CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building

building in Detroit, Michigan, United States

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ5440374
Source-derived summary

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building, commonly called the Federal Reserve Building, is a bank building located at 160 West Fort Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

History

In 1913 the United States Congress created the Federal Reserve System, which established twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Detroit was included in the Chicago region. Regional banks had the authority to create branch offices, and in 1917 the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago authorized the establishment of a Detroit Branch. In March 1918, the Detroit Branch opened, operating out of three local institutions. However, Detroit operations soon outgrew this operation, and in 1921 a site was chosen for a new building.

This site was within the Detroit Financial District, at a location that had once been part of Fort Shelby. After the fort was demolished, the land associated with it was divided into lots. Hiram Walker purchased several lots and constructed a house there.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building” as building in Detroit, Michigan, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Federal, Reserve and Bank.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2008, 1913, 1917, 1918—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Federal, Reserve and Bank providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building”, the useful work is to connect “building in Detroit, Michigan, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5440374. Authority coordinates are 42.331, -83.049. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008, 1913, 1917 and 1918.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building primary sources, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building archive and Federal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.