Sarah Cox of Curbed Detroit has evidence that the owners of the 36-tower Book Tower are at least thinking about renovating the shuttered skyscraper.
"Curbed has obtained a document dated June 25, 2013 that might indicated a change is coming. The owners listed in the document, ANKO Enterprises Michigan Book Tower LLC, have filed papers with the city seeking a tax abatement for renovating a distressed property. They want to establish what is called an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District, and attached a document that outlines a renovation plan.
"The renovation plan document dates back to September 2012, with an update written in April 2013. The plans are for the Book Tower, the Book Building, and the adjoining two-story building to the south. The renovation described includes apartments for floors 4-36 and retail and commercial space for the basement floor up to the third. The document explains that declining demand for office space forced the building to close, but an adaptive reuse project to turn it into apartments will bring it back to life."
The building is owned by AKNO Enterprises of Vancouver, British Columbia, which bought it after the previous owners filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
Dan Austin of HistoricDetroit.org says the Book Tower is unique.
"No skyscraper in Detroit, let alone the Midwest, looks quite like the Book Tower on Washington Boulevard. It’s a rather awkward-looking building, whether you look at its unusual maze of an external fire escape or the intricate, over-the-top details on its crown that are tough to appreciate without a pair of binoculars. It’s an undeniably unique piece of the city’s skyline and a rare breed of classical Renaissance-style architecture and skyscraper. As an added bonus, joined at its hip is one of the city’s oldest surviving office buildings.
The building is a mish-mash of elements, as Austin notes:
"Intricately carved Corinthian columns, florets, scrolls and crests are all over the place. Horizontal bands of Italian Renaissance ornamentation break up the towering skyscraper with nude female figures gracing its midsection like a belt."
