National Register of Historic Places

Cass Motor Sales

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Listed
April 28, 1986
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86001039

About this property

The Cass Motor Sales is a commercial building located at 5800 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Cass Motor Sales Company was established in 1925 as a Chrysler car dealership by Richard A. Cott, an immigrant from England. In 1928, Cott paid approximately $146,000 to have this building constructed. Architect Charles N. Agree designed the building. From 1928 - 1933, Cass Motor Sales sold Marmon Motor Car Company vehicles. After 1933, when Marmon went out of business, Cass again sold Chryslers. Richard A. Cott died in 1965, and in 1969 Cass Motor Sales ceased operations. The building was sold to Dalgleish Cadillac, who operated it until the dealership closed in 2010. In 2015 the building was renovated into first floor retail space now occupied by Carhartt's flagship store and office space above. The Cass Motor Sales is a three-story rectangular structure, typifying Art Deco architecture as applied to commercial buildings. The building was designed as an integrated showroom, sales office, and service center. The building contains 51.000 square feet over 3 floors. The building is four bays wide, with each bay separated by engaged columns. Three bays are of equal size; the fourth, smaller bay contains a vehicle entrance. The pedestrian entrance is in the center of the third bay. The building once had an attractive facade of black marble and colored plates, with the marble running across the base of the bay sections, and black colored metal panels providing a decorative separation between the first and second stories. Noticeable Art Deco features include the stepped arch above the entrance and second story windows and the geometric pattern in the string course between the second and third floors and over the front entrance.

Location

5800 Cass Ave.
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
42.35455, -83.06985

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCETRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Wayne State University Buildings
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0.1 mi
Warren-Prentis Historic District
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0.1 mi
Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church
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0.2 mi
Sante Fe Apartments
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0.2 mi
Thompson Home
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Pontiac's War – Battle of Bloody Run July 31 1763
1763Colonial
1.4 mi
Battle of Bloody Run (Pontiac's War, 1763)
1763Colonial
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Cass Motor Sales listed on the National Register?

Cass Motor Sales was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Cass Motor Sales?

Cass Motor Sales is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Cass Motor Sales?

The period of significance for Cass Motor Sales is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Cass Motor Sales?

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