An Icon on the Detroit Skyline
The Book Tower is a historic skyscraper located on Washington Boulevard in Detroit and it is perhaps the most recognizable historic structure in the City. Designed by architect Louis Kamper, the building is actually the amalgamation of two structures: the 1918 Book Building and the 1926 Book Tower. Both were developed by the Book family. As one of Detroit’s most prominent families, brothers J. Burgess Jr., Herbert, and Frank Book were descended from Francis Palms on their maternal side and inherited vast wealth from their mother and father. The Book boys used this wealth to fuel the development of Washington Boulevard into a fashionable shopping district which they intended to rival New York’s Fifth Avenue.

The Book brothers spent much of the 1920s building their real estate empire and were undoubtedly inspired by the City Beautiful movement. The City Beautiful movement was a philosophy espoused by progressive social reformers who sought to counteract problems common in American cities like overcrowding. Proponents of the City Beautiful movement advocated the beautification of American cities in order to promote social order, progressive ideals, and civic pride. Washington Boulevard, with its park-like atmosphere, greenery, and fountains, is a product of that movement.

Architect Louis Kamper was born in Germany and emigrated to the U.S. in 1880. Before moving to Detroit, Kamper apprenticed with the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White in New York City. Once in Detroit, Kamper joined the firm Scott & Scott and worked on the Hecker House and, later, was hired to design the Book family’s eponymously named Book Building in 1916. With the design of the Book Building, Louis Kamper and the Book family began a long professional relationship as Kamper would go on to design the rest of the Book family’s developments on Washington Boulevard including the Book Cadillac Hotel, the Washington Boulevard Building, the Industrial Bank Building (now eponymously called the Louis Kamper Building), and the Book Tower.

At the time of its completion, the Book Tower was the tallest building in Detroit and the fifteenth tallest in the United States. It was built to house offices and retail spaces and contained retail space for some of Detroit’s most upscale shops. Early tenants included the Page and Shaw candy shop, Cunard cruise line, a furrier, an oriental rug retailer, a jeweler, a florist, a millinery, and a custom boot shop, among others.

Book Tower is known for its distinctive Italian Renaissance design and its unique ornamentation, including sculptures, carvings, and intricate details. When the Book Building was completed in 1918 twelve caryatids held up the prominent cornice. Typically associated with classical architecture, caryatids are draped female figures that serve as architectural supports. After the Book Tower was added in 1926, additional caryatids were added to the thirteenth floor and today a total of 29 decorate the façade.

The finishes on the interior include Botticino marble, hand painted bas-relief frescoes, beautifully ornate bronze elevator doors, inlaid pietra dura stone decorations, and the showstopping Keppler Glass “crystal ceiling.” The Keppler Glass Construction company was founded in 1912 by Frederick Keppler who had previously practiced architecture and worked for the Luxfer Prism glass company. Based in New York, Keppler Glass Construction built and installed their highly decorative “crystal ceilings” around the world. Beyond the Book Tower, and despite extensive research by our historians, KDG was unable to verify whether there are any other Keppler crystal ceilings on display although it seems likely some examples still exist in an unrestored condition. During restoration, historic glass specialists Femenella and Associates indicated they had never seen another ceiling like it, so it very well may be unique and a lone survivor.

After years of declining occupancy, the last tenant vacated the Book Tower in 2009. The building sat vacant as Detroit weathered the tough economic times of the late 2000s. In 2015 Bedrock acquired the building and embarked upon a restoration and rehabilitation that would span eight years, thousands of contractors, and millions of dollars. Every surface in the building was touched from the sub-basement to the furthest reaches of the upper attic and nearly everything required extensive repair and renovation. The end result is a restored Book Tower that takes its place in the pantheon of must-see architectural destinations in Detroit. From the restored historic features, the elegant hotel rooms, to the jaw dropping views from the rooftop deck, the completed project is a tour de force of rehab architecture on display.

KDG’s historic team is conducting an architectural survey of the Seabrook-Broadell neighborhood in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Development of the Black middle-class neighborhood began in the 1950s when a local developer subdivided their family estate and marketed the development to Black residents. The neighborhood’s spacious lots and modern homes, in addition to the proximity to Fayetteville State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and Fort Liberty (historically called Fort Bragg), attracted teachers, professors, members of the U.S. Army, and business professionals to the neighborhood.

KDG undertook two trips to Fayetteville and Raleigh to conduct fieldwork, research, and interviews. Our oral history sessions with residents of the neighborhood provided great information and the KDG team enjoyed talking with residents about their experiences in the area. We are especially thankful for the people who participated in the oral histories and the assistance provided by Cynthia Leeks, President of the Seabrook-Broadell Community Neighborhood Watch, and Dr. Tamara Holmes Brothers, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI) Manager at the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The KDG historic team (pictured above) toured the historic Orange Street School with the president of Greater Life of Fayetteville, Georgeanna Pinckney (pictured above), and Seabrook-Broadell Community Neighborhood Watch President Cynthia Leeks (not pictured). Georgeanna’s organization holds a summer program for community children at the school.

In June, KDG wrapped up our historic district design guidelines project in Birmingham. KDG wrote new design guidelines that will be used by the Birmingham Historic District Commission (HDC) and property owners to evaluate proposed exterior alterations to buildings within the city’s historic districts. The historic team conducted fieldwork to take photographs of the beautiful historic buildings, parks, and building materials that are located throughout Birmingham. These images, in addition to diagrams created by the historic team, are used throughout the guidelines to illustrate ‘recommended’ and ‘not recommended’ methods of historic preservation. Our in-house graphic designer incorporated the team’s images, diagrams, and text into an engaging and easy-to-understand document. Throughout the project, KDG worked with the Planning Director and HDC to ensure that the guidelines address the needs of the community.

KDG is the Architect and Historic Consultant for the Kaul Glove & Manufacturing Company building in Corktown. The building is a four-story former industrial building being converted to office use by Detroit-based Method Development. The building was initially constructed for the Robert Keller Ink Company in 1917 and later became the home of the Kaul Glove & Manufacturing Company. Kaul Glove was a manufacturer of – you guessed it – gloves, and the firm operated out of the building into the late 1900s. Kaul Glove was acquired by another company and later became the Choctaw-Kaul Distribution Company, a manufacturer of personal protective equipment (including gloves). Based in Detroit, Choctaw-Kaul is still in operation today.

The latest excitement at the Kaul Glove building has been the installation of new, historic replica windows in the building. Many of the window openings had been infilled with concrete block over the years and re-opening the windows and installing new windows in the openings has breathed fresh life into the building. The windows were provided by Sealcraft and installed by Michigan Window and Door. Project Architect Lillian Candela oversaw the installation of the windows and led a KDG site visit to check out the installation progress. The windows are industrial style, fixed windows which meet the stringent sightline requirements required by both the local historic district commission and the state and federal governments to receive historic tax credits.

KDG’s Architectural Historians attended the annual Michigan Historic Preservation Network’s annual conference on scenic Mackinac Island this May. The weather, the sights, and the networking were all exceptional. Conference sessions were diverse and covered topics ranging from federal historic tax credit tips and tricks to case studies on architectural surveys in the Upper Peninsula.

KDG’s Katie Cook participated in a joint session presentation with SHPO’s Katie Kolokithas and Project We Hope Dream & Believe’s Aaron Sims. The session revolved around KDG’s recently completed historic resource survey of African American housing in Inkster and the amazing work Project We Hope Dream & Believe are conducting to restore and bring awareness to the Malcolm X house in Inkster.

KDG’s Cassandra Talley and Lillian Candela presented jointly on the intersection of historic preservation and heritage tourism in Detroit by highlighting several of our recently completed projects including the National Register nomination of the Second Baptist Church in Detroit and the National Register nomination and Historic Structures Report for the Dr. Ossian Sweet House in Detroit, among others. The presentation also forecasted how heritage tourism might evolve to focus on culturally significant history and history associated with underrepresented communities rather than just ‘architectural gems’.

KDG Experience with Federal Grants

KDG has become one of the most experienced consultants in Michigan in completing projects funded through federal historic preservation grant programs. KDG’s Architectural Historians have completed 33% of the Underrepresented Communities Grant Program funded projects in Michigan and 27% of the African American Civil Rights Grant Program funded projects since the two program’s inceptions. Additionally, KDG is currently conducting an architectural survey of historically African American housing in Fayetteville, North Carolina using Underrepresented Communities Grant Program funding. Check out the charts below for more information on our experience with these specific grant types!