While looking for a food tour in Detroit (which didn’t exist),  I found a Downtown Architecture Tour. We began our tour at the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit. 

This picture is from the Guardian Building website as it is much better than the one I took!

The Guardian Building represents an era when people believed in the city of Detroit and its future.  

The building was built in 1928-29 when Detroit was an international commercial and industrial hub.  It took eighteen months to build and was considered the Cathedral of Finance.  The former Union Trust Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The Guardian Building is now owned by Wayne County and serves as its headquarters. The symbolic art under the arch is in the shape of Michigan.

The lobby clock was made by Tiffany.

Most of downtown and much of Detroit went through severe depression.  Problems were plentiful and a corrupt local government contributed.  Detroit declared bankruptcy July 18,2013 and many buildings and homes were abandoned. 

The People Mover was built to provide access between buildings when the streets were dirty and unsafe.   As circumstances have dramatically improved, the People Mover is rarely used.

During the last decade there has been substantial investment and revitalization with private and government assistance.

Dan Gilbert, the majority stockholder of Rocket Mortgage, has made a massive investment in Detroit.  He purchased and developed over 100 buildings in downtown Detroit.  Gilbert and his wife joined The Giving Pledge to give half of their many billions away during their lifetime and Detroit and Detroiters have benefited.

This is one of the many buildings that Gilbert has rejuvenated.   He frequently tries to hold on to, or portray, the building’s history as part of the renovation.

Rocket Mortgage world headquarters are at the One Campus Martius Building in Detroit.  The waterfall inside the Atrium is 114ft in height and is the tallest indoor waterfall in America.

The David Whitney building is an example of the renaissance downtown Detroit has achieved in the last ten years.  Built in 1915, the Whitney building was listed on the National Historic Register in 1983.

Then the bad years happened.

This is the same hallway now.  Well done, Detroit!

The developers for the Apparatus Room took an old firehouse and repurposed it into a great food and bar venue.

We visited Hart Plaza on the Detroit Waterfront and saw a collection of monuments.

We saw the Transcending Monument – a tribute to Labor.

After departing Montreal in 1701. Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac planted the flag of France and took possession of the territory for King Louis XIV.

We looked across the Detroit River and saw Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  It really is that close!

This 2001 sculpture is called Gateway to Freedom and commemorates the Underground Railroad.

Turning around we could see the Detroit skyline.

We could see the Renaissance Center – the brainchild of Henry Ford II.  Consisting of several large buildings forming a city within a city, the two most notable owners are the Westin Hotel and the World Headquarters for General Motors.

Near Hart Plaza is the Spirit of Detroit.  A tradition is to wrap the statue in jerseys of Detroit sports teams when one makes the playoffs.

As we walked around hearing the stories of buildings and their refurbishment, we learned that new condo buildings must have at least 20 percent subsidized housing.

After our tour we were tired of walking and only wanted to sit.  So we decided to sit at another Mariners -Tigers baseball game!  

As we entered Comerica we noticed a marker indicating that the Detroit College of Law was on the site of the baseball stadium from 1935-1997.   The college was the first law school in Detroit, established in 1891.  It began with sixty-nine students including a woman and an African American.  Graduates became circuit court judges, a supreme court justice and an ambassador.  

Once inside we found the theme for the day was Star Wars!  There were a variety of activities but we especially enjoyed the way they made our Mariners look like Storm Troopers on the big screen!

After the game we decided to try out authentic Detroit Pizza.  We had been told that Buddy’s was the original maker but the downtown location was not the original location.

Close enough!