Preservation of the R. Thornton Brodhead Armory
Please join Preservation Detroit and our Detroit community in saving the Brodhead Armory! Your public comment has the power to breathe life once again into this historic space and save its cultural and architectural treasures! Preservation Detroit has spearheaded a preservation-minded approach to the sale and redevelopment of the Brodhead Armory and The Detroit Parade Company’s proposal is likely our best chance to save any portion of this historic landmark. Please see our public statement on the preservation of the Brodhead Armory and our letter to Detroit City Council which outlines a preservation-minded approach to its sale and redevelopment. Detroit cannot wait any longer to take action on the Brodhead!
The Brodhead is coming before Council for consideration today, Tuesday 6/1. It came out of the PED subcommittee without recommendation. City Council session starts at 10 a.m., and the Brodhead is items 76 and 77. Public Comment occurs beforehand after item 46, according to the agenda.
Please support this effort at public comment at the Detroit City Council Meeting on Tuesday, June 1, starting at 10 a.m. Community members will speak for either one or two minutes, depending on how many public commentators are at the meeting.
To attend by phone only, call one of these numbers: +1-929-436-2866, +1-312-626-6799, +1-669-900-6833, +1-253-215-8782, +1-301-715 8592, or +1-346-248-7799
Enter Meeting ID: 330332554##
To attend online: https://Detroitmi.gov/Online-CC-Meeting
Public Comment: To participate at the time of Public Comment, please raise your hand within the zoom application.
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Supplementary Documents:
Preservation Detroit Letter to City Council on the Preservation of the Brodhead
Detroit City Council Planning and Economic Development Committee Meeting Materials:
Preservation Detroit’s Public Statement on the Brodhead
As the city’s largest preservation organization, Preservation Detroit is providing a statement on the preservation of the R. Thornton Brodhead Armory, located at 7600 E. Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. We would like to provide clarity and share the factual reality of the condition of the building, historic integrity, and feasibility for preservation and redevelopment. We recommend a preservation-minded approach to this very important historic resource for any sale and redevelopment effort. The goal is to save as much of the building’s exterior and interior that is feasible and appropriate for the benefit of all Detroiters and visitors.
One of several WPA murals created between 1936 and 1941 in the Brodhead Armory. This piece in the third-floor wardroom, the officer’s dining room, is part of a sixty-foot plaster al fresco mural created by David Fredenthal.
The Brodhead Armory is historically significant for its association with Detroit’s Naval Militia community, who supported its creation in 1930, and is architecturally significant as an art deco and art moderne structure. Brodhead Armory houses the largest collection of federally-funded Depression-era artwork of any building in the State of Michigan. The Armory was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It was individually designated as a local building of historic significance by the City of Detroit in 2001, also carrying an uncommon interior designation. The interior spaces of the R. Thornton Brodhead Armory which are locally designated include the main drill hall, the third floor mess hall, wardroom, and officer’s bar, and the formal staircase from floors one to three. The character-defining features that warranted and are included in the designation for these spaces specifically include surfaces such as woodwork and wood carvings, fresco paintings and murals, floor surfaces, ceilings, and permanent fixtures including light fixtures. Areas not subject to consideration in the designation include the interiors of offices, adjoining hallways, rooms adjacent to the drill hall, restrooms, and other areas such as the basement, garages, fourth floor spaces, attic areas, and service areas.
In the nearly two decades since the Brodhead closed, the building has been a victim of vandalism, theft, and deterioration from neglect caused by a lack of resources to properly safeguard this building’s architectural and cultural treasures. We understand that multiple attempts to redevelop the Brodhead Armory in the past have been unsuccessful and that recent proposals are likely the best chance to save any portion of this historic landmark. As preservation advocates, we believe the Brodhead Armory must be saved and redeveloped. Detroit cannot wait any longer to take action on the Brodhead.
Preservation Detroit has been in discussion with the City of Detroit to inject a preservation-minded approach to any sale and redevelopment of the Brodhead Armory. As part of that effort, a tour of the interior of the Brodhead Armory by the historic preservation community was conducted and Preservation Detroit assessed the building’s existing interior conditions and extant character-defining features. A summary of our professional observations is below.
The main drill hall located within the north section of the building. Note the Pratt truss support system holding up the roof.
Partial roof collapse on the southern edge of the drill hall. The collapse of the southernmost trusses and the illegal removal of bridging and bracing elements created this opening.
We observed that the main drill hall in the north section of the Brodhead Armory has few interior character-defining features, aside from the magnificent exterior. This large open space is supported by an exposed subdivided Pratt truss support system. Two of the southernmost trusses have collapsed and miscellaneous bridging and x-braces were illegally removed, causing a partial roof collapse at the south end of the drill hall. There is a large hole in the roof in this area which leaves the drill hall open to the elements and continued moisture damage. Despite this partial collapse, the rehabilitation of the north block appears feasible, and the structural integrity of the building has been examined through a Phase I Structural Condition Assessment completed by Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, highlighting required intervention.
Damage to the interior spaces within the Brodhead.
We observed that the majority of the character-defining features that were part of the interior historic designation and significance of the Brodhead Armory are no longer extant, with the exception of the WPA murals. The majority of features have been scrapped, stolen, and been subject to the elements and years of water damage. This has compromised the majority of the south block and we recognize the extremely poor condition of this section. The main staircase reaching three floors, for example, was once adorned with an oak bannister beautifully carved with sea creatures, plants, and mermaids. One hundred percent of this carved woodwork on the staircase has been stolen and none remains. Likewise, all woodwork carvings above and around doorways have been illegally removed. All wooden doors which had decorative carving insets depicting historic ships, herald crests, and significant persons in Detroit history have all been stolen with the exception of one single door. A ship’s steel bulkhead that was incorporated into the base of the main staircase remains extant with a high degree of rust. The office spaces and basement are in extremely poor condition, with a high degree of deterioration, and major water damage throughout and continuing. The gymnasium to the west with an arched roof appears to be in relatively good condition comparatively. The structural integrity and viability of the southern block is unknown. We also observed that the configuration of the office areas renders any future reuse extremely challenging.
The last remaining decoratively carved wooden door displaying a herald crest.
The main staircase. All ornate carvings have been totally removed.
A ship’s steel bulkhead is incorporated into the main staircase, although it is extremely rusted.
Despite these devastating losses and continued building deterioration, the Brodhead’s Depression-era WPA murals remain extant as the most significant character-defining feature, completed between 1936 and 1941. Carved bas reliefs depicting sailors’ everyday activities remain in the south block’s first floor office entrance area (Gustov Hilebrand, assisted by James Johnson). The third floor wardroom, the officer’s dining room, has a sixty-foot plaster al fresco mural portraying experiences aboard ship (David Fredenthal). The officer’s bar has a smaller al fresco mural depicting sailors relaxing in an outdoor scene (David Fredenthal). The mess hall, adjacent to the wardroom, has murals on all four walls applied to a canvas plaster applique depicting ships, deck fittings, masts, and lines (Edgar Yaeger). All murals remain extant, with varying degrees of deterioration including water damage, efflorescence, cracking, delamination, and small sections removed.
A section of the sixty-foot plaster al fresco mural by David Fredenthal within the third-floor wardroom depicting sailors aboard a ship.
Murals by Edgar Yaeger, applied to a canvas plaster applique, wrap around all four walls of the third-floor mess hall.
A smaller al fresco mural by David Fredenthal in the officer’s bar. It depicts sailors relaxing in an outdoor scene.
Damage sustained to one of the murals in the wardroom.
It is clear that timing is critical to save any portion of the Brodhead Armory and its WPA artwork. Preservation Detroit has recommended the following to the City of Detroit:
A professional historic preservationist must be part of any redevelopment effort at the Brodhead Armory, meeting the Secretary of the Interior Professional Qualification Standards 36 CFR Part 61 in Historic Architecture and Architectural History. This is essential and a basic standard.
The condition and safeguarding of the extant WPA murals and bas reliefs should be examined by a professional conservator to determine what is feasible for their preservation. We underscore the importance of having these works of art professionally assessed for the feasibility, viability, and financial support that would be required to safeguard these works of art. These are the most important element of the entire complex that remain, aside from the exterior. The interpretation of these as a group with context of the WPA for public display and access on the site is very important. We also note that onsite interpretation and endowment for care is critical. We seek a concrete plan for these artworks, and one which honors the story of this historic site.
Because the north block open space served as a drill room, any programmatic use and construction should retain this open floor concept.
The one wood office door with carved insignia remaining should be retained onsite and incorporated into the redevelopment.
We propose that dependent on further conditions assessment outcomes, that a portion(s) of the south building be reconsidered for rehabilitation that creatively retains and safeguards extant character-defining features in-situ.
Any sale and redevelopment proposal for the Brodhead Armory should have proven financial support and fundraising capacity.
Preservation Detroit looks forward to continuing to provide constructive feedback on the potential sale and redevelopment of the Brodhead Armory in support of reactivating this cultural gem and breathing new life into this historic resource. Obviously, we believe that saving part of the Brodhead is better than saving nothing at all. It is important to note, however, that just as Detroit has a lot to gain from redevelopment, we also stand the chance of losing something valuable, as well, unless the preservation of the historic murals is prioritized.
Sincerely,
Melanie A. Markowicz
Vice President | Board of Directors
Preservation Detroit Board of Directors and Staff Contact List
Devan Anderson
President | Board of Directors danderson@preservationdetroit.org
Melanie A. Markowicz
Vice President | Board of Directors mel@preservationdetroit.org
Timothy Boscarino
Secretary | Board of Directors tboscarino@preservationdetroit.org
Richard Summersett
Treasurer | Board of Directors richard@preservationdetroit.org
Dan Austin
Director | Board of Directors daustin@preservationdetroit.org
Jeff Richards
Director | Board of Directors jeff@preservationdetroit.org
Krysta Ryzewski
Director | Board of Directors krysta@preservationdetroit.org
Andrea Sevonty
Director | Board of Directors asevonty@preservationdetroit.org
Samantha Ellens
Preservation Associate samantha@preservationdetroit.org