Why Detroit calls the Fisher Building its "largest art object"

“Detroit’s largest art object” is a nickname, not the result of somebody measuring every artwork in town. The Detroit Historical Society says the Fisher Building is often cited that way, and the building’s operators use the phrase too. The useful question is why it stuck.

The seven Fisher brothers of Fisher Body hired Albert Kahn in 1927 to design a headquarters in New Center. National Park Service records describe their goal as a public monument and a gift to a more beautiful Detroit. The first section was completed in 1928. It was supposed to anchor a three-building office and shopping complex, but the Great Depression stopped the larger plan after one tower.

What remains is more than 440 feet tall, but the best view is at ground level. The barrel-vaulted arcade uses more than 40 kinds of marble. Painted and gold-leafed ceilings, mosaics, bronze doors, grills, and light fixtures turn the route between shops and elevators into the building’s main event.

The honors are real even if the art-object label is playful. The Architectural League of New York gave the building its 1929 silver medal as the year’s most beautiful commercial structure. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

The golden roof has a careful version of its own story. Its original gold-leaf tiles were covered with asphalt during World War II because people feared the bright roof could help enemy bombers. The damaged tiles were later replaced with green terra cotta that is lit to look gold at night.

The building still holds offices, shops, and the Fisher Theatre. Visitors may walk through the arcade on their own, and free scheduled tours are offered through the building’s tour link. Use the current listing before making a special trip; a working office building does not keep every area open to sightseers.