Hands down The Wurlitzer is one of my favorite buildings in Detroit. See here for a map.
The Wurlitzer sits beside the Metropolitan and just around the corner from the David Broderick Tower (see the last image…building on the right).
The Wurlitzer was built in 1926 and has 14 floors. I should also note that the top story looks right into Comerica Park. What a great place for an apartment!
The facade of the building is just gorgeous.
The design looks to be almost Greek influenced and I want to say that it is done in a Terra Cotta but I’m not sure. The picture above shows some of the detailing that went into the building.
Looking closely at the building it is apparent that it is slowly falling down. Bits of the lattice around the windows are gone and at the top it appears that the stonework is loose.
What makes the story even more disappointing is that the area around the building includes the Detroit Opera House, The YMCA (beautiful building), The Detroit Beer Company and several funky little businesses.
I’ve heard several stories about this building and all of them are reflect the past 30 years of Detroit history.
Sad. In the end it will probably get knocked down and the ornamentation added to a architectural scrap yard to be picked over.
Correction: The building is done in the Renaissance Revival style according to Wikipedia. See here.
