162 Comments for Metropolitan Building

Awesome warm glow from the sunrise and painted over windows make this a terrific photo.

Yup, there's a slot where it retracts into the wall... nice catch, I hadn't noticed that!

Thank you Mr. Motts. This is awesome! Brings back a memory of going here as a child with my Mom. I remember thinking it was a castle! Downtown Detroit was spectacular back in the day. Especially around the Christmas Holidays. It was a big deal to go to Hudson's Downtown to see Santa and all of the decorations. Hopefully some of these old buildings can be restored to their original glory!

Was that a sliding gate recessed into the wall? Looks like they could secure the stairs which would explain the robust and decorative metalwork on the side.

A little tree growing up on the roof of Wurlitzer Building....
ohhh dear..these pictures.......

It's been closed a long time, and 30-odd years of Michigan weather can do some damage. Still, the floors were pretty solid and it's got plenty of potential for re-use.



There are many, many, many abandoned buildings like this in Detroit, lots of houses. About 3,300 homes were demolished in the past two years (in fact I can hear them tearing one down as I type this), made possible by government funding, and there's plenty more.

Yeah they're really heavy, and scrap cast iron goes for about five cents a pound. Moving a four-hundred pound radiator down 15 flights (or even chucking it out the window) for $20 just isn't worth it.

That would be the Detroit Athletic Club, built in 1915, and still contains the area's oldest indoor swimming pool.

Intricate, lovely artwork. So glad some of the original beauty remains. Thanks for this gallery. It was very enjoyable.

All the lamps torn out of the ceiling and holes in the glass window. I'd sa there ain't even slim pickins for scavengers at this point.

Well, I'm sure all the scavengers got any jewelry that might have been hiding in crevices.

This is just a sorry looking site. Those cubicle walls are just about to come tumbling down!

Who would want to work in crammed little cubicles. I guess that's why sentiments peppered the walls...a way to get through a long day. Hey, and the blinds are still up. How about that?

Just think of all the people who used these stairs throughout the years.

Nature takes over in the oddest ways.