The Metropolitan is a great example of a structure that you could add to your layout to fit into a odd shaped lot. While it may unbuildable for most modelers, it is great to use as reference for what you are comfortable with modeling.

The Building

The building was built in the great city of Detroit, in the year of 1925 when the city was booming from a thriving auto industry.  It was designed by the short lived architectural firm of Weston & Elington and this was their first building they created after forming in 1923. They went on to design two other buildings before William Weston passed away in 1932.

It has a total of 15 floors, stands at total height of 183 ft (56 m) with floors 1-12 serving as the bulk of the building, 13-14 being offices and the 15 is occupied by a water tank.  It has a triangle shaped foot print with the base of the triangle serving as the street face.

The building has been abandoned since 1979 and the city has been trying to find tenants. To increase the likeliness of business or investors purchasing it and restoring it, the city has removed all hazardous materials a few years ago.  Because of the chronic downturn of Detroit, it has some of the greatest examples of early 20th century architecture in the world, but unfortunately much has fallen to disrepair and abandonment.

All images taken from the Library of Congress and are public domain.

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