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Detroit circa 1915. "Woodward Avenue -- Whitney Building and Grand Circus Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The recent photo of the Whitney shows how advanced the 1915 (or earlier) design was. It does not stand out as an 'old building' at all and first impression are of a modern street-scape where it stands. Remarkable.
The Whitney Building and it's its younger, larger companion, the Broderick Building, are like sentries at the entrance to downtown Detroit. The building - designed by Daniel Burnham - originally had high end shopping, later filled with doctors and dentists, and was eventually abandoned in 2000. It sat empty until a 2014 restoration - they even replaced the cornice with a fiberglass replica. It reopened with a boutique hotel, apartments, and a little bit of high end shopping.
The downward view may have been obtained from the church spire here. Spin your view around and you can see the Whitney Building and park still remain.
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