The First National Building is a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

and class-A office center in

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, within the

Detroit Financial District The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the ...

. The building is located across the streets from

Cadillac Tower The Cadillac Tower is a 40-story, Neo-Gothic skyscraper designed by the architectural firm of Bonnah & Chaffee at 65 Cadillac Square in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, not far from the Renaissance Center. The building's materials include terra ...

and

One Detroit Center Ally Detroit Center, formerly One Detroit Center, is a skyscraper and class-A office building located in Downtown Detroit, overlooking the Detroit Financial District. Rising , the 43-story tower is the tallest office building in Michigan and ...

, and stands next to the Vinton Building.

Description

Built between 1921 and 1930,First National Building
''SkyscraperPage.com''. Retrieved on April 12, 2014. the building rises 26 stories and includes two basement levels, occupying an entire block along

Cadillac Square Campus Martius Park ( ') is a re-established park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius (from the Latin for ''Field of Mars'', where Roman heroes walked) was the focal point of Judge Augustus Woodward's plans to ...

(adjacent to

Campus Martius Park Campus Martius Park ( ') is a re-established park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius (from the Latin for ''Field of Mars'', where Roman heroes walked) was the focal point of Judge Augustus Woodward's plans t ...

). It is 341 feet (104 m) tall. The structure has an unusual "Z" shape, designed so that most offices would have natural light and ventilation. The building, designed by Albert Kahn in the Neoclassical architectural style, was constructed primarily with

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. Three-story

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order w ...

surround the building at the second floor. The space behind the columns originally housed the main banking hall; however, this space was divided for offices during a renovation. The building also houses a parking garage in the South East tower, which is accessible from Bates Street. The original cornice was removed in the late 1970s, and the parapet of the building covered with corrugated aluminum. The first floor of the building houses retail space, while the upper floors were designed as commercial offices.

Rock Ventures Rock Ventures LLC is the holding company for businessman Dan Gilbert's portfolio of companies, investments, and real estate. It is based in Detroit, Michigan and is also engaged in community development in both Detroit and Cleveland, Ohio. Its ov ...

is a major tenant in the building's commercial offices, with

Amrock Amrock, LLC (formerly known as Title Source, Inc.), a part of Rocket Companies, Inc., is a leading national provider of title insurance, property valuations and settlement services in the U.S. History The company was founded in 1997 through t ...

being a primary tenant on most floors.

Gallery

File:FirstNationalDetroit.jpg, View looking east across Woodward Avenue; the Mabley and Company Buildings and Vinton Building are at the right File:1stnationalbldgDetroit.jpg, View from Campus Martius File:1stnationalBldgDetroitnightview.jpg, View from Campus Martius at night

References

External links

First National Building official siteFirst National Building at Emporis.com
{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan Bank buildings in Michigan Skyscraper office buildings in Detroit Downtown Detroit Woodward Avenue Office buildings completed in 1930 Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Rock Ventures 1930 establishments in Michigan Albert Kahn (architect) buildings

Description

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links