The ornate Book Tower, designed by renowned architect Louis Kamper, is an impressive work of Italian Renaissance architecture. The ornamentation—in particular the columns, florets, and figures—on the exterior of the 38-floor building have been admired since it opened in 1926.
Anyone can see these details (though you might need binoculars to truly appreciate them). But few have seen the interior of the building since the last commercial tenant left in 2009.
As part of the Detroit Month of Design, Bedrock Detroit offered a rare glimpse inside the Book Tower and Building, leading a tour of more than 100 guests on Saturday, September 7.
Bedrock bought the building in 2015 and has been securing and cleaning it up since. Earlier this month, it announced ODA as the architecture lead for the redevelopment and released some preliminary design plans. It’s expected to cost $313 million and be finished in 2022.
Tour attendees were shown the first few floors, which will become a grand lobby with the skylight resurfaced; the 13th floor, which will be converted into residential units; and the 32nd floor, which will most likely be a hotel.
Take a look at some impressive photos from the tour.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180873/BookTowerTour_102.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180922/BookTowerTour_115.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180900/BookTowerTour_106.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180907/BookTowerTour_109.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180918/BookTowerTour_112.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180911/BookTowerTour_110.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180917/BookTowerTour_108.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180929/BookTowerTour_124.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180931/BookTowerTour_130.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180935/BookTowerTour_132.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180940/BookTowerTour_134.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180947/BookTowerTour_147.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180952/BookTowerTour_152.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180974/BookTowerTour_169.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180960/BookTowerTour_158.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180965/BookTowerTour_164.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180978/BookTowerTour_168.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19180986/BookTowerTour_176.jpg)
Loading comments...