One Woodward Avenue Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids One Woodward Avenue

General information
Status	Complete
Type	Office
Architectural style	International Style
Completed	1962
Height
Antenna spire	445 ft (136 m)
Roof	430 feet (130 m)
Top floor	405 ft (123 m)
Technical details
Floor count	28
Floor area	447,725 sq ft (41,595.0 m²)
Design and construction
Architect	Minoru Yamasaki SmithGroup


Michigan Consolidated Gas Company Building
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

Location	1 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan
Part of	Detroit Financial District (ID09001067)
Designated CP	December 14, 2009

One Woodward Avenue is a tall office building, also known as a skyscraper, in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It used to be called the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company Building. This building is located near the city's main government area and its financial center. It looks out over the International Riverfront. The building was designed to fit in with other important buildings nearby, like the City-County Building.

History of One Woodward Avenue
Building Design and Features
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

History of One Woodward Avenue

Early Design and Influence

The famous architect Minoru Yamasaki designed this building in 1962. It was his first skyscraper. He used some of the ideas from this design when he later created the original World Trade Center in New York City. Another one of his well-known designs is the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University.

Changes Over the Years

In the 1980s, the building's name changed to the American Natural Resources Building. This happened when a new company was formed that owned Michigan Consolidated Gas. A special bridge was added at the 14th floor. This bridge connected the building to the nearby Guardian Building, where Michigan Consolidated had moved some offices. In the 1990s, the American Natural Resources offices moved out. That's when the building got its current name, One Woodward Avenue.

New Owners and Tenants

In December 2012, Dan Gilbert, who started Quicken Loans, bought the building. His company, Rock Ventures, announced that Quicken Loans would use eight floors inside. This building joined other properties owned by Rock Ventures in Detroit, like The Qube and the First National Building.

Later, in October 2014, Fifth Third Bank shared its plans. They decided to move their main Michigan office from Southfield to Downtown Detroit. Their new office would be in One Woodward Avenue, and the building would even be called the Fifth Third Bank Building at One Woodward. The bank uses about 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m²) of the building. They also promised to invest $85 million in the city of Detroit as part of their move.

Building Design and Features

Outside Look

The main part of the building sits on a raised platform. This platform hides the loading docks and service entrances. The building has 26 floors that people can use, plus a special mechanical floor at the top. It also has one floor below ground. The building reaches a height of 430 feet (130 m).

The lobby, which is the main entrance area, is two stories tall. It has glass panels framed in shiny chrome. Some special panels have a hexagonal (six-sided) design. This design matches the window frames on the upper floors. The lobby walls are set back from the building's outside. This creates a covered walkway, called a loggia, on all four sides. The floor of this walkway is covered with white marble. The marble is cut in a hexagonal pattern and continues into the lobby and up the walls of the elevator areas.

Inside Details

The ceiling of the main lobby has square panels that are set back. Each panel has a light fixture. Underneath each light, a special bracket holds a blue or green glass ball. These balls spread the light and add color to the white floor.

The two elevator lobbies have a ceiling that rises to a point, like a triangle. This design also reminds you of the windows on the upper floors. The lobby itself is quite simple. It only has plants and a security desk. The gas company executives originally wanted a showroom for gas appliances in the lobby. They even wanted a big sign saying Gas is best. But Yamasaki convinced them that a simple, clean lobby would make the company look better. Because of this, the newsstand, which is usually in big office buildings, is on the lower level.

Art and Windows

Yamasaki asked Giacomo Manzù, an Italian sculptor, to create a beautiful statue for the Jefferson Avenue entrance. The sculpture is called Passo di Danza, which means "Step of the Dance." It used to stand in the middle of a pool of water that had gas torches. But because of leaks, most of the pool was later filled with plants.

The outside of the building has white marble columns that connect to the base. These columns divide each side into four sections. The windows on the upper floors are very narrow, only 12 inches wide. They are set into special panels made of concrete and marble chips that cover two floors. Even though the windows go almost from floor to ceiling, their narrowness helps people who might be afraid of heights. Yamasaki himself was said to have this fear. The top and bottom of the window openings meet in a stylish arch shape. This creates a delicate, crisscross pattern. Yamasaki used this same pattern in his designs for the IBM Building in Seattle and the World Trade Center towers.

The crisscross pattern continues from the second floor up to the 28th floor. On the mechanical floors above the 26th, the spaces in this pattern are open instead of having glass. These floors have a wall set back inside, and the space between the outer pattern and the inner wall is lit up at night. For many years, from when the building opened until the early 1980s, the 26th floor had a fancy restaurant called The Top of the Flame.

Roof Lighting

The air conditioning and other equipment on the roof are hidden by a similar crisscross design. This part is also lit up after dark. Most of the year, the lights are white. But for special events, the color changes. For example, they are red and green in December. They are red, white, and blue before U.S. Independence Day and Canada Day.