Penobscot Building

Detroit, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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The Greater Penobscot Building is a 45-story Art Deco office skyscraper completed in 1928 in downtown Detroit's Financial District. Designed by Wirt C. Rowland of SmithGroup in collaboration with Donaldson and Meier, the building stands 566 feet tall. Upon its completion, it ranked as the eighth-tallest building in the world and the fourth-tallest in the United States, holding the distinction of being the tallest structure in the country outside New York and Chicago. The Penobscot remained Detroit's and Michigan's tallest building until 1977, when the Renaissance Center surpassed it. The structure is part of the Penobscot Block, which includes the original Penobscot Building and its Annex.