The first time I entered the Book Tower's doors was in 2011. We were walking down Washington Blvd when we noticed there was a gentleman inside behind a desk. We knew the building was vacant, but thought at the very least we could find out more information about it. We pulled on the door, expecting it to be locked...but it was open! We stepped inside and approached the desk. We told him we were Detroit photographers and were curious about the building. He told us we could explore it, with the only rule being we could only be inside for three hours, and had to be back in the lobby by a set time. We said...of course! Here is my gallery of images from this time period - Book Tower.
That started the journey up 34 flights of stairs to get to the roof level of the tower. Of course there was no way we climbed all 34 flights at once. We stopped off at various floors to explore what was there and photographed what we found. I was envious of one of my photo friends who told me years ago that he spent a whole day (and night!) inside the building, visiting every square inch of the building. I know there are parts I never saw and that makes me sad. But, that is life.
Anyway, this story is not about the vacant building, but about its comeback (thanks to Dan Gilbert who has saved dozens of downtown buildings). Who knew more than 10 years later I would be walking back in, looking like it does? Thankfully, several buildings have been renovated and reopened to the public over the past 10 years, such as the David Whitney Building, the Metropolitan Building and the Farwell building, just to name a few.
I recently saw a fellow photographer post images of the renovated lobby, stating it was now open to the public. Well, I knew I had to get down there to see its comeback! Especially the glass ceiling.
Now, see the NEW Book Tower, showcasing apartments, long term rentals, a restaurant, and other amenities. I look forward to eating at the restaurant at some point.
Below are images I captured on my first visit. If you plan to take photos as well, I would recommend talking to the front desk first, who at the time were open to my taking photos of the lobby. I took a chance and walked up the stairs to the second floor, but realized I needed to be on the third floor to get a closeup photo of the glass domed ceiling. I started to walk down one of the hallways when I came across a gentleman who was walking towards the elevators. He came from one of the offices, so I approached him and asked if he would be so kind to allow me access to the third floor. I explained I was a Detroit photographer and told him of my mission. He took pity on me and he stepped into the elevator with me and allowed me up. Thank you kind stranger!
I highly recommend visiting, it is a beautiful sight to behold. It is definitely one more example of Detroit's comeback story.
