Connect with the Libraries
Have an idea for Subject of the Month?
A History of WSU Buildings, 1884-2018
Special thanks to Cindy Krolikowski, Sandra Martin, and especially Alison Stankrauff for their help filling in some informational gaps during my preparation of this timeline. Something missing? Anything look incorrect or out-of-place? Feel free to contact me and let me know.
May 2018: Art & Architecture on Campus
Selector: Clayton Hayes
Did you know that Wayne State students used to register for classes in an old car dealership? That our first student center was a repurposed apartment hotel? That the first building constructed specifically for Wayne State wasn't built until 1948, and was designed by an Armenian immigrant?
Did you know that one of the sculptors whose work is installed on campus also designed a set of doors for the Vatican? That the "Fantastic Four" were originally part of Detroit's old city hall? That a chair of the Art and Art History Department founded one of Cass Corridor's most well-known cooperative galleries?
This subject of the month encourages you to explore the history of Wayne State University through its architecture and public art, and to discover the answer to the question: How did this campus end up looking the way it did, anyway?
Library Resources
100 Select Works from the Wayne State University Art Collection
by Dirk Bakker and Richard J. Bilaitis
Selected works from the WSU art collection with an introduction by Irvin D. Reid, the WSU President at the time of its publication in 2004.
Selections from the Wayne State University Art Collection
by Dirk Bakker and Richard J. Bilaitis [Library Use Only]
An earlier edition of the above book, which explores a slightly different set of art objects for the WSU Art Collection.
Subverting Modernism
Cass Corridor Revisited, 1966-1980, by Julia R. Meyers
A catalog for an exhibition at the University Art Gallery, Central Michigan University (Jan.10-Feb. 9, 2013) and the University Gallery, Eastern Michigan University (Mar. 11-Apr. 28, 2013).
Art in Detroit Public Places
by Dennis Alan Nawrocki and David Clements
Though this book looks broadly at all of Detroit, there is a fair amount of representation of works on WSU's campus.
Canvas Detroit [ebook]
by Julie Pincus and Nichole Christian
This ebook covers a wide range of art projects in Detroit, including some (like DLECTRICITY) that occur at or near WSU. It also features a profile of Katie Yamasaki, the granddaughter of noted WSU-affiliated architect Minoru Yamasaki.
Sieve
by David Barr
David Barr is a sculptor who received his BFA and MFA from WSU in the 1960s,and this book is a bit of autobiography and a bit of his personal philosophy regarding art. He is the artist responsible for Winter Flower (1987), which is installed near Old Main on Hancock.
Giacomo Manzù
by Giacomo Manzù with John Rewald
Giacomo Manzù was the artist behind The Nymph and the Faun, installed in the McGregor building sculpture garden in 1968. This book offers large-format photographs of some of his other works.
Seff Weidl
by Johann W. Hammer
Seff Weidl was the sculptor behind The Philosopher (1974), installed on the southwest wall of the Law Classroom building, and this book provides photographs of his other works.
Detroit Focus Quarterly
Detroit Focus Quarterly was published Detroit Focus, a non-profit arts organization that supports art and artists in the Detroit area, and ran from 1982 to 1998. It includes interviews with artists, articles about the art scene and current issues, and listings of art exhibits. Several local artists who have sculptures installed on campus were involved in Detroit Focus in one capacity or another, including David Barr, Sergio de Giusti, Robert Sestok, and G. Alden Smith.
Cass Corridor Documentation Project
The Cass Corridor Documentation Project includes a series of oral histories, recorded in 2011, of individuals involved in or related to the Cass Corridor art community. One interviewee was Robert Sestok, the artist behind Free Form 5 (2001), the sculpture on Cass near the Hilberry Theatre.
AIA Detroit
The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture, by Eric J. Hill and John Gallagher
This architectural guidebook provides information on many notable WSU buildings and architects, as well as buildings in the nearby area.
Detroit Architecture
A.I.A. guide, edited by Katharine Mattingly Meyer
The 1980 edition of the AIA architectural guidebook for Detroit provides includes a few notable WSU buildings that are not included in the 2003 edition.
The Buildings of Detroit
A History, by W. Hawkins Ferry
One of the most comprehensive guides to Detroit's buildings, providing photographs and historical information on both commercial and residential structures of note.
The Legacy of Albert Kahn
by W. Hawkins Ferry
This serves as a compilation of the works of Albert Kahn, not only in Detroit, but across Michigan and the rest of the world. It provides floor plans and blueprints for several of Kahn's buildings, along with some biographical information for context.
Yamasaki in Detroit
A Search for Serenity, by John Gallagher
This book provides information on the Detroit buildings of famed architect Minoru Yamasaki, along with profiling the architect himself.
A Life in Architecture
by Minoru Yamasaki
This autobiographical book by Yamasaki describes his life and architectural pursuits, including his time spent designing buildings for WSU.
A History of Wayne State University in Photographs
by Evelyn Aschenbrenner [Library Use Only]
A history of both WSU and its campus told through photographs, many of which are taken from the WSU Buildings collection linked elsewhere on the guide..
Reminiscences of Wayne
Memoirs of Some Faculty and Staff Members of Wayne State University, edited by Henry V. Bohm and Paul J. Pentecost
A description of WSU's history, as told by various faculty and staff at WSU. Though published in 2000, the information contained within cover a good chunk of the university's history.
A Place of Light
The History of Wayne State University; A Centennial Publication, by Leslie L. Hanawalt
A celebration of WSU's history, published for its centennial celebration in 1968.
Up From the Basement, 1927-1977
A History of the Art Education Department at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, by Freda Albrecht Harrington
Published by the department itself, this short book includes photographs and information on the history of WSU's art education program.
Freer
A Legacy of Art, by Thomas Lawton and Linda Merrill
This book on Charles Lang Freer and his art collection includes information on the Freer and Hecker houses, as well as Freer's Whistler collection and the Peacock Room.
Have questions about archival collections related to WSU's history? Speak to Alison Stankrauff, our University Archivist.
Wayne State University Architecture
Select Photos from the University Archives
This exhibit, prepared as part of the sesquicentennial, highlights the university's architectural history and includes prints of some images seen on this guide. It runs through Fall of 2018.
Minoru Yamasaki Papers
Accession Number UP002108
The papers of Minoru Yamasaki include correspondence regarding projects, as well as early architectural drawings, speeches and writings, photographs, awards and doctoral degrees, scrapbooks detailing the progress of his career, and various publications.
Wayne State University Photograph Collection
Accession Number WSAV002643
The collection of photographs is largely the output of communications, community, and university relations work conducted under the auspices of the University Relations Division. Depicted are activities, events, and places on or around the university's Detroit campus as well as the people associated with its academic and administrative functions. A portion of this collection has been digitized, and is available via the WSU Buildings digital collection.
WSU Buildings Vertical Files
The WSU Buildings Vertical Files contain press releases, newspaper clippings, excerpts from Board of Governors meetings, and other sources of information on the buildings on WSU's campus, both past and present. These vertical files are available in the Reuther's reading room, and were essential to the creation of the above timeline.
Art on Campus
- Wayne State University ArtWalkArtWalk was created to educate and enlighten students, faculty, staff and guests about the remarkable sculptures installed on our beautiful urban campus
- Art Department GallerySince 1956 the Art Department Gallery has presented a diverse range of exhibitions for the Detroit Metropolitan area, including decades of undergraduate student annuals and faculty sabbatical exhibitions. A list of current and upcoming exhibitions is provided on their site.
- Wayne State University Art CollectionWSU's art collection includes close to 6,000 works of art. The work of regional and Michigan artists from the mid to late twentieth century form the core of the collection, including a large number of pieces by Detroit's Cass Corridor artists. See their current exhibitions page for information on both physical and online exhibitions from the collection.
- Art at the AdamanyThis document provides a guide to works in the Wayne State University Art Collection that are on display at the Adamany Undergraduate Library.
- Time and Place: Art of Detroit’s Cass Corridor from the Wayne State University CollectionThis document, produced through the WSU CFPCA as part of 2009 exhibition, highlights some work and gives some context for works by Cass Corridor artists in the WSU collection.
- Ethnic Heritage Center RoomsThese rooms, installed in both Manoogian Hall and General Lectures, provide representations of Detroit-area ethnic and cultural traditions through art and design. Tours are occasionally offered through the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
Online Collections and Resources
Historic Detroit
Historic Detroit's tagline aptly describes their mission: "Every building in Detroit has a story - we're here to share it." Founded by writer and photographer Dan Austin, the site contains a wealth of information on Detroit's physical spaces, both past and present.
WSU Buildings Collection
A digitized portion of the Reuther Library's University Photograph Collection, the WSU Buildings Collection included are both exteriors and interiors of Wayne State's buildings, past and present, including classrooms, auditoriums, housing, and more. More photos of WSU buildings can also be found in the Virtual Motor City collection.
WSU Yamasaki Legacy Project
The Wayne State University Yamasaki Legacy project provides information and contextualization on renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki. It examines his designs on the WSU campus, as well as discussion his global influence.
Wayne State University Sesquicentennial
On May 18, in 1868, Wayne State University was officially founded as the Detroit Medical College. The first academic term began on Nov. 3, 1868. On April 22, 1956, the Michigan Legislature adopted Act 183 “to establish and regulate a state institution of higher learning to be known as Wayne State University.”
Throughout 2018, the WSU Libraries invite you to join us as we celebrate our University's rich history and sesquicentennial. The official celebration period will run from Jan. 1, 2018 to Nov. 1, 2018. In addition to the Subject of the Month displays, please check the University Calendar for Special Events and Exhibits.
Campus Architects
Suren Pilafian
Suren Pilafian was born in 1910 in Izmir, Turkey to Armenian parents. They immigrated to New York while he was still young and, at 18 years old, began working as a draftsman for Cass Gilbert. Gilbert was an established architect, having just opened his New York Life Building in 1928, and had notably designed the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. Starting in 1935, Pilafian spent a few years working independently in Tehran, Iran, before coming back to the U.S.
Pilafian bounced between positions at a few architectural firms before establishing his own firm and winning a 1942 design contest for the master plan of Wayne State's campus. His buildings, State Hall, the Engineering Building, the Purdy-Kresge Library complex, and the Community Arts building, helped to establish the architectural aesthetic for WSU's campus. Pilafian continued to work independently in the Detroit area for several years before joining Albert Kahn Associates as a head designer; he passed away in 1988.
Minoru Yamasaki
Minoru Yamasaki was born in 1912 in Seattle, Washington to Japanese parents. He studied architecture at the University of Washington while working at a cannery in Alaska over the summers to pay his tuition. In 1945, he joined the prestigious Detroit architecture firm of Smith, Hinchman, & Grylls as their head of design before forming the firm of Leinweber, Yamasaki, & Hellmuth in 1949, later just Leinweber & Yamasaki.
Yamasaki formed Yamasaki and Associates in 1957 during the construction of the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, and it was his work at Wayne State and the surrounding Detroit area that elevated him to national and international renown. Perhaps best known in the U.S. for his work on the World Trade Center in New York, Yamasaki died in 1986 and his firm closed in 2010.
The "Fantastic Four"
The "Fantastic Four," as they have come to be called, are four statues of prominent figures in the early history of Detroit:
Julius Melchers, a German sculptor who studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, carved these figures in limestone for installation in Detroit's City Hall around 1885. The statues were placed in niches on the exterior of the building's second story.
In 1955, City Hall operations moved to the new City-County Building (now the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center) on Jefferson, and the old City Hall was slated for demolition. Thankfully, the statues were saved and put in storage before the building came down in 1961. Detroit's Common Council gifted the statues to Wayne State University in the early 1970s, and they were placed in the green space nearby General Lectures and St. Andrew's. Three of the four faced east, towards Anthony Wayne Drive, but Cadillac was situated facing south, towards the Detroit river.
The Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments, announced in 2016, necessitated moving the statues to another location. A square was quickly built on the south side of the Faculty/Administration Building, and the four statues were settled into their new home just before Fall Semester 2016. A time-lapse video, along with more information, is available from the WSU newsroom.
Follow the WSU Libraries
To keep up with library events and happenings, follow us on:
- WSU Libraries on Facebook
This link opens in a new window
- WSU Libraries on Twitter
This link opens in a new window
- WSU Libraries on Instagram
This link opens in a new window
- WSU Libraries YouTube Channel
This link opens in a new window
Wayne State University Press
The Wayne State University Press is a distinctive urban publisher committed to supporting the core research, teaching, and service mission of WSU by generating high-quality scholarly and general-interest books of global importance.
Through its publishing program, the Press disseminates research, advances education, and serves the local community while expanding the international reputation of the Press and the University.