Cadillac Square and Broderick Towers, Detroit

Originally known as the Barlum Tower, the Cadillac Square was the first office building outside New York and Chicago to reach forty stories, opening in 1927. I’m always fascinated by the optimism of the builders; note the blank wall to the southwest. They were expecting that Detroit would continue to grow and another skyscraper or…

West Boston Boulevard, Detroit

I took in a bit of the Boston-Edison Historic District, traveling east down West Boston Boulevard just west of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Chicago Boulevard and some other streets compose the large neighborhood, where some of the most important figures in Detroit history, including automobile executives, lived. As would be expected, the…

The Grande Ballroom and Grand River Avenue, Detroit

One place I wanted to visit in Detroit was the Grande Ballroom on Grand River Avenue, northwest of downtown. While the building has been abandoned for decades, it once played a pivotal role in the development of rock and roll, particularly as it was where the band MC5 played early in their career. Other very…