The Guardian Building, Michigan, United States
4.5 (744 reviews) Spent Ranking #3 in Detroit Architectural Buildings
Beautiful Art Deco lobby
Just across the Riverwalk and the Hart Plaza is this beautiful old fashioned skyscraper. The entrance is around the corner, from a side street. It's a working office edifice and basically you can see only the lobby which is really an amazing work of art with its colorful tiles. The only thing that annoyed me was the security officer was following me all the time (of my 5 min I was there) asking me if I need something.
Address
500 Griswold St, Detroit, MI 48226-3480
Mobile
Website
http://guardianbuilding.com/
Current local date and time now
Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 19:54
User Ratings
4.5 based on (744 reviews)
Excellent
76%
Good
20%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Reviews
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5MidwestKathM 5:00 PM Jul 22, 2022
Art Deco skyscraper masterpiece not to be missed!
Through the years I have shared this Art Deco skyscraper masterpiece with local family and friends as well as out-of-town visitors, mostly recently a Detroit native back for a visit. Designed by architect Wirt Roland, it was built in the late 1920s for the Union Trust bank. Start by checking out the building's main entrance from across the street. It's Guardian Red bricks make the building stand out in the city's skyline. The dome above the entrance is made of custom Pewabic tile, and on either side are sculptures by Corrado Parducci. Walk inside the lobby...it's free! Enjoy marble floors, walls, and stairs. Look up and all around at the Rookwood tile ceiling...and at the mosaic tile mural by Ezra Winter behind the guard desk. At the top of the stairs, note the Tiffany clock set in a beautiful Monel steel screen. Walk up the stairs into what originally was the bank lobby and look up at the indigenous-inspired ceiling done on horsehair. Another Ezra Winter mural depicts the industries and natural resources around the State of Michigan. Before you leave, check out the elevator lobbies with beautiful stained glass, ornate elevator doors, and reproduction light fixtures. Definitely worth a visit to appreciate this Art Deco treasure...a sign of the 1920s boom in Detroit.
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4Irene L 5:00 PM Jul 6, 2022
Well preserved Art Deco
Definitely worth a few minutes of your day exploring downtown Detroit. Essentially, you are visiting the lobby of the Guardian building with its elevators and stained glass windows and an operating bank branch. We wandered in after business hours, so it was relatively quiet, just a few tourists gawking at the spectacular ceilings covered in intricate mosaics. At the rear of the bank is a fresco reminiscent of Soviet Art: a celebration of the worker and farmer. I didn't realize that this was a thing in the US in the 1920's as well.
