Professional Plaza Tower, International Style office building in Midtown Detroit, United States
Professional Plaza Tower is an office building in Midtown Detroit with a sleek exterior of glass and aluminum panels. Three prominent concrete columns run vertically on each side, from ground to roof, creating a distinctive structural frame.
The tower was built in 1966 as part of an urban renewal initiative designed to bring medical professionals back to downtown Detroit. It represented a key effort to revitalize the city's core during that era.
The tower's nickname comes from two neon signs of three hammers and a nail, installed in the 1980s when the Carpenters Union occupied the top two floors. They were removed in 2016; one went back to the Union, the other was restored and now hangs in the lobby.
The building sits on Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, making it easy to locate and visit. A major renovation in 2017 converted the interior into residential apartments and ground-floor shops, so visitors may encounter residents and activity throughout the day.
The two neon signs each showed three hammers and a nail, mounted on the penthouse walls of the north and south façades. The Carpenters Union installed them in the 1980s while occupying the top two floors. When they came down in 2016, one went back to the Union and the other was restored for the lobby.
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