Grand Army of the Republic ( G.A.R. ) Building – abandoned – Downtown Detroit, originally uploaded by DetroitDerek Photography.
Contrary to information on wikipedia, construction started in 1897 on this Juliet Hess designed building and was completed in 1900 ( Wikipedia says in opened in 1890 which is incorrect – the outdoor Cass Market occupied the site until 1896 when it was demolished ). This example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture was originally designed for the Grand Army of the Republic ( ex-veterans and their spouses and immediate family only ) to conduct it’s meetings and for a general central location to have parties and other functions. A stipulation in the donation of the land from the Cass Farm to the city was that there was to be a market on the first floor. The last G.A.R. meeting was held here in 1973, the building was boarded up in 1980. It is currently abandoned but there are plans to renovate it for office use. The address for this building is 1942 Grand River Avenue, it is located a few miles down the street from another Detroit icon that is currently unused, The Grande Ballroom.
Uploaded by DetroitDerek Photography on 2 Feb 08, 10.34PM EDT.
