Lost building, Detroit, 1907 to 1957
Owen Building
Demolished in 1957
- Opened
- 1907
- Torn down
- 1957
Designed by Albert Kahn and Ernest Wilby
The Owen Building stood in Detroit from 1907 until 1957. 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 Owen Building, designed by Albert Kahn and Ernest Wilby, stood on this spot for 50 years. It came down 69 years ago. Today the spot is a parking lot.
- 1907 Opens Owen Building
- 1957 Comes down Owen 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
- Owen 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
The Owen Building went up in 1907, during the boom years when the auto industry turned Detroit into one of the fastest growing cities in America.
Albert Kahn and Ernest Wilby drew the plans.
It is gone now, demolished in 1957, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1907 Built Designed by Albert Kahn and Ernest Wilby
- 1957 Closed
- 1957 Demolished
- 2026 Today 69 years since it came down
Where it is
250 W. Lafayette Blvd.
On this map
- 1 Owen Building This place
- 2 Cass Theatre Next door
- 3 Board of Commerce Building 100 ft
- 4 Lafayette Building 200 ft
- 5 Free Press Building 210 ft
- 6 Shubert-Lafayette Theatre 230 ft
- 7 U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House 260 ft
- 8 Theodore J. Levin U.S. Courthouse 260 ft
- 9 Recreation Building 260 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
Albert KahnAmerican architect, 1869 to 1942. Designed the General Motors Building (1922) and 114 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Albert Kahn
National Theatre, by Ernest Wilby. Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Architect
Ernest WilbyArchitect, 1869 to 1957. Designed the National Theatre (1911) and 3 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Ernest Wilby
- National Theatre 1911
- Detroit Trust Co. Building 1915
- Lincoln Hotel 1917
More from Detroit in the 1900s
-
Belle Isle Casino
Building, built 1908, Renaissance Revival, by Van Leyen & Schilling
Photo: Tichnor Brothers, Publisher, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Cary Building
Building, built 1906, Beaux Arts, by Richard E. Raseman
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Breitmeyer-Tobin Building
Building, built 1905, Beaux Arts, by Raseman & Fisher
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
![Charlevoix Hotel, [Hotel Fuller and Hotel Charlevoix, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4345-2224-thumb-6285d11b4c.jpg)
Charlevoix Hotel
Hotel, built 1905, Beaux Arts, by William S. Joy, demolished 2013
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
7300 Woodward
Building, built 1910, by Albert Kahn
Photo: Jet Lowe, Historic American Buildings Survey, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
Building, built 1904, Neoclassical, by Albert Kahn
Photo: PDru2014 from Detroit, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Cass Theatre Theater, built 1927, Italian Renaissance, by John Donaldson, demolished 1977 Next door
- Board of Commerce Building Building, built 1913, Italian Renaissance, by Donaldson & Meier, demolished 1977 100 ft
- Lafayette Building Building, built 1925, Italian Renaissance, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 2009 200 ft
-
Free Press Building
Building, built 1925, Art Deco, by Albert Kahn
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
210 ft
- Shubert-Lafayette Theatre Theater, built 1914, Italian Renaissance, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, demolished 1964 230 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
260 ft
- Theodore J. Levin U.S. Courthouse Building, built 1934, Art Deco, by Derrick & Gamber 260 ft
- Recreation Building Building, built 1917, Italian Renaissance, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, demolished 1964 260 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.