Maccabees Building - Detroit, Michigan - Art Deco - Art Nouveau on Waymarking.com

The building consists of a five-story base which covers the entire site. The nine-story spine sits above this rising to a height of 197 feet (60 m) with ten-story wings buttressing each corner. The building's exterior resembles the letter "H" with this clearly evident on the fourth through tenth story floorplans.

Construction on the building began in 1926, and completed in 1927. The building was constructed for the fraternal organization Knights of the Maccabees which later established the Royal Maccabees Insurance Company.

When The Maccabees organization vacated the building in 1960, the Detroit Public School System (DPS) purchased it for a headquarters. From 1960 to 1992, it served as the headquarters of Detroit Public Schools. It officially became the School Center Building but the Maccabees name remained visible on the exterior.

In 2002, DPS paid the owner of the Fisher Building $24.1 million to purchase five floors to house administrative offices citing the high cost of renovations needed at the Maccabees Building to comply with building and safety codes. That same year, Wayne State University purchased the Maccabees Building for additional space. The building houses administrative offices, communication equipment, retail space, and offices for a number of the University's academic departments as part of Wayne State's Midtown Detroit campus. The 2nd, 3rd and 14th floors were recently renovated to accommodate the Computer Science Department.

Style: Art Deco Structure Type: Other Architect: Albert Kahn Date Built: 1927 Supporting references: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/24/2022 bobfrapples8 visited it