One Griswold Street
The building in 2022
Former namesStandard Savings Building
Raymond James Building
Alternative namesChurch of Scientology Detroit
General information
TypeHigh-rise
Architectural styleNeoclassical
Address1 Griswold Street
Town or cityDetroit, Michigan
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42°19′42.5″N 83°02′45.5″W / 42.328472°N 83.045972°W / 42.328472; -83.045972 (One Griswold Street)
Completed1927
Renovated2017 – October 15, 2018
OwnerChurch of Scientology
Height
Architectural122 feet (37 m)
Roof110 feet (34 m)
Technical details
MaterialConcrete
Limestone
Floor count9
Floor area50,000 square feet (4,600 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)George D. Mason
Renovating team
Main contractorRoncelli, Inc.
One Griswold Street
Part ofDetroit Financial District (ID09001067)
Added to NRHPDecember 14, 2009
References
[1]

One Griswold Street (formerly also known as the Standard Savings Building and the Raymond James Building) is a high-rise building in the Financial District of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The building sits at the intersection of Griswold Street and West Jefferson Avenue, on the same city block occupied by 150 West Jefferson. Since 2007, the building has been owned by the Church of Scientology, which operates the building as the Church of Scientology Detroit. Between 2017 and 2018, the building underwent an extensive renovation that restored much of its interior appearance, including a grand staircase and mezzanine for the first and second floors.

Site

A partial skyline view of Detroit in 2014, with One Griswold Street in the center

One Griswold Street is located at the intersection of Griswold Street and West Jefferson Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Detroit.[2][3] Nearby buildings include 150 West Jefferson, located adjacent to One Griswold Street on the same city block,[4] and One Woodward Avenue, across Griswold Street.[5] Philip A. Hart Plaza is located across Jefferson Avenue from the building.[5] The site is historically notable as the location of the first church founded in the city of Detroit, Ste. Anne de Detroit, established by French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701.[2][6] A historical marker for the church is present at the site,[2] while the church moved to its current location in southwest Detroit in 1886.[5]

Architecture

One Griswold Street is a nine-story-tall[note 1] high-rise with a limestone facade that was built in the neoclassical style.[9] The interior features a grand staircase on the first floor that leads up to a mezzanine second floor,[9] in addition to stained glass windows and a tiled roof.[10] The exterior corner facing the intersection has a large street clock attached to the building.[10] Some of the design elements for the building were designed by Detroit-based sculptor Corrado Parducci,[5][9] while according to Emporis, the architect responsible for the building was George D. Mason.[1] The building has a total floor area of roughly 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2).[4][11][12][13] A large sign bearing the name of the building's tenant is displayed on top of the building.[4]

History

The building was constructed in either 1927[1] or 1930 to serve as the headquarters for the Standard Savings bank.[4] As such, it was also known as the Standard Savings Building.[4][9][14] The building later served as offices for Raymond James Financial,[4] leading to it also being known as the Raymond James Building.[15] However, by 2007, the building was vacant.[15]

Ownership by the Church of Scientology

In October 2007,[4][16] the building was purchased by the Church of Scientology for $3.5 million.[14][15][7] The organization had had a presence in the Detroit area since 1963 and originally operated a facility along James Couzens Highway, though at the time of the purchase, the organization's main site in the area was in nearby Farmington Hills, Michigan.[17][18] The organization announced that One Griswold would serve as their new regional headquarters,[15] with the staff of the Farmington Hills location to make up the core staff of the new downtown location.[4] Following the purchase, the organization listed their Farmington Hills property for sale for $1.5 million.[4]

By 2015, the building was still vacant and unused.[14] However, on May 13 of that year, the Historic District Commission (HDC) held a hearing which included a proposal by the Church of Scientology to renovate the building.[14] At the meeting, Gensler, a global architecture firm that works with the Church of Scientology in the United States, made several proposals, including replacing a large sign on the top of the building that read "Raymond James" with one reading "Scientology", installing another "Scientology" sign above the building's street clock, adding a large ornamental cross over the front door, and adding both HVAC equipment and a deck to the building's rooftop.[9][12] Additionally, Gensler stated that interior renovations would include returning the first and second floors to their original appearance by restoring a grand staircase and a mezzanine that had been removed at some point in the building's history.[9] However, the HDC tabled the proposals for a meeting later that year, with Curbed Detroit reporting that the commission was unhappy with the proposed changes to the rooftop and how they would affect the appearance of the historic building.[9]

On July 17, 2017, the Detroit City Council approved a permit for the Church of Scientology to begin a planned renovation of the building.[4] The project, which cost the organization roughly $8 million,[7][19] came during a time when the Church of Scientology was experiencing growth and opening several new churches both in the United States and worldwide.[4] The general contractor for the renovation was Roncelli, Inc., a firm based in Sterling Heights, Michigan.[4][8] By September 2018, renovations were well underway, with the "Scientology" sign erected on top of the building.[6] While it is uncommon for buildings in the Detroit Financial District to have rooftop signs as the Scientology building does, the organization was successful in getting permission for the sign based in part due to the precedent set by the former tenants Raymond James Financial.[17]

On October 7, 2018, the building was dedicated in a private ceremony led by the Church of Scientology's leader David Miscavige and attended by about 2,000 spectators.[13][7] As part of the ceremony, a portion of Griswold Street near the building was closed to traffic.[20] The building opened to the public the following day,[10] with the organization hosting guided tours.[5] According to Church of Scientology representative Karin Pouw, the organization would be the sole tenant of the building, but would host activities from nonprofit and community organizations free of charge.[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sources differ between 9 stories[7] and 8.5 stories.[2][8] This discrepancy may be due to whether or not the mezzanine above the first floor is counted as its own floor or not.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Church of Scientology Detroit". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Guillen, Joe; Helms, Matt (May 14, 2015). "Scientology sign proposed atop downtown building". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  3. ↑ Burns, Gus (July 22, 2017). "Church of Scientology to open location in Downtown Detroit". MLive.com. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pinho, Kirk (July 19, 2017). "Church of Scientology to spend $8 million to renovate its vacant downtown Detroit building". Crain's Detroit Business. Crain Communications. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Runyan, Robin (October 15, 2018). "The Church of Scientology is here". Curbed Detroit. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Runyan, Robin (September 28, 2018). "Detroit development news: DDP offers updates on downtown construction". Curbed Detroit. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Frank, Annalise (October 12, 2018). "Church of Scientology opens doors in downtown Detroit". Crain's Detroit Business. Crain Communications. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Gross, Allie (July 19, 2017). "Church of Scientology moving into downtown Detroit". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Beshouri, Paul (May 14, 2015). "Confirmed: Flashy Scientology Center Planned Downtown". Curbed Detroit. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "Photos: Church of Scientology opens Detroit facility". Crain's Detroit Business. Crain Communications. October 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  11. ↑ DeVito, Lee (October 12, 2018). "Detroit's Church of Scientology is getting ready to do... something". Metro Times. Euclid Media Group. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Thibodeau, Ian (April 3, 2019) [May 15, 2015]. "Church of Scientology making moves in Detroit". MLive.com. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Ramirez, Charles E. (October 15, 2018). "Church of Scientology opens doors of downtown Detroit center". The Detroit News. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Beshouri, Paul (May 13, 2015). "Is the Church of Scientology Moving to Downtown Detroit?". Curbed Detroit. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Sarah (September 26, 2014). "The Church of Scientology Owns Building Near Hart Plaza". Curbed Detroit. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  16. ↑ Williams, Candice (July 19, 2017). "$8M renovation planned for local Church of Scientology". The Detroit News. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  17. 1 2 Kelliher, Fiona (October 14, 2018) [October 12, 2018]. "Church of Scientology to open in downtown Detroit". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  18. ↑ Gebel, Meira; Kelliher, Fiona (October 14, 2018). "Scientology headquarters in Detroit opens in secretive ceremony". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  19. ↑ Roskopp, Jack (July 19, 2017). "The Church of Scientology is coming to downtown Detroit". Metro Times. Euclid Media Group. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  20. ↑ Hicks, Mark; Ferretti, Christine (October 12, 2018). "Downtown Detroit Church of Scientology set to open". The Detroit News. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.

Further reading

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