The first of the Detroit Civic Center buildings, Veterans Memorial Hall, is a ten-story, L-shaped building faced with white marble. “Victory Eagle,” a thirty-foot, stylized eagle of white marble on the face of the building, is the work of the renowned Michigan sculptor, Marshall Fredericks. Inscribed beneath the eagle are the words, “In honored memory of those who gave their lives for their country” and above the eagle at the roof line are thirteen stars.
International style architecture with white marble cladding was a common theme of the Detroit Civic Center buildings. Harley, Ellington and Day, architects of the Veterans Memorial Hall, were also responsible for the nearby Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (1955), which also features a sculpture by Fredericks, the “Spirit of Detroit.” The integration of fine materials and art with architecture are obvious both inside and outside of these Modern buildings. The large window puncturing the upper stories was added in 1997 when the building was renovated for long-term lease to UAW-Ford. On the river side, a fifty-foot glass wall overlooks the Detroit River. Windows on the east and west walls are square with a single marble frame extending the length of each floor.
(Text excerpted from the Civic Center/Financial District Walking Tour script developed by the City of Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board staff.)
