introductory essays and architect biographies round out this benchmark entry in the AIA-sponsored series. The book includes excursions to Cranbrook and Grosse Pointe. Detroit is still a poor and dangerous city (thanks to a completely incompetent government), but the building stock is enough to inspire a revival. And it's all still there waiting to be discovered! This guide is valuable for the architectural historian, preservationist, and armchair traveler. It may even inspire you to take a trip to old Motown for a visit!

This guide it very thorough and well done. I consider it up with the AIA guide to Houston and the guide to New York as the best of these wonderful guides. I appreciated that the author also explored outside of the core city and studied Grosse Pointe and the Cranbrook; wonderful history and well researched. I was surprised that the Dodge mansion Meadowbrook Farm was omitted, but that does not detract from the fact that this is a very comprehensive guide. I have never been to Detroit, and quite frankly it has an notorious reputation, but having explored this guide I would consider a trip and that is high praise indeed.

This book covers virtually every building of note within the city limits, and many in the suburbs as well. Each building is photographed and its history and usage are described. The author is willing to criticize where he sees fit. An excellent read!

Thoroughly researched, this book is a must have. Patterned after the W. Hawkins Ferry book I had decades ago as a student, this book updates and adds significant content about the rich architectural history of Detroit.The writeups are informative from both a building and historical context. I loved the descriptions, such as from the Guardian Building (my favorite), "a lightning bolt of spirited inventiveness".Take this book with you as you stroll downtown and you'll find new treasures, like the Water Department building.Excellent!