Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place was General Motors’ world headquarters from 1923 until the company moved downtown to the Renaissance Center in 1996, and it’s arguably Albert Kahn’s most personally significant Detroit commission — his largest project to date when GM founder William Durant hired him in 1919. The neoclassical limestone building was originally meant to be called the Durant Building; look above the entrances and you’ll still spot decorative “D” shields left over from that plan, which most visitors today assume stands for Detroit rather than the ousted founder.

Now owned by the State of Michigan and home to state offices and the Michigan Court of Appeals, the building sits directly across West Grand Boulevard from the Fisher Building, making the pair an easy side-by-side comparison of two different Kahn commissions from the same era — one flamboyant and Art Deco, one restrained and classical. It’s a National Historic Landmark, and the lobby remains accessible during business hours for anyone conducting state business or simply stepping in to look.

On our radar for architecture fans who want to see Kahn’s range in one short walk, or for the trivia of a “D” that isn’t for Detroit.