S. S. Kresge World Headquarters
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Center for High Technology, formerly S. S. Kresge World Headquarters, is an office building located at 2727 2nd Avenue in Detroit, Michigan
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979. The office building is now part of Wayne State University
.
Kresge incorporated his business, and set about constructing an impressive office building as its headquarters
. He commissioned Albert Kahn to design an 18-story building, now known as the Kales Building
, at Adams and Park. Kresge's prospered during World War I
, and after the war it had begun to outgrow its home.
Kresge again hired Kahn to design a larger headquarters, this time located on Second at Cass Park
, spacious enough to provide office facilities for 1,200 Kresge employees. The resulting building, unique for its horizontal massing as opposed to the vertical lines of the more common skyscraper, won awards for its outstanding architecture.
in origin.
The ordered rows of windows emphasize the horizontal, while the classical Doric pilasters at the entrance emphasize the vertical. A bandcourse separates the fourth floor from the lower levels, and the floors above have smaller windows that nevertheless resemble the lower-tier windows.
The interior uses polished granite for the entrance with inlaid walnut paneling.
Kresge used these offices until the firm moved to suburban Troy
in 1972. For some years after that, the building was used by the Detroit Institute of Technology. The building is part of Wayne State University
, and has been used in part as an incubator for tech start-up firms known as the Metropolitan Center for High Technology. Offices for some Wayne State departments are located in this building.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979. The office building is now part of Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
.
History
Sebastian S. Kresge was a prosperous traveling salesman when, in 1884, he purchased part interest in two retail stores. One of those two stores was located in Detroit; Kresge moved to the city and soon gained control of a five and dime retail store on Woodward. Kresge applied his own name to the store, and by 1899 was beginning to build a chain of five-and-dimes. By 1912, the chain had expanded to 85 Kresge stores.Kresge incorporated his business, and set about constructing an impressive office building as its headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
. He commissioned Albert Kahn to design an 18-story building, now known as the Kales Building
Kales Building
The Kales Building is a high-rise apartment building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located 76 West Adams at the northeast corner of Adams Avenue West and Park Avenue, across from Grand Circus Park, in the Foxtown neighborhood, just north of Downtown...
, at Adams and Park. Kresge's prospered during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and after the war it had begun to outgrow its home.
Kresge again hired Kahn to design a larger headquarters, this time located on Second at Cass Park
Cass Park Historic District
Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan, comprising the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005....
, spacious enough to provide office facilities for 1,200 Kresge employees. The resulting building, unique for its horizontal massing as opposed to the vertical lines of the more common skyscraper, won awards for its outstanding architecture.
Description
The Kresge World Headquarters is a limestone-faced building, constructed in the shape of a large E with the wings pointing away from the park. It covers a city block, and has 250000 square feet (23,225.8 m²) of office space. The central pavilion facing Cass Park is five-and-a-half stories; the wings are only four stories. The building is a mix of styles, with the standing-seam copper Mansard roof decorated with terra cotta cresting reminiscent of Second Empire style, and the clean lines of the facade clearly Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
in origin.
The ordered rows of windows emphasize the horizontal, while the classical Doric pilasters at the entrance emphasize the vertical. A bandcourse separates the fourth floor from the lower levels, and the floors above have smaller windows that nevertheless resemble the lower-tier windows.
The interior uses polished granite for the entrance with inlaid walnut paneling.
Kresge used these offices until the firm moved to suburban Troy
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
in 1972. For some years after that, the building was used by the Detroit Institute of Technology. The building is part of Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, and has been used in part as an incubator for tech start-up firms known as the Metropolitan Center for High Technology. Offices for some Wayne State departments are located in this building.