Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The Majestic Building was Detroit’s second skyscraper, following the Hammond Building. Located at 137 Woodward Avenue, the building was constructed in 1895 for the Mabley and Company department store chain. The 14-story, 221-foot-high building was designed by Daniel H. Burnham & Company in the Beaux-Arts style and faced with terra cotta and fireproof sheathing. It was Detroit's tallest building, from its completion in 1896 until 1909, when it was overtaken by the Ford Building.

The company’s founder, C.R. Mabley, emigrated from England to Toronto with his family in 1848. As an adult, he moved to Milwaukee to open a dry-goods store.  Following a fire at that store, he moved to Detroit. Within a few short years his first rented storefront expanded to an entire block and became Detroit’s first department store. Unfortunately, Mabley died at age 49 in 1885 at the height of his career. Bruce Goodfellow, Mabley’s protégé, took over the booming company. The shareholders then decided to build a monument to their success. 

From groundbreaking on May 27, 1895, the building rose in only 171 days. The opulent design of the interior showcased 19-foot ceilings, 50,000 feet of Italian marble, decorative mosaic tiles, and details engraved with the letter “M” cost the Mabley Company $1.7 million (roughly $54 million adjusted for inflation) including the cost of the site. Fitted with 4,000 electric lights, the building required its own power plant. Unfortunately, the company ran out of money and was forced to sell. The new owners decided to call it the Majestic Building because of all the carved letter “M,” and opened the doors on October 4, 1896.  

From 1907 until 1933, the Majestic Building housed a roof-top weather observation deck for the United States Weather Bureau. The observation deck offered unobstructed views for up to 12 miles in any direction and was open to the public for an admission fee of ten cents.

The Detroit News engaged "The Human Fly" Harry H. Gardiner to scale the building's exterior in 1916 as a promotional stunt. The event was scheduled for the noon lunch hour and attracted such a large crowd that traffic and streetcars on Woodward Avenue came to a halt.

The building was demolished in 1962 to make way for the First Federal Building, which was finished in 1965.