Lafayette Building (Demolished)
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's a look at the Lafayette Building in Detroit, MI. The Lafayette Building had been built in 1923 as a 14-story office space. The Lafayette housed the Michigan Supreme Court among other tenants. The building was closed down in 1997 and is presently owned by the City of Detroit.

The Lafayette Building was demolished between late 2009 and early 2010 after years of vacancy and failed redevelopment efforts. The site is now Lafayette Greens, an urban garden occupying one of downtown Detroit's most distinctive corners. 07-26.

See more photos of this historic structure at Roadside Peek's Lost Treasures tribute to the Lafayette Building.

Auburn Automobile Company
Auburn, IN
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's the Auburn Automobile Company Administration Building in Auburn, IN. Even if you're not a car enthusiast, this Art Deco masterpiece is hard to miss. Built in 1930 as the headquarters and showroom for the Auburn Automobile Company, it still looks every bit as elegant as the luxury cars it once helped sell. 10-08

Designed by architect Alvin M. Strauss, the building is filled with colorful Art Deco details inside and out. It was the perfect backdrop for Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg automobiles during the company's heyday. Unfortunately, the Great Depression took its toll, and production came to an end when the company closed in 1937.

Fortunately, the story didn't end there. The building found a new purpose in 1974 when it became the home of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. Today, visitors can walk through the original showroom and admire more than 100 beautifully restored classic automobiles in the same space where many of them were first introduced.

It's always nice when a building keeps doing what it was built for. Instead of selling luxury cars, this one now celebrates them.

Auburn Automobile Company
Auburn, IN
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

UPDATE: The building is beautifully preserved and continues to operate as the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. The original Art Deco architecture and entrance sign have both been carefully maintained, making this one of Indiana's finest automotive landmarks. 07-26

Jeep Engineering Building (Demolished)
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's the old Jeep Engineering Building on Plymouth Road in Detroit, MI. By the time this photo was taken, the campus had already lived several different lives, but the tall brick tower still made quite an impression. If you've seen older photos, you may remember the tower with a huge Kelvinator sign, and later the familiar script American Motors logo near the top. 10-09

The complex opened in 1927 as the headquarters and factory for Kelvinator before becoming home to Nash-Kelvinator and later American Motors. After Chrysler acquired AMC in 1987, the campus became the Jeep and Truck Engineering Center, where engineers helped develop some of Jeep's most recognizable vehicles along with Dodge trucks.

Even without the signs, the tower remained the focal point of the property. It was one of those buildings that reminded you just how much automotive history was packed into Detroit's industrial landscape.

Jeep Engineering Building
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

UPDATE: The long-abandoned complex has since been demolished, including the landmark tower. Today, the site has been cleared for new industrial development, bringing an end to nearly a century of automotive history along Plymouth Road. 07-26