Historic Detroit

Every building in Detroit has a story — we're here to share it

Guardian Building - Old photos

The Art Deco entrance was done by Mary Chase Stratton.

The Guardian and south Woodward.

The Guardian opened as the Union Trust Co. Building in 1929.

The Guardian towers over everything around it. In the back left is the land that would be cleared for the Renaissance Center.

The Guardian lights up the sky in 1937.

The Guardian in 1971.

The Guardian in 1958, note the Chase Tower being constructed in front of it.

The Guardian in 1934.

The Penobscot, far left, and the Guardian - two of the city's most familiar buildings - seen in 1932.

Lights can be seen emitting from the Guardian Building in the early 1930s.

Looking up at the Guardian in 1928 as construction wraps up.

The Guardian and Campus Martius lighted up in December 1961.

The Guardian in 1961. The site of City Hall was used as a Christmas tree lot.

The Buhl Building, left, and the Guardian at right. Both were designed by Wirt C. Rowland.

The Guardian in 1936.

The southern elevation

The Guardian dominates the Detroit skyline in this image from the 1950s.

The Guardian in 1957. The Hotel Norton, which was razed for One Woodward, is behind it.

The Guardian towers above Campus Martius in 1958. The buildings next to it are gone.

The mighty Guardian towers above the streets of Detroit in 1957.

The Guardian, Buhl and Penobscot buildings - seen here in the 1950s - were all designed by Wirt C. Rowland.

The Guardian in 1965.

The Guardian goes up. The old Union Trust Co. Building is across from it.

The Guardian Building takes shape in 1929.

The Guardian begins taking its place on Detroit's skyline in 1928.

The Guardian, Buhl Building and Hotel Norton in March 1959.