View source for Argonaut Building

{{Short description|Historic place in Detroit, Michigan}}
{{for multi|the General Motors institution|General Motors Research Laboratories|the building in New York City called the "Argonaut Building"|224 West 57th Street}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name            = General Motors Research Laboratory
| nrhp_type       =
| image           = ArgonautBuildingDetroit.jpg
| caption         = The Argonaut Building, taken from the West
| location        = 485 West Milwaukee Avenue<br>[[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]
| coordinates     = {{coord|42|22|5|N|83|4|30|W|display=inline,title}}
| mapframe        = yes
| mapframe-marker = building
| mapframe-zoom = 13
| mapframe-caption = Interactive map
| area            =
| built           = 1928
| architect       = [[Albert Kahn (architect)|Albert Kahn]]
| architecture    = Early Commercial
| renovation_date =
| ren_firm        =
| ren_contractor  =
| ren_architect   =
| added           = July 22, 2005
| refnum          = 05000713<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
}}

The '''Argonaut Building''', renamed in 2009 the '''[[A. Alfred Taubman]] Center for Design Education''' (originally the Argonaut, or '''General Motors Research Laboratory'''), is a large office building located at 485 West Milwaukee Avenue in the [[New Center, Detroit|New Center]] area of [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], across the street from [[Cadillac Place]] GM's former corporate headquarter office. It was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2005.<ref name="nris"/>

==Description==
The building was constructed in two phases between 1928 and 1936,<ref name="nc32">Fogelman, p.32.</ref> with the finished structure forming an L shape. The [[high-rise]] is eleven floors tall, with an additional basement level. The height to the main roof is 42.7 meters (140 feet), and 56.3 metres (180 feet) to the top of the elevator tower. The 275-unit structure is an [[Art Deco]] building, and uses primarily red-brown [[brick]] and [[limestone]] in its materials.

The building is fifteen bays wide along Milwaukee, and eight bays wide along Second. Building corners have wide brick piers, with narrower windows separating the bays along the facade. The windows in each bay are slightly recessed, containing double-hung windows, with ornamental cast iron spandrel panels on the top two floors. Window on the eleventh and ninth floors have rounded tops. Two entry doors are placed along the main (Milwaukee) facade, one in each of the building phases.<ref name = "nom"/>

==History and renovations==
In 1927, [[General Motors]]' real estate division, Argonaut Realty Corporation, commissioned [[Albert Kahn (architect)|Albert Kahn]] to design a research laboratory for the company. The building was constructed across Milwaukee from the General Motors Headquarters (now [[Cadillac Place]]), and intended for use by General Motors' internal research staff.<ref>{{Cite book | author=Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher | title=AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture | year=2002 | publisher=Wayne State University Press | isbn=0-8143-3120-3 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/aiadetroitameric0000hill }} P. 176.</ref> In 1936, an addition was constructed, providing an entrance on Milwaukee. Significant developments undertaken in the building include the design of the [[Hydramatic]] transmission and [[Harley Earl]]'s vehicle designs from the Art and Color Section.<ref name = "nom">{{citation | title = NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: General Motors Research Laboratory | author = Brenda Rigdon | date = November 2004 | url = https://catalog.archives.gov/id/25341156}}</ref>

The building was used for GM's research staff until the [[General Motors Technical Center]] was constructed in 1956. At that time, Argonaut Realty moved into the building. When GM moved its headquarters to the [[Renaissance Center]] in the early 2000s, Argonaut moved out of the building, and it stood vacant for a few years.<ref name = "nom"/>

In 2007, General Motors donated it to the [[College for Creative Studies]].<ref>[http://detroit1701.org/Argonaut%20Building.html Argonaut Building / General Motors Research Laboratory] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214195435/http://detroit1701.org/Argonaut%20Building.html |date=December 14, 2010 }}. ''Detroit1701''. Retrieved on November 21, 2013.</ref> It is in use as both a charter high school for art-centric children, as well as CCS's planned graduate program. On top of these uses, CCS moved all of their Design based Undergraduate programs<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/campus-life/campus |title=Student Affairs |publisher=College for Creative Studies |accessdate=May 28, 2021}}</ref> to this location, providing the space for a larger student body, and subsequently larger program. In addition, the building houses approximately 300 in student housing. It is also a school; Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies, having the sixth through twelfth grade. The $145 million renovation was completed in fall 2009. In 2012, [[Shinola Detroit|Shinola]] renovated the fifth floor and turned it into their corporate office as well as a watch factory and bicycle workshop.<ref name="Zimberg">{{cite news |last1=Zimberg |first1=Alexis |date=August 7, 2012 |url=http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2012/08/imported-from-detroit-shinola-introduces-neomanufacturing-to-detroit.php#more |title=Imported From Detroit: Shinola Settles Into Taubman Center |newspaper=[[Curbed Detroit]] |access-date=November 21, 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Argonaut Building}}
*[https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=detroit,+MI&ie=UTF8&ll=42.367415,-83.074923&spn=0.004352,0.009978&t=k&z=17&om=1 Google Maps location of The Argonaut]
*{{Cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/buildings/195977/a-alfred-taubman-center-for-design-education-detroit-mi-usa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514013807/http://www.emporis.com/buildings/195977/a-alfred-taubman-center-for-design-education-detroit-mi-usa |url-status=usurped |archive-date=2015-05-14 |title=Emporis building ID 195977 |work=[[Emporis]]}}
*{{SkyscraperPage|36118}}

{{General Motors}}
{{New Center, Detroit}}
{{Architecture of metropolitan Detroit}}

[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Detroit]]
[[Category:Laboratories in the United States]]
[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1928]]
[[Category:General Motors facilities]]
[[Category:College for Creative Studies]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Detroit]]
[[Category:1928 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Albert Kahn (architect) buildings]]