David Whitney Building and Hotel Statler over Grand Circus Park (Circa 1924)

The towering white terra-cotta David Whitney Building and Hotel Statler overlooking the trees of Grand Circus Park in Detroit. — David Whitney Building and Hotel Statler over Grand Circus Park (Circa 1924) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

From an elevated viewpoint overlooking Grand Circus Park, Donald A. Hall Sr. documented the booming industrial architecture of downtown Detroit. The frame highlights Daniel Burnham's 19-story neoclassical David Whitney Building, clad in white glazed terra cotta, alongside the massive Renaissance Revival Hotel Statler with smoke rising from its roof. The image preserves the dense urban environment Hall navigated while developing all-metal aircraft at Dearborn.