The Wurlitzer name congers up nostalgic memories of the 1950’s, dinners, sock-hops and of course jukeboxes, but it was also a staple in the music industry since the late 1800’s. Wurlitzer was key in producing organs to most, if not all the early movie houses in Detroit and across America. In Detroit however, the Wurlitzer name also congers up memories of this renaissance revival style building named after the companies founder Rudolph Wurlitzer. During the early 20th century the Wurlitzer building stood as the companies flag ship in Motown. In more recent times the building has suffered the same neglect as most of Detroit’s grand old buildings. With its' Romanesque columns and stunning detail the Wurlitzer is one of Detroit’s least recognized and most under appreciated architectural treasures. Come with onlynDetorit.com as we explore and uncover the unseen history of the great Wurlitzer building.
     
     
 

The Lafayette Building is now waiting its turn on Death Row, another historic building soon to be lost; reduced to bricks, rebar and rubble. The city council and the DEGC (Detroit Economic Growth Corporation) are ignorantly indifferent to the economic need for Detroit to preserve its old, historic architecture if not for development today, then development tomorrow. The 1924 masterpiece office building designed by world famous architect C. Howard Crane was the finest of fine retail destinations for those with money. It also housed the Michigan Supreme Court for much of its later years. It was a staple of Detroit prosperity and civic pride. Today...as the Lafayette rots away in silence; nothing could be further from those times. Years of neglect and sabotage have made the building and it's façade dangerous to passers by. This past year a large chunk of bricks and stonework fell off landing on the sidewalk.
     
     
 

The Michigan Central Depot is Detroit’s most notable urban ruin. It has, for almost 30 years, stood silent witness to the apathy and neglect of urban decay. This beautiful relic of the days when Detroit was a powerhouse of industry still remains bold and strong. Sitting at the foot of Roosevelt Park, the MCD has been transformed by decades of natural erosion as well as the unstoppable force known as human nature. Vandals and scrappers have left the MCD a shell of it former glorious self. This post was the work of several months and years of hard work by photographer Keith Jolly and onlynDetroit.com. In 1973 Keith Jolly was a young photography student attending CCS. He was permitted to photograph in detail the stations lustrous lobby and concourse terminal, along with the passenger pavilions and trains them selves. Step back in time with onlynDetroit as we explore the grand Michigan Central Station circa 1973.

     
     
 
Roughly ten years ago I was thinking to myself…out loud even, of the improbability that the Fort Shelby Hotel would ever be renovated and restored to its former glory. I find myself in awe of the fact that a contractor would even attempt a rehabilitation on this particularly deteriorated building. In the past two months life has been restored to the Book Cadillac Hotel and now the Fort Shelby. During the years the hotel virtually sat empty, I explored it thoroughly and documented the devastation. Take a look through time and see what this historic treasure looked like after twenty plus years of decay. This castle… made of sand was an inspirational place where time stood still, and Detroit was as placid as a mountain backdrop.

 
     
     
 
Just off the I-94 and I-75 freeway interchange lays a piece of Detroit auto history. It’s not a museum, but it is a place that you can learn about the “real” Detroit. A Detroit where history and the fringes of society converge, sharing a common meeting place. The Fisher Body 21 factory was built in the time when Detroit was expanding rapidly. It along with its other sibling factories were being erected in the steady pace toward progress. After six decades of operation, its lack of new technological advances in auto making design caught up with the building, rendering it obsolete to General Motors. After a short renaissance it was closed and like most buildings in Detroit, it has hung around as a sad reminder of the history that has been lost over the years. As of just recently, it looks like the site may get one last chance to ward off demolition, as the backdrop for a Hollywood movie. From scrappers to art, to decay and graffiti, the Fisher Body 21 was one of the most fascinating ruins in Detroit left to explore.
     
     

 

  
For decades this Italian Gothic tower hovered over the skyline of Old Detroit. For most of its existence the Book was a premier hotel. In the 1980s a declining economy forced the troubled hotel shut. The historic Book Cadillac sat abandoned for more than 25 years. It was sparred the wrecking ball more than once. The Coleman Young administration favored knocking it down, but it proved to be too costly to the city. Years went by as the elements and thieves pried away at the structure leaving their mark. Detroiters protested the idea of destroying it until an ambitious renovation plan was announced by then Mayor Kilpatrick. Today this building stands before us, restored, and as magnificent as the day it was built. Now known as the Westin Book Cadillac, its doors are once again open to the world.
     
     
 
Just over one hundred years ago this city set out on a mission to change the world. The invention of the mass assembly line changed Detroit and America. Detroit grew and so did the Packard as it churned out perfect replicas of classic designed cars. Luxury and flawless detail were the trademarks of the Packard brand. As time passed, a half-century went by and the brand lost its luster as other classics like Cadillac and Chrysler took over as the dominating luxury designers of the day. The Albert Khan designed factory slowly started to go empty. Today the empty carcass of the old factory is in the process of being scrapped of every last ounce of metal. Thieves have begun removing the steel and disrupting sewer and water lines in some areas, drastically compromising the overall structure of the site. Even the bricks will be gone in a few short years. As the economy crumbles so does the Packard. Explorers, graffiti artist and scrap thieves all leave their mark on the factory as they come and go. Recently, the sale of the famous marble doorway at auction gives hope that eventually the epic saga of this once mighty factory will come to a close…one way, or the other.
     
     
 
Leaning over Comerica Park like a brooding dark mass, the Broderick tower is an epic symbol of loss and despair for the Detroit historic community. Abandoned over a decade ago the 32-floor tower sits on the edge of Grand Circus Park. Its noble presence calls to urban explorers and those who are captivated by the site of towering decay and immense blight. Dusty and painted windows leave passers by with only a slight glimpse of the abandoned treasures that lie inside. Doctor’s equipment and law records are heaped in piles throughout the building. Amazing pieces of antique furniture lie all over the building from the ground floor to the elegant penthouse. A view from the roof of this stately giant will grant you a sight like no other building in the city; an unimpeded 360-degree view of Detroit. Engulfed in the center of the urban metropolis you can see all of Bell Isle and as far as Southfield. In the distance you can even make out the skyline of Pontiac, over 30 miles away. My exploration of the Broderick Tower was one I will never be able to forget. Its renovations are bogged down in legal and financial “mud” and I don’t know if Detroit will ever see this great building return to its former glory.

     
     
 
Long forgotten, and tucked in the corner of Grand Circus Park lies the United Artist Theatre. At one time its halls resonated with the sounds of movies and people, but now the only sound present is from water that seeps through the roof and debris falling to the floor. Towering above is an 18-story office building that has met a simpler fate. Now left behind for over two decades, this building exhibits the same familiar sighs of blight as so many others from the same era: scrappers, vandals and the elements. There are minor traces of the tenants left that once occupied this space. Filled with master craftsmanship, design and plasterwork, the United Artist Theater is of Spanish Gothic design. It is truly unique to Detroit.
     
     

 

The empty hollow shell of the Michigan Central Depot is a constant reminder for Detroiters of the progress still not seen in the city. Its gloomy facade and epic design invokes different emotions from all those who lay eyes on her. My first memories of this structure were never tainted by its early existence as an industrial mass transit hub. My memories depict its derelict presence and the decaying state…much like it sits today. As a kid in high school, I took every opportunity to roam the ruins of the M.C.D. and even today I find myself as drawn to her as ever. Its future is foggy, in the hands of controversial real estate tycoon M.J. Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge and most of Mexican towns eastside. The station is poised to sit at the foot of the new multi million-dollar International bridge expansion project. With other noted landmarks completing their natural cycle, it’s only fair to assume these may actually be the last few years left to enjoy the old depot. Between border expansion and devastation by scrap metal thieves, the Depot’s days are numbered.
     
 
     
 
“The Big Twelve – Detroit’s Towers of Neglect,” was an article published by the Detroit Free Press in 2004. This article, more than any other, set clear benchmarks for urban explorers in Detroit. Not only did it set the standard, but also it gave us goals. Even though some buildings are now forever out of reach, the list still remains with other notoriously neglected buildings taking their place. In later explorations we will cover all the buildings of the original Big Twelve, and others that we have deemed next on the list. The Dirty Dozen piece will give you a good background on these buildings, a common starting point for the first of many future articles relating to these buildings. You will be taken on an inside tour of the most neglected buildings and areas of the city. It can truly be called onlynDetroit.
 
This section and its commentary are inspiried by the above 2004 Detroit Free Press article.
     
     
 
 
 

Once the heart old downtown Detroit, Grand Circus Park has become a desolate graveyard of skyscrapers. Consisting of two semi-circles, the park is divided in the middle by Woodward Avenue. It includes office towers, professional buildings, residential buildings, theatres, and at one point, hotels. These buildings are now highly secured. Owners of The David Whitney building have responded to scrappers by posting security guards outside.The site of the former Statler Hotel is currently being considered for the home of Rock Financial. The city of Detroit and Rock Financial have made a deal for over $200 million in tax breaks when they move to the city. The owners of the Broderick Tower are in the process of raising cash from advertising revenue to turn the building into lofts and retail. This park offers a complete spectrum from size to style of buildings to explore.

     
     
 

 

The Fine Arts is a dilapidated 7-story office building owned by Olympia Entertainment. Its future is unclear. There is a possibility it may be renovated, but given the fact that the inside has nearly completely collapsed to the lobby, it will likely be torn down. In fact, this building is so dangerous the sidewalk in front has been closed by the city. The Adams theatre is a small red brick building that sits on Elizabeth Street. It is tightly boarded up making access extremely limited. Once inside, ornate architecture and plasterwork can still be observed. It is rich with history, but it has now succumbed to the elements of the city like so many others like it. Its future is unclear, but perhaps it will be saved.

  
     
     
 
 
 

The Metropolitan Building is one of the most spectacularly crafted pieces of architecture in this entire city. It has also been of great fascination to me since I discovered it back in high school. Years later I would have my first chance to explore one of the great neo-gothic goliaths left toady. My first solo exploration of a large building was one I will never forget. Thanks to scrap metal thieves in 2002, I would not be able to simply walk right inside. It was getting out that proved harder than I originally thought. The title, “Diamonds and Cuffs”, refers to this first exploration of the once lustrous jewelers market and the eight hours I spent hiding from the police while inside. The evening I spent inside for the first time, and the photographs that were taken were the motivating force leading me to create this website.