National Register of Historic Places

Lawyers Building

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Listed
April 21, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82002903

About this property

The Lawyers Building is an office building located at 137 Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was also known as the American Title Building. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Lawyers Building was built in 1922, the first building erected by John J. Barlum and his family in their rebuilding of the Cadillac Square area. The building originally catered to middle class level tenants, including many unions and benevolent organizations. It later was renamed the American Title Building, and the upper floors were closed in the 1980s. Renovation of the building began in 2017, and a new hotel opened in the building in 2019. The Lawyers Building was designed in the Chicago School architectural style, and is constructed of reinforced concrete and steel faced with terra cotta. It stands at 10 floors in height, featuring regular bays with grouped wood casement windows with metal spandrel panels. It was one of the few office buildings of the time that strove for modernism over ornamentation. It is currently the finest nearly unaltered Chicago-style highrise in Detroit; the only change made to the building is the modern marble ground-level storefront. The building is located east of the larger New Cadillac Square Apartments and Cadillac Tower (both also built by Barlum), and west of Wayne County Building, at the corner of Cadillac Square, and Randolph Avenue. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. "Lawyers Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021.

Location

137 Cadillac Sq.
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
42.33197, -83.04386

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
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

Barlum Tower
Industrial
0.1 mi
Wayne County Courthouse
Industrial
0.1 mi
Globe Tobacco Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings
Listed
0.1 mi
Vinton Building
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Surrender of Fort Detroit
1812Early Republic
0.1 mi
Siege of Fort Detroit — American Recovery 1813
1813Early Republic
0.1 mi
Battle of Bloody Run 1763 (Detroit)
1763Colonial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lawyers Building listed on the National Register?

Lawyers Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Lawyers Building?

Lawyers Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lawyers Building?

The period of significance for Lawyers Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lawyers Building?

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