1001 Woodward

The 1001 Woodward is an International Style skyscraper designed by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, and built between 1963 and 1965 in Detroit, MI.

1001 Woodward is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The building has changed names several times over the years, and is also known as:

• First Federal Building between 1965 and 1998.
• Woodward Plaza between 1998 and 2013.

Its precise street address is 1001 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI. You can also find it on the map here.

The 1001 Woodward is a structure of significant importance both for the city of Detroit and the United States as a nation. The building embodies the distinctive characteristic features of the time in which it was built and the International Style style. Because of that, the 1001 Woodward was officially included in the National Register of Historic Places on November 12^th 2013.

The building is made up by two towers arranged perpendicular to one another. The two towers are connected by the core of elevators and stairs. The building's right-angle arrangement allows it to make better use of the irregularly shaped lot.

The upper floors house mechanical equipment..

The building underwent a major restoration in 2016. The architect commissioned to undertake this restoration was Smith Group JJR.

Smith, Hinchman & Grylls was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

The 1001 Woodward can be categorized as an International Style building.

The 1001 Woodward was completed in 1965. By 1965 the International Style movement had already left its early days behind and could be considered a mature movement, which does not mean it was loved and accepted by everyone, on the contrary. The International Style was accepted by the architecture community way before it was by the general public, and it is therefore likely that the 1001 Woodward was not well received by everyone at the time.

The 1001 Woodward uses a frame structure made of steel columns and concrete slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features tinted glass with dark gray granite frames projected in a grid pattern similar to the 211 West Fort Street Building.

Another material found at the 1001 Woodward is white marble, used in interior walls and floors of the two-story hall .