Lafayette Building (Detroit)

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Lafayette Building
General information
Status	Demolished
Location	144 West Lafayette Boulevard, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Coordinates	42°19′53″N 83°02′56″W / 42.33143°N 83.04879°W / 42.33143; -83.04879
Completed	1923
Demolished	October 12, 2009-February 24, 2010
Height
Roof	55.5 m (182 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	14
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Charles Howard Crane; Elmer George Kiehler; Kraemer Design Group

The Lafayette Building was a high-rise office building located at 144 West Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1923 and occupied a triangular lot, bordered by Michigan Avenue, West Lafayette Boulevard, and Shelby Street. The building was 14 floors tall, with one basement floor, and 13 above-ground floors. The office building was designed in the neo-classical architecture style by C. Howard Crane who built many of Detroit's theaters. It is built with mainly brick, limestone, and terra cotta. Its triangular form mimicked the Flatiron Building in Manhattan.^[1]

The building contained 178 feet (54 m) of frontage along Michigan Avenue, 168 feet (51 m) of frontage along Shelby Street, 135 feet (41 m) of frontage along Lafayette Boulevard, and was 85 feet (26 m) in length along its east facade which stood mid-block. After years of mismanagement, and a declining tenant base, the building was finally shuttered in 1997. Demolition of the building began in October 2009 and ended at 4:30 AM on February 24, 2010, when the last part of the 14-story tower was leveled to the ground.^[2]