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38-480: The building is named for David Whitney Jr. , a wealthy Detroiter who earned millions of dollars as a lumber baron dealing in white pine ; his father was said to be the employer of Paul Bunyan . The structure was designed by Graham, Burnham & Co., the successor firm to the D.H. Burnham Company. It may be said that the building was designed in the "Daniel Burnham style", or perhaps, "inspired by Daniel Burnham". The first assertion that Daniel Burnham himself designed

76-540: A "gateway" of sorts to downtown Detroit when viewed from the north. In January 2011, the Detroit Downtown Development Authority approved a $ 1 million loan to help Whitney Partners LLC purchase and renovate the building. Their plan included creating a mixed-use building and restoring the decorative exterior elements that were removed in 1959 and the four-story lobby. The purchase was completed in March and

114-564: A decorative effect. This method was employed by various companies, including Barolac in Bohemia, Joblings in England, and Val St Lambert in Belgium. The third type involves hand-blown glass with two layers, containing heat-reactive components like bone ash. The glass is blown into a mold with a raised pattern, and reheating turns the heat-sensitive glass milky white, creating a contrasting silhouette against

152-633: A designer of windows and as a producer of the material with which to create them was to become renowned. Tiffany wanted the glass itself to transmit texture and rich colors and he developed a type of glass he called " Favrile ". The favrile, or "fabrile" glass was manufactured at the Tiffany factory located at 96–18 43rd Avenue in the Corona section of Queens from 1901 to 1932. Today, the Louis Tiffany School or New York City's P.S. (public school) 110Q ,

190-419: A distance. The irregular glass wafers, called fractures , are prepared from very hot, colored molten glass, gathered at the end of a blowpipe. A large bubble is forcefully blown until the walls of the bubble rapidly stretch, cool and harden. The resulting glass bubble has paper-thin walls and is immediately shattered into shards. These hand blown shards are pressed on the surface of the molten glass sheet during

228-661: A functioning elevator for personal use. David Whitney Jr. was born in 1830 in Watertown, Massachusetts . Whitney made his millions in Massachusetts as a lumber baron. He moved to Detroit from Lowell (where he had established himself as a lumber baron) in 1857, at the young age of twenty-seven. Starting a joint venture with his brother Charles, he continued to expand his vastly successful lumber business into Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. Upon arriving in Detroit, he surrounded himself by

266-533: A two-story mechanical penthouse at the rear of the building. The Detroit People Mover 's Grand Circus Park station is located at the first and second floors of this building. The David Whitney Building stands across Woodward Avenue from the David Broderick Tower . The building is visible from the Detroit People Mover, as well as Comerica Park . Together with the adjacent Broderick Tower, it forms

304-407: Is achieved through slower cooling, causing crystallization. The glass glows golden when backlit and a beautiful blue when front-lit. Many French companies in the 1920s and 1930s, such as Lalique and Sabino, produced opalescent art deco pieces. The second type features a milky white edge or raised pattern on colored pressed glass. Reheating sections during the cooling process turns them white, creating

342-418: Is created during the glass sheet-forming process. A sheet is formed from molten glass with a roller that spins on itself while travelling forward. Normally the roller spins at the same speed as its own forward motion, much like a steam roller flattening tarmac, and the resulting sheet has a smooth surface. In the manufacture of rippled glass, the roller spins faster than its own forward motion. The rippled effect

380-526: Is distinguished by brilliant or deeply toned colors, usually iridescent like the wings of certain American butterflies, the necks of pigeons and peacocks, the wing covers of various beetles . Louis C. Tiffany Streamer glass refers to a sheet of glass with a pattern of glass strings affixed to its surface. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, twigs, branches and grass. Streamers are prepared from very hot molten glass, gathered at

418-416: Is manipulated forcefully over a sheet of molten glass to produce heavy ripples, while folding and creasing the entire sheet. The ripples become rigid and permanent as the glass cools. Each sheet produced from this artisanal process is unique. In order to cut streamer, fracture or ripple glass, the sheet may be scored on the side without streamers, fractures or ripples with a carbide glass cutter, and broken at

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456-408: Is measured to be 21,000 square feet (2,000 m ) and has 52 rooms (including 10 bathrooms), 218 windows, 20 fireplaces, a secret vault in the dining room, an elevator, and numerous Tiffany glass windows. The Tiffany glass windows have been estimated to be worth more than the house itself. The window designs often feature themes oriented around the purpose of the rooms they are located in. For example,

494-466: Is now built on the old site. The closing of the factory has been a matter of some controversy. Tiffany's glass fell out of favor in the 1910s, and by the 1920s a foundry had been installed for a separate bronze company. Tiffany's leadership and talent, as well as his father's money and old firm allowed Tiffany to relaunch Tiffany studios as a marketing strategy in order for his business to thrive. In 1932, Tiffany Studios filed for bankruptcy. Ownership of

532-420: Is retained as the glass cools. Drapery glass refers to a sheet of heavily folded glass that suggests fabric folds. Tiffany made abundant use of drapery glass in ecclesiastical stained glass windows to add a 3-dimensional effect to flowing robes and angel wings, and to imitate the natural coarseness of magnolia petals. The making of drapery glass requires skill and experience. A small diameter hand-held roller

570-622: The Travel Channel in 2018. Tiffany glass Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1929–1930 at the Tiffany Studios in New York City, by Louis Comfort Tiffany and a team of other designers, including Clara Driscoll , Agnes F. Northrop, and Frederick Wilson . In 1865, Tiffany traveled to Europe, and in London he visited

608-505: The Victoria and Albert Museum , whose extensive collection of Roman and Syrian glass made a deep impression on him. He admired the coloration of medieval glass and was convinced that the quality of contemporary glass could be improved upon because the production of art glass in America during this time was not close to what Europeans were creating. In his own words, the "Rich tones are due in part to

646-458: The building was made in a 1950s press article about the building's modernization, probably a misreading (or embellishment). Burnham died in 1912, two years before the project was announced, and no contemporary record gives any indication that he was involved with the design of the building prior to his death. The exterior was originally styled with clean lines in a Neo-Renaissance style faced with terra cotta and glazed brick. The original façade

684-453: The clear background (for more information [1] ). Tiffany patented Favrile glass in 1892. Favrile glass often has a distinctive characteristic that is common in some glass from Classical antiquity: it possesses a superficial iridescence . This iridescence causes the surface to shimmer, but also causes a degree of opacity. This iridescent effect of the glass was obtained by mixing different colors of glass together while hot. Favrile glass

722-528: The community's wealthiest and most respectable families. Whitney soon earned the nickname of "Mr. Woodward Avenue", due to his keen interest in real estate around the Detroit area. Whitney was always fascinated by the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC). Ever since the DAC's establishment in 1887, it has been revered as "one of the finest private clubs in the country, an elite organization deeply committed to upholding

760-608: The complex passed back to the original owners of the factory — the Roman Bronze Works — which had served as a subcontractor to Tiffany for many years." John Polachek , founder of the General Bronze Corporation —who had worked at the Tiffany Studios earlier— purchased the Roman Bronze Works (the old Tiffany Studios). General Bronze then became the largest bronze fabricator in New York City formed through

798-525: The elevator. There are reports of the elevator moving on its own between the floors without any passengers. Other unexplained apparitions have been reported on the second and third floors. One evening at closing, a staff member witnessed an older gentleman gazing out of the second floor dining room window; when he was asked to leave, the figure simply vanished into the floor. Reports by the mansion's staff members of sounds of utensils being stacked and table settings being moved all on their own, have only added to

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836-484: The end of a punty (pontil) that is rapidly swung back and forth and stretched into long, thin strings that rapidly cool and harden. These hand-stretched streamers are pressed on the molten surface of sheet glass during the rolling process, and become permanently fused. Fracture glass refers to a sheet of glass with a pattern of irregularly shaped, thin glass wafers affixed to its surface. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, foliage seen from

874-563: The lobby bar and create a restaurant in what is now event space. David Whitney House#David Whitney Jr. The David Whitney House is a historic mansion located at 4421 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit , Michigan. The building was constructed during the 1890s as a private residence. It was restored in 1986 and is now a restaurant. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The house

912-583: The mansion until 1920. It was converted into an upscale restaurant in 1986. Today, many of the members of the Whitney family reside in the Grosse Pointe area. In 1957, the Visiting nurse association purchased the house for $ 150,000. In 1979, the house was sold to Detroit-based real estate magnet Richard Kughn, who in 2007 sold it to former Chrysler executive, Bud Liebler, for more than $ 2 million. Dating back to

950-471: The merger of his own companies and Tiffany's Corona factory. Louis Tiffany subsequently died in 1933. The term "opalescent glass" is commonly used to describe glass where more than one color is present, being fused during the manufacture, as against flashed glass in which two colors may be laminated, or silver stained glass where a solution of silver nitrate is superficially applied, turning red glass to orange and blue glass to green. Some opalescent glass

988-404: The music room's windows are themed towards elements of music as well as images of Saint Cecilia , the patron saint of music. The grand staircase features a massive stained glass window portraying a knight, paying homage to the various members of the Whitney family who were knighted, as well as their relationship to the royal blood line in England. The house was the first residence in Detroit to have

1026-559: The mystery of the Whitney mansion. The David Whitney House was featured in SYFY channel's paranormal TV series Ghost Hunters in 2016 where the TAPS team investigated reported activity inside and outside the property. The house, called the Whitney Mansion, was featured as one of the haunted locations on Most Terrifying Places in America on the episode titled "Restless Dead" which aired on

1064-444: The new owners sought additional funding and tax credits to finance their plans for a boutique hotel, apartments and retail. In December 2011, plans moved another step when the partnership announced it signed an agreement with Aloft Hotels to operate the 136-room hotel. The hotel occupies floors three through nine of the building with 105 high-end apartment units on floors ten and above. The $ 92 million renovation began in March 2013 and

1102-415: The renovations in the mid-1980s, there have been rumored occurrences of supernatural activities on all three floors of the Whitney house. The causes of these events have been linked to the story of David Whitney Jr. and his wife both dying inside the mansion. To this day, some people believe that the ghost of David Whitney Jr. haunts the Whitney mansion. One of the most haunted areas in the house appears to be

1140-430: The rolling process, to which they become permanently fused. Fracture-streamer glass refers to a sheet of glass with a pattern of glass strings, and irregularly shaped, thin glass wafers, affixed to its surface. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, twigs, branches and grass, and distant foliage. The process is as above except that both streamers and fractures are applied to sheet glass during

1178-440: The rolling process. Ring mottle glass refers to sheet glass with a pronounced mottle created by localized, heat-treated opacification and crystal-growth dynamics. Ring mottle glass was invented by Tiffany in the early 20th century. Tiffany's distinctive style exploited glass containing a variety of motifs such as those found in ring mottle glass, and he relied minimally on painted details. When Tiffany Studio closed in 1929–1930,

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1216-498: The secret formula for making ring mottle glass was forgotten and lost. Ring mottle glass was re-discovered in the late sixties by Eric Lovell of Uroboros Glass . Traditionally used for organic details on leaves and other natural elements, ring mottles also find a place in contemporary work when abstract patterns are desired. Ripple glass refers to textured glass with marked surface waves. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, water or leaf veins. The texture

1254-561: The traditions and elegance of its glorious pasts". Part of the DAC's grounds is now under the possession of Wayne State University. Included among the elite members of the original DAC were Whitney and his son David C. Whitney. This influenced his choice for the location of the Whitney House, as it overlooked the grounds of the DAC. The Whitney mansion was built between 1890 and 1894, and estimated to have cost approximately $ 400,000. After Whitney's death in 1900, his family continued to reside in

1292-450: The use of pot metal full of impurities, and in part to the uneven thickness of the glass, but still more because the glass maker of that day abstained from the use of paint". Tiffany was an interior designer , and in 1878 his interest turned toward the creation of stained glass , when he opened his own studio and glass foundry because he was unable to find the types of glass that he desired in interior decoration. His inventiveness both as

1330-421: Was altered in 1959, when decorative cornices were replaced with a 'modern' top. The first four stories of this building contain a large retail atrium . It was one of Detroit's first major mixed-use projects and was a popular location for many medical offices. The Metro Times , an early alternative weekly , was once published from offices in the highrise. There are 19 floors housing office and retail space with

1368-412: Was built between 1890 and 1894 by a prominent lumber baron , David Whitney Jr., who was considered not only one of Detroit's wealthiest personalities, but also one of Michigan's wealthiest citizens. The house is estimated to have cost US$ 400,000 (equal to $ 14,086,154 today), and it was featured in several newspapers of that time. The exterior is constructed using pink jasper from South Dakota. It

1406-513: Was completed in December 2014. In May 2022 owner, The Roxbury Group, announced another renovation which would redesign the hotel's 136 current rooms and convert apartments on the tenth and eleventh floors into 24 additional rooms leaving 80 apartment units on floors 12-19. In addition, the hotel will drop the Aloft branding to become part of Marriott's Autograph Collection . Owners also plan to upgrade

1444-467: Was used by several stained glass studios in England from the 1860s and 1870s onwards, notably Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Its use became increasingly common. Opalescent glass is the basis for the range of glasses created by Tiffany. In addition opalescent glass comes in three main types. The first type is exemplified by blue-tinged semi-opaque or clear glass with milky opalescence in the center, seen in creations by Lalique, Sabino, and Jobling's. This effect

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