The Guardian Building

500 Griswold Street

Detroit, MI

Historic Detroit - Guardian Building

Pure Detroit Guardian Building Tour Website

The Guardian Building is a designated Historical Landmark located in Detroit's Financial District on Griswold Street.   Originally called the Union Trust Building, it was completed over an 18 month period between 1928 - 1929.  The Guardian is the finest of Detroit's Art Deco architecture buildings built during the '20's and '30's of the last century.  The Guardian also represents the magnitude of Detroit's wealth during the early 20th Century.

The architect of the Guardian Building was Wirt C. Rowland and when completed was the world's tallest masonry building, rising 36 stories.  The building inside and out features American Indian and Aztec motifs.  The exterior uses a specially formulated orange brick color called 'Guardian'.  In addition, the interior is decorated with mosaics and tile supplied by both Pewabic and Rockwood potteries.    

Inside, on the main floor, the south wall features a mural painted by Erza Winter (Winter). This four story mural represents all the sources of Michigan's wealth at the time including forestry, farming and manufacturing.  

When opened, the Guardian was named the 'Cathedral of Commerce' and the building does feature cathedral type details including the two towers on each end as well as the interior lobby designed as a naive with two side isles.  The partition that separates the lobby from the main first floor area features a Tiffany glass clock, one of only four to exist.   

First Floor Elevator Area

There are several additional details and interesting facts about this building that I will not expand upon in this post. I recommend that one take a tour of the building that is organized by Pure Detroit.  Pure Detroit (http://www.puredetroit.com/) has one of their stores located on the first floor and offers free tours of the building on Saturdays during two time periods, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.  My family took the 11:00 AM January 18, 2015 tour and really enjoyed it.  The tour guide was very informative and displayed a great sense of humor. Check the Pure Detroit website for any changes in times or dates.

Before and after the tour, visit Pure Detroit's store, they feature several Detroit themed clothing, artwork, books, jewelry and food.  A great selection of products that are made in Detroit & Michigan.  

The more places I discover or visit n the Detroit area, the more I realize how rich this area is in history, culture and diversity.