Detroit Public Library Main Branch

Detroit’s Main Library is Cass Gilbert’s only building in Michigan, and it’s easy to forget you’re standing in a public library once you’re inside — Gilbert also designed the U.S. Supreme Court Building and the Woolworth Building in New York, and this 1921 Italian Renaissance building, built from Vermont marble with serpentine Italian marble trim, was called “the most beautiful building in Detroit” when it opened. It sits directly across Woodward Avenue from the Detroit Institute of Arts, anchoring the Cultural Center Historic District.

Inside, the third-floor Adam Strohm Hall holds two large murals — Gari Melchers’ 1921 depiction of early Detroit history and a companion piece added during the 1963 wing expansion — plus a genuinely deep set of special collections: the Burton Historical Collection on Detroit and the Old Northwest, the E. Azalia Hackley Collection on African Americans in the performing arts, and the Ernie Harwell Sports Collection, built around Tigers broadcasting history. The 1963 addition brought a mosaic over its Cass Avenue entrance, “The River of Knowledge” by Millard Sheets.

On our radar for a free architectural stop that also happens to be one of the best research libraries in the Midwest, or for pairing with a DIA visit right across the street.