Detroit is home to the Art Deco skyscrapers Fisher Building and Guardian Building.
The Fisher Building stands in Detroit’s New Center area. Designed principally by Albert Kahn’s office with Joseph Nathaniel French as chief architect, it opened in 1928 and is noted for its ornate use of limestone, granite, marble, sculpture, and colorful interior decoration.
The Guardian Building, originally called the Union Trust Building, opened in downtown Detroit in 1929. Architect Wirt C. Rowland combined Art Deco geometry with Mayan Revival and Native American-inspired motifs, especially in its richly colored tile, metalwork, and lobby decoration.
Both skyscrapers reflect Detroit’s economic and industrial growth during the 1920s. They are sometimes confused with New York’s Chrysler Building or Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, but the Fisher and Guardian buildings are especially associated with Detroit’s distinctive Art Deco architectural heritage. Both were designated National Historic Landmarks in 1989.