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60-604: The complex is significant as a historic maritime manufacturing facility. The earliest structure, an 1892 machine shop, is also significant as an early example of an industrial building entirely supported by its steel frame , but using traditional brick and standard windows to infill the curtain walls . The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. In 2012, the Department of Natural Resources received funding for historic redevelopment of

120-673: A Cooper Union -trained engineer, joined the firm as lead designer. (Frank Kirby went on to a successful shipbuilding career, which included the design of two National Historic Landmarks : the Columbia and the Ste. Claire .) In 1872, the Kirby's firm purchased a shipyard in Wyandotte, Michigan . In 1852, Campbell, Wolverton and Company opened a ship repair yard on the Detroit River at

180-409: A little over a decade. Sometime in the 1910s, the company built a new foundry and this building was converted into an erecting shop. At some time afterward, possibly as late as the 1950s, the southernmost bay of the building was turned into a loading dock with the addition of an interior concrete block wall. Balconies above the dock were constructed, likely for storage. At the same time as the foundry

240-440: A stockroom. A roof monitor provided light for the second floor, but the completely encased first floor required artificial lighting. Steel frame Steel frame is a building technique with a " skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams , constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame. The development of this technique made

300-402: Is a floor of precast concrete flooring units with some form of concrete topping. Often in office buildings, the final floor surface is provided by some form of raised flooring system with the void between the walking surface and the structural floor being used for cables and air handling ducts. The frame needs to be protected from fire because steel softens at high temperature and this can cause

360-596: Is anchored to the floor and ceiling to outline each room. The vertical studs are arranged in the tracks, usually spaced 16 inches (410 mm) apart, and fastened at the top and bottom. The typical profiles used in residential construction are the C-shape stud and the U-shaped track, and a variety of other profiles. Framing members are generally produced in a thickness of 12 to 25 gauge . Heavy gauges, such as 12 and 14 gauge, are commonly used when axial loads (parallel to

420-556: Is perhaps "the most important surviving nineteenth-century industrial building in Detroit." In 1902, the company constructed two structures: the Industrial Loft Building and a foundry. The Industrial Loft Building ran along Atwater from the east side of the machine shop to what was then Dequindre. The loft building fronted on Atwood, stretching from the machine shop to Dequindre; the foundry faced Dequindre north of

480-441: Is true that hot rolled steel members often have a higher initial cost per component when compared to cold rolled steel, their cost-efficiency becomes increasingly evident when used in the construction of larger structures. This is due to the fact that hot rolled steel frames require fewer components to span equivalent distances, leading to economic advantages in bigger projects. The use of steel instead of iron for structural purposes

540-494: Is unclear what use, if any, Detroit Edison put the property to in the 1930s and 40s, but in the 1950s and 60s Edison used the engine-building plant as a reconditioning and appliance shop. By 1968, the property was occupied by the Globe Trading Company, a machinery and mill supplies dealer. In 1981, Edison sold the property to Globe. At some time later, the property was abandoned, and by 2002 was empty and owned by

600-845: The Dry Dock Engine Works, the Detroit Dry Dock Company, and the Detroit Sheet Metal and Brass Works were combined to form the Detroit Shipbuilding Company, which itself was a subsidiary of the American Shipbuilding Company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio . The integration of these operating units created a substantial company: in 1900, the Detroit Shipbuilding Company employed 1337 people, and

660-534: The base material for the manufacture of cold-formed steel profiles. Sheet steel is then roll-formed into the final profiles used for framing. The sheets are zinc coated (galvanized) to increase protection against oxidation and corrosion . Steel framing provides excellent design flexibility due to the high strength-to-weight ratio of steel, which allows it to span over long distances, and also resist wind and earthquake loads. Steel-framed walls can be designed to offer excellent thermal and acoustic properties – one of

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720-480: The building into the Outdoor Adventure Center. This development involved demolition of portions of the historic building complex. The center opened in 2015. The Dry Dock Engine Works began manufacturing engines on Atwater Street in 1867; however, the earliest buildings used by the company were replaced by later buildings, built between 1892 and 1919. These early structures were located throughout

780-443: The building to partially collapse. In the case of the columns this is usually done by encasing it in some form of fire resistant structure such as masonry, concrete or plasterboard. The beams may be cased in concrete, plasterboard or sprayed with a coating to insulate it from the heat of the fire or it can be protected by a fire-resistant ceiling construction. Asbestos was a popular material for fireproofing steel structures up until

840-482: The city block owned by the company, and included a sheet metal works, boiler shop, forge, machine shop, and the Dry Dock Hotel. The Detroit Dry Dock Company began shipbuilding in the same area as early as 1852. Their earlier dry docks, including Dry Dock No. 1, no longer exist. A complex of six buildings, as well as Dry Dock No. 2, do remain. In 1892, the Detroit Dry Dock Company constructed a new dry dock near

900-405: The city of Detroit. In 2006, a $ 15-million redevelopment plan was announced, with 45 condominiums and 10,000 square feet (930 m) of ground floor retail space. To facilitate the renovation, in 2007, the city received an Environmental Protection Agency brownfields grant to clean up the building. However, the economic downturn in 2008-2009 forced a reconsideration of the renovation project, and

960-417: The columns with bolts and threaded fasteners, and historically connected by rivets . The central "web" of the steel I-beam is often wider than a column web to resist the higher bending moments that occur in beams. Wide sheets of steel deck can be used to cover the top of the steel frame as a "form" or corrugated mold, below a thick layer of concrete and steel reinforcing bars . Another popular alternative

1020-415: The company constructed a shipping/receiving building in the center of the complex, within what was previously an interior courtyard. This structure is a two-story steel-framed building measuring 5 by 72 feet (1.5 m × 22 m). The first floor was originally a shipping/receiving area, with access to Atwater via the drives running through the industrial loft building. The second floor functioned as

1080-542: The complex, along the city's east riverfront promenade. The Dry Dock Engine Works-Detroit Dry Dock Company Complex includes pieces of two once-independent companies—the Dry Dock Engine Works and the Detroit Dry Dock Company—which merged in 1899. In the 1840s, Captain Stephen R. Kirby began a shipbuilding firm in Cleveland, Ohio , and by 1852 had moved to Saginaw, Michigan . In 1870, Kirby's son Frank,

1140-515: The complex. Shipbuilding continued at the facilities in Wyandotte and Detroit through the 1920s, with a substantial number of ships constructed in the World War I years of 1917-1919. However, business soon decreased and in 1920 the yard in Wyandotte was closed as a cost-cutting measure. Not long afterward, in 1924, a pair of steamers were fitted up in the Detroit yards; these two proved to be

1200-503: The construction of the skyscraper possible. Steel frame has displaced its predecessor, the iron frame , in the early 20th century. The rolled steel "profile" or cross section of steel columns takes the shape of the letter "Ɪ". The two wide flanges of a column are thicker and wider than the flanges on a beam , to better withstand compressive stress in the structure. Square and round tubular sections of steel can also be used, often filled with concrete. Steel beams are connected to

1260-448: The demand for iron-based building products, due mainly to problems of producing steel from alkaline ores. These problems, caused principally by the presence of phosphorus, were solved by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas in 1879. It was not until 1880 that an era of construction based on reliable mild steel began. By that date the quality of steels being produced had become reasonably consistent. The Home Insurance Building , completed in 1885,

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1320-516: The dry dock firm that was then called Campbell & Owen. The firm slowly acquired surrounding lots, and by 1880 owned nearly the entire city block back to Guoin Street. (The city vacated Dequindre in the vicinity of the Dry Dock Engine Works in 1917, and Guoin some time later; neither street currently exists in the area.) The main product line of the Dry Dock Engine Works was marine engines, and they produced 129 engines between 1867 and 1894. However,

1380-640: The earlier machine shop which fronted on Atwater. The building was designed and built by Berlin Iron Bridge Company , a firm from Connecticut now part of the American Bridge Company . The building featured a load-bearing steel frame and non-load-bearing brick curtain walls , at the time a novel construction technique. Also in 1892, Berlin Iron Bridge also built a boiler shop of the same construction across Dequindre from

1440-410: The early 1890s that fraction had increased to nearly 2/3. The ties were enhanced by the fact that Frank Kirby, John Owen, and James McMillan of Detroit Dry Dock slowly acquired shares in Dry Dock Engine Works. By the end of the 1880s, virtually all of the Dry Dock Engine Works shares were owned by Detroit Dry Dock principals. In 1892, James McMillan took over the presidency of Dry Dock Engine Works, and

1500-402: The early 1970s, before the health risks of asbestos fibres were fully understood. The exterior "skin" of the building is anchored to the frame using a variety of construction techniques and following a huge variety of architectural styles . Bricks , stone , reinforced concrete , architectural glass , sheet metal and simply paint have been used to cover the frame to protect the steel from

1560-406: The firm also produced stationary and portable steam engines, as well as mining equipment, mill gearing, and brass and iron casting. In 1883, Dry Dock Engine Works bought the nearby boiler shop of Desotell & Hudson, expanding their product line. Although unimportant at the time, the Dry Dock Engine Works is significant as an early employer of Henry Ford . The future automobile magnate worked at

1620-441: The firm between 1880 and 1882 as an apprentice machinist. His work with steam engines at the Dry Dock Engine Works inspired in part Ford's later idea of adding an engine to a carriage for road use. The Dry Dock Engine Works had always had a special relationship with the nearby Detroit Dry Dock Company, which only increased as the years passed. In the 1870s, Dry Dock Engine Works sold over 1/3 of their engines to Detroit Dry Dock; by

1680-469: The first building to be completely supported by a riveted all-steel frame was the 1889 Rand McNally Building. The steel frame allowed the exterior walls to be reduced to a simple curtain covering the frame, rather than supporting the weight of the building. The Berlin Iron Bridge Company, already experienced in riveted steel construction through their bridge construction, moved into the design and construction of steel-framed industrial buildings at some time in

1740-454: The foot of Orleans Street, just west of their original dry dock facility. Dry Dock No. 2 was 378 feet (115 m) long, 20.5 feet (6.2 m) deep below the water line, with a width of between 91 feet (28 m) (at the top) and 55 feet (17 m) (at the bottom). Over two thousand piles were driven into the ground to support the dock. As constructed, the dock could be flooded in twenty minutes and pumped dry in about ninety minutes. The dock

1800-424: The foot of Orleans Street. In 1860 the firm, now known (with the addition of John Owen as president) as Campbell & Owen, constructed a 260' dry dock in the same location. They constructed their first steamship in 1867. In 1877, Campbell & Owen reorganized, changing its name to the Detroit Dry Dock Company. At about the same time, Detroit Dry Dock purchased the Kirby's Wyandotte shipbuilding firm. Also in

1860-503: The grain structure of the steel and align its crystalline lattice. It is then passed through precision rollers to achieve the desired frame profiles. The distinctive feature of hot formed frames is their substantial beam thickness and larger dimensions, making them more robust compared to their cold rolled counterparts. This inherent strength makes them particularly well-suited for application in larger structures, as they show minimal deformation when subjected to substantial loads. While it

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1920-563: The last vessels constructed in Detroit by the American Shipbuilding Company. The Detroit Shipbuilding Company completely ceased operations in 1929. The property owned by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company at Atwood and Orleans passed through several hands, being used by a cabinet shop and a stove manufacturer in the early 1930s. In 1935, the property was acquired by the Detroit Edison Company . It

1980-551: The late 1870s, railroad and shipping magnate James McMillan became interested in shipbuilding, purchasing shares in Detroit Dry Dock. By 1890, McMillan was president of the company, and by 1892 was also president of the nearby Dry Dock Engine Works. Dry Dock Engine Works, a marine engine manufacturer, was formed in 1866 by William Cowie, Edward Jones, and Robert Donaldson, with Cowie as president. The firm set up shop on Atwater, between Orleans and Dequindre, across from

2040-514: The late 1880s. The machine shop is an early example of an industrial building which was entirely supported by a rigid structural steel frame , with exterior walls that were merely a curtain around the structure. This building may very well have been the first such structure in Detroit. The particular design used by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company represented a conservative, hybrid design. The steel frame completely supported

2100-407: The length of the building. The interior is sectioned into a 46-foot-wide (14 m) main section and a 26-foot-wide lean-to (7.9 m). Like the machine shop, the foundry is constructed with a load-bearing steel frame sheathed with non-load-bearing brick. The interior bays ran the full height of the building to make room for an overhead crane. The foundry building operated as a foundry for only

2160-459: The length of the member) are high, such as in load-bearing construction. Medium-heavy gauges, such as 16 and 18 gauge, are commonly used when there are no axial loads but heavy lateral loads (perpendicular to the member) such as exterior wall studs that need to resist hurricane-force wind loads along coasts. Light gauges, such as 25 gauge, are commonly used where there are no axial loads and very light lateral loads such as in interior construction where

2220-448: The loads on the floors as well as the weight of the roof. The steel framing, however, was wholly contained within the building rather than being encased in the brick. Sometime between 1910 and 1919, three more structures were built, enclosing the yard between the 1892 machine shop and the 1902 foundry. The machine shop addition is a steel-framed structure 122 feet (37 m) long, 41 feet (12 m) wide, and 43 feet (13 m) high to

2280-403: The loft building, completing the enclosure of the entire city block from Atwood to Guoin and Orleans to Dequindre. The foundry is 151 feet (46 m) long and 75 feet (23 m) wide, and stands 50 feet (15 m) high to the top of the wall; a roof monitor adds another 14 feet (4.3 m) to the height. The building is divided into seven 21-foot-wide bays (6.4 m). Clerestory windows run

2340-429: The main complex; this building has since been demolished. The machine shop is 200 feet (61 m) long, 66 feet (20 m) wide, and 48 feet (15 m) tall to the top of the wall; a roof monitor extends the height an additional 10 feet (3.0 m). The building consists of thirteen bays dividing the length into 15-foot sections (4.6 m), with the northernmost bay a full 2 feet (0.61 m) wider. Internally,

2400-428: The members serve as framing for demising walls between rooms. The wall finish is anchored to the two flange sides of the stud, which varies from 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 to 3 inches (32 to 76 mm) thick, and the width of web ranges from 1 + 5 ⁄ 8 to 14 inches (41 to 356 mm). Rectangular sections are removed from the web to provide access for electrical wiring. Steel mills produce galvanized sheet steel,

2460-506: The more substantial, traditional appearance afforded by the brick exterior. In addition, the brick gave some protection from cold during winter months, with enough windows to maximize the interior light. This particular building exemplifies a link between the traditional past style of industrial architecture and the revolutionary change represented by steel framing. Eric J. Hill and John Gallagher, in their American Institute of Architects guide to Detroit architecture , state that this building

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2520-413: The most modern innovations applied to manufacturing buildings: electric drive machinery and an electrically driven traveling overhead crane. The tall, wide construction of the building, containing an open space lacking support columns, reflects the desire to implement the crane into the company's manufacturing process. In fact, contemporaneous material from the Detroit Dry Dock Company extols the virtues of

2580-417: The one in the original machine shop. However, some time after 1922 a wooden floor was constructed within the building to provide a second story on top of a 22-foot-high (6.7 m) first-floor bay. Some time later, a chipping room was built along the north end of the block between the machine shop addition and the foundry building, displacing remnants of earlier buildings in the same place. The chipping room

2640-459: The open plan of the building, the "great advantages of light and air" afforded by the skylight and windows, and the effectiveness of the crane. The open space in the building was possible due to the construction of the building in what was at the time a novel method. Steel frame construction had emerged in 1880s Chicago in the construction of office buildings , the first being the nine-story Home Insurance Building , constructed in 1884. However,

2700-557: The project plan was converted to incorporate rental units. The redevelopment was intended to be financed in part by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and in part by using historic tax credits, made possible by the inclusion of the complex on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Instead of the proposed housing development, in 2013 the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began renovating

2760-450: The roof trusses. A roof monitor extended the height another 4 feet (1.2 m). It was built along the east side of the 1892 machine shop; the brick in-fill of the machine shop was removed to provide a continuous inner area. The north wall of the structure had a large steel-framed window wall, although the lower portion of it is now bricked in. The interior of the addition was originally a wide, open space with an overhead crane similar to

2820-468: The second floor, and engineering offices and storage on the third floor. In addition, two narrow drives passed through the first floor to an interior courtyard. These drives were later bricked in. Other alterations of the facade over time include bricking in of windows on the east side and the addition of doors on the south side. Like the machine shop and foundry, the loft building had a steel-framed structure with brick curtain walls. The framing supported

2880-458: The shop is separated by columns into a 37-foot-wide erecting bay (11 m) running the length of the building on the west side, and a 27-foot-wide lean-to (8.2 m) on the east side. Pediment walls at each end of the building rise above the roof and are capped with limestone. Two windows per bay were included along the west side. The original windows were replaced sometime between 1912 and 1932. The building originally had two large doorways on

2940-413: The spacing is 24 inches (610 mm) on center for all walls except for elevator and staircase wells. Hot Formed frames, also known as hot-rolled steel frames, are engineered from steel that undergoes a complex manufacturing process known as hot rolling. During this procedure, steel members are heated to temperatures above the steel’s recrystallization temperature (1700˚F).This process serves to refine

3000-514: The specific considerations when building using cold-formed steel is that thermal bridging can occur across the wall system between the outside environment and interior conditioned space. Thermal bridging can be protected against by installing a layer of externally fixed insulation along the steel framing – typically referred to as a 'thermal break'. The spacing between studs is typically 16 inches on center for home exterior and interior walls depending on designed loading requirements. In office suites

3060-402: The structure, but the non-load-bearing curtain walls were nonetheless designed the same way as traditional brick load-bearing walls. The windows in the infill were standard-sized windows arranged in a traditional two per bay, side-by-side configuration. The construction gave the Dry Dock Engine Works the advantages of the open interior space provided by the steel frame construction combined with

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3120-399: The two firms were controlled by the same person. It was around this time that the oldest of the remaining structures in the complex, the machine shop and dry dock no. 2, were built. Although even after 1892 the two firms were technically separate, they essentially operated as a single business unit, with the same principals in charge of both. In 1899, this relationship became more formal, as

3180-415: The weather. Cold-formed steel frames are also known as lightweight steel framing (LSF). Thin sheets of galvanized steel can be cold formed into steel studs for use as a structural or non-structural building material for both external and partition walls in both residential, commercial and industrial construction projects (pictured). The dimension of the room is established with a horizontal track that

3240-402: The west side; these have since been bricked in. The roof is supported by a series of trusses spaced at nearly 12-foot intervals (3.7 m). A 13-foot-wide roof monitor (4.0 m) runs most of the length of the roof. Although now covered with sheet metal, the sides and roof of the monitor were originally glass. The 1892 machine shop was constructed to take advantage of what was at the time

3300-403: Was constructed, the Detroit Shipbuilding Company also built a three-story loft building. The loft building fronted on Atwater Street, and was 172 feet (52 m) long, 50 feet (15 m) wide, and 55 feet (17 m) high to the top of the roof pediment. The building was originally occupied by a blacksmith's shop, bolt-cutter, and office space on the first floor, a pattern shop and tool room on

3360-485: Was initially slow. The first iron-framed building, Ditherington Flax Mill , had been built in 1797, but it was not until the development of the Bessemer process in 1855 that steel production was made efficient enough for steel to be a widely used material. Cheap steels, which had high tensile and compressive strengths and good ductility, were available from about 1870, but wrought and cast iron continued to satisfy most of

3420-523: Was sized to be able to accommodate any vessel traveling on the Great Lakes at that time, and could house even fully loaded vessels. A monument with sculpture depicting the Dry Dock and the steamer Pioneer is located at the north end of the dry dock. Also in 1892, Detroit Dry Dock built a machine shop at the corner of Atwater and Orleans, running parallel to Orleans. The shop replaced a portion of

3480-774: Was the first to use skeleton frame construction, completely removing the load bearing function of its masonry cladding. In this case the iron columns are merely embedded in the walls, and their load carrying capacity appears to be secondary to the capacity of the masonry, particularly for wind loads. In the United States, the first steel framed building was the Rand McNally Building in Chicago, erected in 1890. The Royal Insurance Building in Liverpool designed by James Francis Doyle in 1895 (erected 1896–1903)

3540-407: Was the fourth-largest employer in Detroit. A few years later, in 1902, the Detroit Shipbuilding Company built two more still-surviving structures, the foundry and the industrial loft building. Sometime in the 1910s, three more structures were built, which completed the enclosure of the block where the original Dry Dock Engine Company was founded, and represent the latest of the surviving buildings of

3600-407: Was where surface imperfections of castings were removed. This structure is also steel-framed, sharing its columns with adjacent buildings on the east and west. The building is 80 feet (24 m) long and 56 feet (17 m) wide, and was built in two sections separated by a masonry wall. Much of the north side was originally steel-framed windows; these have since been covered with blocks. In 1918,

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