Building, Midtown
Graybar Electric Company Building
Still standing, photographed 2017
The Graybar Electric Company Building has stood on W Canfield Street in Midtown. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
More photos of Graybar Electric Company Building
What is there now
Standing
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.
The story
The Graybar Electric Company Building is one of the places that gives Midtown its character.
The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1997.
Next time you are nearby, stop at 55 W Canfield Street and look up.
The Graybar Electric Company Building is located at 55 West Canfield Street in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. This warehouse building was rented to the Graybar Electric Company from 1926 into the 1940s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Where it is
55 W Canfield Street
On this map
- 1 Graybar Electric Company Building This place
- 2 Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station 200 ft
- 3 David Whitney House 270 ft
- 4 The Whitney 280 ft
- 5 Billinghurst Apartments 420 ft
- 6 Detroit Athletic Club (first) 0.1 mi
- 7 Majestic Theater 0.1 mi
- 8 Majestic Theatre 0.1 mi
- 9 Vernors Bottling Plant 0.1 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Around the block
It is in Midtown. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
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Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station
Building, built 1916
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
200 ft
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David Whitney House
Built 1894, Romanesque Revival
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
270 ft
- The Whitney Built 1894, Romanesque Revival, in Midtown homes 280 ft
- Billinghurst Apartments Building, built 1922, Georgian, by /architects/lundblad-lundblad 420 ft
- Detroit Athletic Club (first) Building, built 1887, by Joseph V. Gearing, demolished 0.1 mi
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Majestic Theater
Theater, built 1915, Art Deco, by C. Howard Crane
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.1 mi
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![Majestic Theatre, [Majestic Theatre, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4630-2360-thumb-2538540c91.jpg)
Majestic Theatre
Theater, built 1915, Art Deco, by Bennett & Straight
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
0.1 mi
- Vernors Bottling Plant Building, built 1954, Mid-Century Modern, by Harley, Ellington & Day, demolished 1987 0.1 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- The Graybar Electric Company Building in Detroit, Michigan, United States, is listed on the US National Register of..., 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The front façade of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant at 461 Piquette Street, Detroit, Michigan, 2017 Photo: Jackdude101, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.