“Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” – Daniel H. Burnham, architect
Pretty cool quote, huh? Obviously, when Burham set out to design the original Dime Savings Bank Building in downtown Detroit, he wasn’t thinking small. What he came up with was an awesome structure that remains – despite a $40 million renovation in 2002 – one of the most under-rated buildings in Detroit.
Home to a number of businesses such as Plante & Moran, H&R Block (Detroit headquarters) and Barton Malow, as well as the recently visited Pizzapapalis in the street level, the Dime Building (across the street from the Penobscot on Griswold) is another of Detroit’s buildings that’s worth a quick peek if you’re ever touring downtown. The multi-floor, skylight-topped lobby is spectacular, but our favorite view is delivered from the sidewalk looking up at the matching 23-story towers.
Burnham, by the way, is a famous Chicago-born architect whose other works are known worldwide, led by his famous Flatiron Building in New York City. (You’ve seen it on TV. It’s the triangular-shaped tower that appears during the lead-in to David Letterman.) Burnham’s other Detroit creations include the Ford Building and the David Whitney Building.
