Belavek 1

Kayla Belavek
Dean Herron
Honors 1000
24 November 2015
The Fisher Building: Social

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On September 1st, 1928, the Fisher Building formally opened (Austin, Fisher Building).
It was built by the seven Fisher brothers, who made up Fisher Body Co. (Austin, Fisher
Building). The Fisher brothers had a sense of pride that made them believe they could move the
placement of downtown Detroit, so they decided to make the extravagant Fisher Building in
order to create The New Center of Detroit (Wolner). To
do so, they hired Albert Kahn, a man whom some call the
Builder of Detroit, to design the building (Roger).
Originally, the building was supposed to have three towers:
a center tower and two others flanking the left and right of
the center (Austin, Fisher Building). However, because
of the Great Depression, which, according to the Honors
College Timeline, began about a year after the building
opened, only the right tower was built (Matuz 78). This can
be seen by the picture on the right, which illustrates the
441 foot tower (Austin, Fisher Building). The building is
also made up of 350,000 square feet of marble on the exterior (Austin, Fisher Building). For
this reason, the Fisher Building is known as the largest marble-clad commercial building in the
world (Austin, Fisher Building). The building contains businesses, such as shops and
restaurants, as well as the Fisher Theatre. Essentially, it holds many businesses and types of
entertainment, just as the city of Detroit does. The Fisher Building does exemplify the city of
Detroit because it represents the peoples desire for efficiency and convenience, and sadly, it
demonstrates the effects of suburbanization.

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One of the key characteristics of cities, especially Detroit, is that they are efficient. For
example, in Detroit, Henry Ford used the assembly line to make mass production possible
(Martelle). This benefited society in that more people were able to afford cars, since more cars
were being made and the price of cars decreased. Another model of efficiency is when the city
started to grow upward, meaning the emergence of skyscrapers (Martelle). This occurred in the
1920s, and as Scott Martelle, author of Detroit: A Biography, states, it would define the face of
the modern city (Martelle). This is entirely true, as skyscrapers are built in most modern cities,
such as Chicago and New York City. Martelle proves the efficiency of skyscrapers by explaining
that they were built in place of old buildings. This created more space to be available for people
in the city, including housing space and business
space. The Fisher Building represents efficiency
crafted for the people as well. The picture to the
left, which is displayed in the Fisher Building,
shows the old site that was converted into the more
efficient skyscraper. Because of this, the public is
able to enjoy the increased number of businesses
that are in the building. The Fisher Building also has an efficient attached garage. Standing
eleven stories high and able to contain 1,100 automobiles, the garage was crafted to assist many
in their parking troubles. According to a Wall Street Journal excerpt from 1927, the garage was
expected to handle 600 to 700 cars an hour (The Wall Street Journal Detroit Bureau). This was
provided to ensure that the increased number of people, visitors and business tenants, with cars
were able to have a surplus of parking spaces. Therefore, the Fisher Building does exemplify the
efficiency of Detroit that benefits society.

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Not only is the Fisher Building efficient, but it is also convenient for the public, just like
Detroit. The city provides a cornucopia of businesses for jobs and entertainment. Similarly, the
Fisher Building is comprised of companies able to give jobs to people living in or near Detroit
and areas that provide entertainment, such as the Fisher Theatre and the display of outstanding
architecture. Having all of these in one area makes the Fisher Building convenient; people are
able to experience work and play all under one roof. In this way, the site can be used to bring
people together. Friends and families can visit this building to view a live show at the theater, or
they may choose to spend some time shopping or looking at the architecture by Albert Kahn.
People may also go to the Fisher Building to work or visit one of the other businesses, such as
Total Health Care or the WJR radio station. Middle-class citizens are those who benefit most
from the Fisher Building; they are more likely to have enough money to afford the items sold at
the stores and the tickets for the theater. However, all of the public are able to observe the beauty
of the architecture, inside the building and outside. The Fisher Building does not have an
admission fee, so the whole public may visit. This is another reason as to how the building
conveniently brings all races and classes together. It is comparable to how some individuals are
brought together in Detroit for jobs, like the Henry Ford Hospital, and entertainment, such as the
Detroit Opera House. Thus, the Fisher Building represents the convenience of Detroit to the
public.
Lastly, the Fisher Building illustrates an example of the effects of suburbanization. In
about the 1950s, racial discrimination issues caused many whites to move to newly created
suburbs, and the Big Three automakers had plans to decentralize the factories from the city,
causing some to move where the jobs were relocated (Martelle). Detroit lost ten percent of its
population by 1960, and the metro areas population increased by twenty-five percent (Martelle).

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According to Igot Vojnovic and Joe T. Darden, With suburbanization, commercial activity and
jobs also decentralize. This proves true when we look at the Fisher Building. It had to go up for
auction in June 2015 after suffering with vacancies and falling into foreclosure (Austin,
Auction). Because of suburbanization and people leaving the city, the building suffers great
economic losses. Not as many business tenants are funding the building, so it is falling into
disrepair. This disrepair also happened to the city of Detroit; businesses moved out of the Fisher
Building like how people moved out of Detroit. Consequently, the Fisher Building is a prime
example of the effects of suburbanization.
Overall, the Fisher Building does represent the city of Detroit. It is a skyscraper and has a
large attached garage, making it efficient. It also contains work and play in one area while
bringing the public together, making it convenient. Finally, it has suffered from the results of
suburbanization, just as Detroit has. The Fisher Buildings efficiency and convenience can also
be applied to other cities, like Chicago and New York City. Most modern cities make it easy for
people to enjoy and be a part of the city, just as Detroit and the Fisher Building do. However, it is
hopeful that one day, this city and site may overcome the hardships caused by suburbanization.
The Fisher Building may soon represent the citys future rise just as it has exemplified one of its
past downfalls.

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Work Cited
Austin, Dan. "Fisher Building." Historic Detroit. HistoricDetroit.org, 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Austin, Dan. "Fisher Building Heads to Auction." Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2015. ProQuest.
Web. 23 Nov. 2015 .
Martelle, Scott. Detroit: A Biography. 1st ed. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2012. Print.
Roger, Matuz. Work and Play. Albert Kahn: Builder of Detroit. Detroit: Wayne State
University Press, 2002. 76-78. Print.
The Wall Street Journal Detroit Bureau. Building by Fisher. Wall Street Journal (1923 Current file): 14. 31 Aug. 1927. ProQuest. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Vojnovic, Igor, and Joe T. Darden. "Class/Racial Conflict, Intolerance, and Distortions in Urban
Form: Lessons for Sustainability from the Detroit Region." Ecological Economics 96
(2013): 88-98. ProQuest. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Wolner, Edward W.. The City-within-a-city and Skyscraper Patronage in the 1920's. Journal of
Architectural Education (1984-) 42.2 (1989): 1023. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.