Hammond Building, First skyscraper in Detroit Financial District, Michigan
The Hammond Building was an early skyscraper in Detroit's Financial District with 10 stories and red brick walls. The structure used iron beams for support and stood at the corner of Griswold and Fort Streets with a total of 246 office spaces.
The building was commissioned in 1889 by Ellen Hammond following her husband George Hammond's death. She invested significantly to create one of the city's first modern office buildings, which set new standards for how structures could be designed.
The building housed law firms and financial institutions that were drawn to its modern office spaces. It became a key business hub that shaped how the Financial District developed and set new standards for what office buildings could offer.
The building sits in a central location within the Financial District and is easy to reach on foot. Its position at a major intersection makes it straightforward to navigate and explore other nearby business buildings.
The building's roof served as a weather observation station, displaying signal flags to warn ships on the Great Lakes about storms. Additionally, the Detroit Tigers baseball organization used the building to communicate game schedules through flags visible across downtown.
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