Guardian Building
Built 1929 by Wirt C. Rowland. Added to the National Register in 1989, and a National Historic Landmark.
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The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 500 Griswold St., Detroit, MI |
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | Jun 29, 1989 |
| Listed for | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | Union Trust Building |
| Reference number | 89001165 |
| Built | 1929 · more from the 1920s |
| Architect | Wirt C. Rowland |
| Type of place | skyscraper |
| Style | Mayan Revival architecture |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places contributing property |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 500 Griswold St., Detroit, MI |
| Website | guardianbuilding.com ↗ |
| Coordinates | 42.3298° N, 83.0457° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Detroit | 302 listed places in Detroit → · walking tours → |
| Nearest national park unit | River Raisin National Battlefield Park · 33 miles · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Wayne County
Local history books for Detroit
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Michigan travel guides
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Guardian Building listed on the National Register?
Jun 29, 1989. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Guardian Building built?
1929, designed by Wirt C. Rowland, in the Mayan Revival architecture style.
Source: Wikidata
Can I visit Guardian Building?
Probably. Places of this type are usually open to the public, but the record lists no hours; the official website will have them.
Source: Official website
Where is Guardian Building?
500 Griswold St., Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. The nearest national park unit is River Raisin National Battlefield Park, 33 miles away.
Where is the nomination form for Guardian Building?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Is there cell service at Guardian Building?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 89001165. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place.