Fisher Theater
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Fisher Building
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| Location | 3011 West Grand Boulevard Detroit, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°22′9.5″N 83°4′37″W / 42.369306°N 83.07694°WCoordinates: 42°22′9.5″N 83°4′37″W / 42.369306°N 83.07694°W |
| Area | 486,991 square feet (45,242.9 m2) |
| Architect | Albert Kahn Associates with Joseph Nathaniel French as chief architect |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP Reference # | 07000847 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 14 October 1980 |
| Designated NHL | 29 June 1989 |
| Designated MSHS | October 21, 1975 |
The Fisher Building is a landmark skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. The ornate building, completed in 1928, is one of the major works of architect Albert Kahn, and is designed in an Art Deco style, constructed of limestone, granite, and several types of marble. The Fisher family financed the building with proceeds from the sale of Fisher Body to General Motors. It was designed to house office and retail space.
The building, which contains the elaborate 2,089-seat Fisher Theatre, was designated a National Historic Landmark on 29 June 1989. It also houses the headquarters for the Detroit Public Schools.
Initially, architect Joseph Nathaniel French of Albert Kahn Associates planned for a complex of three buildings, with two 30-story structures flanking a 60-story tower. However, the Great Depression kept the project at one tower.
The Fisher brothers located the building across from the General Motors Building, now Cadillac Place, as General Motors recently purchased the Fisher Body Company. The two massive buildings spurred the development of a New Center for the city, a business district north of its downtown area.
The building's hipped roof was originally covered with gold leaf tiles, but during World War II these tiles were covered in asphalt because it was feared that the reflective surface would attract enemy bombers. After the war, the asphalt could not be removed from the gold tiles without harming them, so they were replaced with green tiles. Since the 1980s, these tiles have been illuminated at night with colored lights to give them a gold appearance. On St. Patrick's Day, the lights are changed to green and, in recent years, to celebrate the NHL playoffs, the tower is illuminated with red lights in honor of the Detroit Red Wings.
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