Demise of a Victorian Era Masterpiece – the Detroit Old City Hall

In Memoriam… the first of my Lost American Architecture Series

It’s hard to fathom that this beautifully crafted Italian Renaissance Revival masterpiece that was built in the Victorian era and took ten years to construct, is now lost forever. Built to last in Amherst sandstone, the Detroit City Hall, in the state of Michigan, was the center of life in Detroit for almost 100 years.

In fact I am currently putting the finishing touching on a painting that tells this very story. Paintings of other tragic architectural losses will follow, but this will be the first in my In Memoriam: Lost American Architecture series.

The fate of this building that hosted eight presidents (Cleveland, McKinley, Taft, Wilson, Hoover, both Roosevelts and Truman) was sealed in 1961, when it became yet another victim of the wrecking ball. Today it stands as merely another piece of forgotten history, along with so many other city halls across the country.

The Old Detroit City Hall in its heyday,

Historians claim that Detroit has suffered no greater loss architecturally. In 1884, renowned historian, Silas Farmer expressed his sentiments regards the grandeur of the building.

“The new City Hall has probably no superior among the municipal halls of the country; both the building and its site command universal admiration and are in every way well adapted for the convenience of the people and the officials.” 

Building of Detroit’s New City Hall

The old City Hall of Detroit, Michigan, opened in 1871. The three-story building had an observation deck and a large clock tower. The City Hall served as the seat of government for the city of Detroit, Michigan from 1871–1961.

In 1861, plans for the building were completed by architect James Anderson. However, breaking ground was delayed due to restrictions on building materials during the Civil War. In 1867, a foundation was laid and construction was finished in May 1871. The total cost of the project was $602,130.

The old Detroit City Hall sat on the west side of Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. The clock tower, which rose 180 feet, was the centerpiece of the city. Almost every year since its opening, its booming bell summoned hundreds of couples to City Hall on new Year’s Eve, where they would kiss at the stroke of midnight. Predating the city’s first skyscraper by nearly two decades, for many years it towered over everything around it.

The interior of the building also had beautiful features, such as black walnut and oak furnishings. Natural light poured into the courtrooms and offices through 15 large windows on each floor. The floors were covered in black and white marble, complimented by an elegant grand staircase.  In front of the building and gracing the entrance, were two iron fountains, sculptures, cannons captured in the War of 1812 and a spacious green space in front where flowers spelled out the words, “Welcome, Thrice Welcome.”

One of the many spacious hallways in the Detroit City Hall
Council Chambers
The Mayor’s Office

The Grand Opening

The Grand Opening of the City Hall took place on July 4, 1871

It was with great pomp and ceremony that the new City Hall was unveiled on July 4, 1871.  The celebrations consisted of dedication speeches, a gun salute and rockets. Roman candles set off from the building’s clock tower and the Declaration of Independence was read from its front steps.

The U.S. 1st Infantry Band and soldiers led a procession of citizens along Woodward Ave and Church bells rang throughout the city. Attendees were invited to explore their new City Hall and climb the iron staircase of the tower. In the evening, there was a fireworks display on the front lawn.

A clock to tick off the centuries

The clock tower was the last part of the building to come down

The tower clock was created by one of the nation’s top clockmakers, W.A. Hendrie of Chicago, and he considered it his masterpiece. Its four dials – made in Glasgow, Scotland – were illuminated at night so citizens all over downtown could see the time. In fact it was the largest clock in the United States when it first swung into action at the building’s formal dedication in 1871.

City Hall’s clock tower soon became an important feature of the city. Building Superintendent Martin Schoenborn told the Detroit News in 1953 that “Thousands of Detroiters set their watches by it. Many of them must live by it.” Except for rare instances, the clock kept almost perfect time, faithfully ticked off the seconds for nearly a century. A sundial and nautical almanac were used to set the clock in 1871 when it was installed. Before the clock was switched from mechanical machinery to electrical in 1884,  it had to be wound on a treadmill-like device with a shaft that ran all the way from the basement to the tower. This meant that a city staffer had to take a total of 1,512 steps to raise the time weight to the top!

A fight to the death

Despite a poll showing that Detroiters favored preservation of the building (58% to 21%), in January 1961 the Common Council, with the support of Mayor Louis Miriani, voted five to four to demolish the building.  Preservationists took the fight to stop the demolition all the way up to the United States Supreme Court, but sadly all requests for injunctions were denied.

One of the thousands of Detroiters vehemently opposed to tearing down the building

Demolition began August 14, 1961 and was completed the following month. An underground garage was built in its place, covered over by Kennedy Square, a concrete plaza with a fountain as its centerpiece. Kennedy Square was replaced by One Kennedy Square office building in 2005. It was built on the Woodward Ave site of the Old Town Hall.

The demolition of the Detroit City Hall in progress, the tower and clock being the last to fall.
This office building now stands on the site of the old Detroit Town Hall.

And so we loose yet another historic art form that was designed and built to last hundreds more years. The above building now stands in place of this former piece of architectural history. I for one, know which structure I would prefer to see when visiting downtown Detroit.

Until next time,

Leisa

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