Book Tower Facts for Kids

For the tower in Ghent (Belgium) housing the library of Ghent University, see Boekentoren. For the British children's television series, see The Book Tower.

Quick facts for kids Book Tower
The Book Building in October, 2006
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	1265 Washington Boulevard Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates	42°20′00″N 83°03′06″W / 42.3334°N 83.0517°W / 42.3334; -83.0517
Construction started	1916
Completed	1926
Height
Antenna spire	152 m (499 ft)
Roof	144.78 m (475.0 ft)
Top floor	141 m (463 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	38 2 below ground
Floor area	483,973 sf
Design and construction
Architect	Louis Kamper
Main contractor	Starrett-Dilks Company
Renovating team
Renovating firm	Bedrock
Main contractor	Christman


Book Tower
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

Architectural style	Neo-Classical and Neo-Renaissance
Part of	Washington Boulevard Historic District (ID82002914)
Designated CP	July 15, 1982

The Book Tower is a tall, 38-story building in Detroit, Michigan. It stands at 1265 Washington Boulevard in the city's downtown area. Building started in 1916 and finished ten years later. It was designed in a style called Italian Renaissance, looking like old Italian buildings.

Besides its 38 main floors, it has two floors underground and two floors for machines. Its roof is green copper, just like the nearby Westin Book Cadillac Hotel. The first two floors used to have shops and art galleries. Other businesses were on the floors above. The building is empty right now, but it is being fixed up by Bedrock Real Estate Services. They plan to open it again soon.

History of the Book Tower
- Changes Over the Years
- New Plans for Renovation
Images for kids
See also

History of the Book Tower

A 1910s postcard showing the Book Tower

The Book Tower is named after the famous Book Brothers of Detroit. For a short time, it was the tallest building in the city. This was until the Penobscot Building was finished in 1928. There were plans to build an even taller Book Tower, with 81 stories. This new tower would have been at the other end of the Book Building. However, the Great Depression stopped these plans. The building has a special carved design called a cartouche. This was made by a Detroit sculptor named Corrado Parducci.

Changes Over the Years

From when it opened until the mid-1970s, the Book Tower was a very important address. Many businesses wanted to be there. Like many buildings in Detroit, it started to have problems. In 1988, the owners could not pay for the building anymore.

In 1989, Travelers Insurance took over the building. They sold it to a developer named John Lambrecht. He had fixed up another building nearby, the Cadillac Tower. Lambrecht had similar plans for the Book Building and Tower. But he sadly passed away later that year, and the plans stopped.

Lambrecht's wife tried to manage the building. She made some improvements, but she could not keep the work going. In 2006, she sold the Book Tower to the Pagan Organization. This group from New York wanted to fix up both the Book Tower and the Book Building. They planned to have shops, homes, and offices inside. The last business in the building closed in 2009. This left the entire building empty.

New Plans for Renovation

In November 2009, a group called Key Investment Group wanted to buy the building. They planned to fix it up and use it for many things. This included homes, offices, and shops. In January 2010, they said they were planning a big renovation. This would cost about $320 million and include the Book Tower and four other buildings in Detroit.

In August 2013, the owner at the time, ANKO Enterprises, planned a future renovation. But they did not share many details.

On August 28, 2015, Bedrock Real Estate announced they would buy the Book complex. This included the Book Tower. The price was about $30 million. Since then, work has been ongoing to fix up and restore the building. They are turning it into a mix of shops, offices, and homes.