Lost building, Detroit, 1925 to 1995
Wayne County Morgue
Demolished in 1995
- Opened
- 1925
- Style
- Egyptian Revival
- Torn down
- 1995
Designed by Aaron H. Gould & Son
Wayne County Morgue stood in Detroit from 1925 until 1995. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
A surface parking lot
Detroit's Wayne County Morgue, designed by Aaron H. Gould & Son, stood on this spot for 70 years. It came down 31 years ago. Today the spot is a surface parking lot.
- 1925 Opens Wayne County Morgue
- 1995 Comes down Wayne County Morgue
- 2026 Today Surface parking lot
How we know what stands there
- OpenStreetMap surface parking lot at the map point
- 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 surface parking lot
- Today Source: OpenStreetMap and County parcel records
- Wayne County Morgue 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, during the boom years when the auto industry turned Detroit into one of the fastest growing cities in America, Wayne County Morgue went up.
The design came from Aaron H. Gould & Son, working in Egyptian Revival.
It is gone now, demolished in 1995, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1925 Built Designed by Aaron H. Gould & Son
- 1995 Closed
- 1995 Demolished
- 2026 Today 31 years since it came down
Where it is
400 E. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit, Mich. 48226
On this map
- 1 Wayne County Morgue This place
- 2 Globe Tobacco Building 110 ft
- 3 Water Board Building 410 ft
- 4 Detroit Police Headquarters (old) 470 ft
- 5 Christopher Columbus Monument 500 ft
- 6 Old Wayne County Building 500 ft
- 7 Pochelon Building 0.1 mi
- 8 Second Baptist Church 0.1 mi
- 9 Hilsendegen Block 0.1 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
Aaron H. Gould & SonArchitecture firm. Designed the Alexander Sydney Ramage House (1921) and Wayne County Morgue
Also by Aaron H. Gould & Son
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
-
Globe Tobacco Building
Building, built 1889, Richardsonian Romanesque, by William Scott & Co.
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
110 ft
-
Water Board Building
Building, built 1928, Art Moderne, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
410 ft
- Detroit Police Headquarters (old) Building, built 1884, by Gordon W. Lloyd, demolished 1928 470 ft
- Christopher Columbus Monument Monument, built 1910 500 ft
- Old Wayne County Building Building, built 1902, Beaux Arts, by John Scott 500 ft
- Pochelon Building Building, built 1923, Neoclassical, by Mildner & Eisen, demolished 0.1 mi
-
Second Baptist Church
House of worship, built 1852, Tudor Revival, by William E.N. Hunter
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.1 mi
- Hilsendegen Block Building, built 1867, Italianate, by Peter Dederichs, demolished 1953 0.1 mi
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.