Penobscot Building facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Penobscot Building
Alternative names	City National Bank Building Penobscot Building - 47 Tower
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	645 Griswold Street Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates	42°19′49″N 83°02′51″W / 42.33041°N 83.0475°W / 42.33041; -83.0475
Construction started	1927
Completed	1928
Owner	Triple Group Of Companies
Management	Triple Properties Detroit
Height
Antenna spire	202.4 m (664 ft)
Roof	172.2 m (565 ft)
Top floor	159.4 m (523 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	above ground: 47 below ground: 2
Floor area	1,258,900 sq ft (116,960 m2)
Lifts/elevators	25
Design and construction
Architect	Wirt C. Rowland SmithGroup Donaldson and Meier
Greater Penobscot Building
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Architectural style	Art Deco
Part of	Detroit Financial District (ID09001067)
Designated CP	December 14, 2009

The Penobscot Building is a very tall office building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was finished in 1928 and has a cool Art Deco style. This building is right in the middle of Detroit's main financial area. It's also a key spot for the city's wireless internet and super-fast fiber-optic network.

How Tall Is It?

The Penobscot Building on an old postcard

When the Penobscot Building was finished, it was one of the tallest buildings in the world! It was the eighth-tallest globally and the fourth-tallest in America. For a long time, it was the tallest building outside of New York City and Chicago.

Standing about 566 feet (173 m) tall, the Penobscot Building has 47 stories. It was the tallest building in Michigan from 1928 until 1977. That's when the Renaissance Center hotel tower was built. Later, in 1993, the Ally Detroit Center became the tallest office building in Detroit.

The Penobscot Building has 45 floors above ground and two basement levels. Even though it has more floors than the Ally Detroit Center, the Ally Detroit Center is still taller. Its roof is about 60 feet (18 m) higher than the Penobscot's.

Where Did the Name Come From?

The building gets its name from the Penobscot, a Native American tribe from Maine. You can see Native American designs in the building's Art Deco decorations, both outside and inside.

An old story from 1928 explains the name choice: The name of the Greater Penobscot Building hints at the Murphy family's early history. It also shows how they felt about how the Murphy family first made their money. Long before the Civil War, Simon J. Murphy and his partner were two young men. They grew up in the Maine woods and got their first jobs in a logging camp. This camp was along the Penobscot River, which was named after the strong Penobscot Indian tribe.

Building Style

The architect Wirt C. Rowland designed the Penobscot Building in 1928. He worked for a famous company called Smith Hinchman & Grylls in Detroit. He gave the building a fancy Art Deco style.

The building is covered in light-colored Indiana Limestone and has a granite base. It looks like a tall cliff for the first thirty stories. Then, it has several "setbacks" where the building gets narrower as it goes up. At the very top, there's a red neon beacon tower.

Like many buildings from the 1920s in Detroit, it shows off Art Deco influences. Its "H" shape helps let in lots of sunlight. The cool sculptural setbacks make the upper floors look like they're "eroding" or stepping back.

The Penobscot is one of many Detroit buildings with amazing architectural sculpture by Corrado Parducci. The decorations include American Indian designs. You can see these especially around the entrance and in the metalwork inside the lobby. At night, bright lights shine on the building's upper floors. A red sphere glows at the very top.

Wirt C. Rowland also designed other famous Detroit skyscrapers. These include the Guardian Building and the Buhl Building, both built around the same time.

The Penobscot Block

The main Penobscot tower is connected to two older, smaller buildings. These are the 1905 Penobscot Building and the Penobscot Building Annex from 1916. Together, these buildings are called the Penobscot Block. They are located at Griswold Street and West Fort Street. The "Greater Penobscot" tower was the last part of this group to be built.

Cool Facts and History

On holidays, the Penobscot Building and the nearby One Woodward Avenue light up. They glow red, white, and blue for Independence Day and Canada Day. For the Christmas season, they shine red, white, and green. During Christmas, the Penobscot Building's radio tower also lights up bright gold. It looks like a giant glowing Christmas tree with a flashing red light on top!

The very first televisions sold in Michigan were bought in a store inside this building. That store was on the Griswold Street level.

For a while in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the building was called the City National Bank Building. This was because a big bank had its main office there. When that bank was bought by another, the building went back to its original, historic name: Penobscot Building.

A Special Landmark

The Penobscot Building is a very important part of the Detroit Financial Historic District. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special building that is protected because of its history and design.

Who Works There?

• The Caucus Club was a famous restaurant in the Penobscot Building from 1952 to 2012. Important business people often met there. Did you know that Barbra Streisand sang there as a lounge singer in 1961, early in her career? The Caucus Club reopened in 2017 after being completely updated.
• The very top of the tower used to have "CNB" signs. These stood for the local bank that used to have its main office in the building.
• For about 20 years, until 2009, the building was home to radio station WJLB. A famous DJ from the 80s, The Electrifying Mojo, broadcast his shows from there. He called his studio his "Mothership." He helped many Detroit Techno musicians become famous by playing their music on his show.
• The Smart Detroit Conference Center is on the 13th floor. It has modern spaces for meetings and conventions.
• The Wayne County Friend of the Court is the biggest tenant in the building right now. They use many floors, from the sub-basement up to the eighth floor.

Images for kids

• 

  Penobscot Building on a postcard

See also

In Spanish: Penobscot Building para niños