Lost building, Detroit, 1925 to 2009
Lafayette Building
Demolished in 2009
- Opened
- 1925
- Style
- Italian Renaissance
- Torn down
- 2009
Designed by C. Howard Crane
The Lafayette Building stood in Detroit from 1925 until 2009. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
A parking lot
Detroit's Lafayette Building, designed by C. Howard Crane, stood on this spot for 84 years. It came down 17 years ago. Today the spot is a parking lot.
- 1925 Opens Lafayette Building
- 1997 Closes Lafayette Building
- 2009 Comes down Lafayette Building
- 2026 Today Parking lot
How we know what stands there
- County parcel records PARKING LOT-PAVED
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
A parking lot
- Today Source: County parcel records
- Lafayette Building came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
In 1925, in the years Detroit became the Motor City and built like it meant to stay on top, the Lafayette Building went up.
C. Howard Crane drew the plans, working in Italian Renaissance.
It is gone now, demolished in 2009, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1925 Built Designed by C. Howard Crane
- 1997 Closed
- 2009 Demolished
- 2026 Today 17 years since it came down
Where it is
144 W. Lafayette Blvd.
On this map
- 1 Lafayette Building This place
- 2 Shubert-Lafayette Theatre 40 ft
- 3 Recreation Building 90 ft
- 4 U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House 180 ft
- 5 Theodore J. Levin U.S. Courthouse 180 ft
- 6 Owen Building 200 ft
- 7 Cass Theatre 200 ft
- 8 Federal Building 290 ft
- 9 Board of Commerce Building 300 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
C. Howard CraneAmerican architect, 1885 to 1952. Designed the Fox Theater Building (1928) and 30 more in Metro Detroit
Also by C. Howard Crane
- Liberty Theatre 1871
- Adams Theatre and Fine Arts Building 1905
- Comique Theatre 1905
- Ralph E. Burnham House 1908
- Columbia Theatre 1911
- H. Cleland Allison House 1912
More from Detroit in the 1920s
-
Buhl Building
Skyscraper, built 1925, Neo-Romanesque, by Wirt C. Rowland
Photo: I, Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Chateau Frontenac
Building, built 1925, Mediterranean, by J. Will Wilson, demolished 1999
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Belcrest Apartments
Building, built 1926, Neo-Romanesque, by Charles N. Agree
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
Hotel, built 1924, Neo-Renaissance, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Broderick Tower
Structure, built 1927, Beaux Arts, by Louis Kamper
Photo: St8fan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Cadillac Tower
Structure, built 1927, Late Gothic Revival, by Bonnah & Chaffee
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Shubert-Lafayette Theatre Theater, built 1914, Italian Renaissance, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, demolished 1964 40 ft
- Recreation Building Building, built 1917, Italian Renaissance, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, demolished 1964 90 ft
-
U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House
Building, built 1934, Moderne
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
180 ft
- Theodore J. Levin U.S. Courthouse Building, built 1934, Art Deco, by Derrick & Gamber 180 ft
- Owen Building Building, built 1907, by Albert Kahn, demolished 1957 200 ft
- Cass Theatre Theater, built 1927, Italian Renaissance, by John Donaldson, demolished 1977 200 ft
-
Federal Building
Building, built 1897, Romanesque Revival, by James H. Windrim, demolished 1931
Photo: Notorious4life at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
290 ft
- Board of Commerce Building Building, built 1913, Italian Renaissance, by Donaldson & Meier, demolished 1977 300 ft
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.