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Detroit circa 1911. "Frederick Stearns and Company laboratory from southeast." This pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and office building, at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Bellevue Street, has since been repurposed into the Lofts at Rivertown condominiums. Minus the ivy. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
I've been surprised that very few architectural photos and cityscapes feature someone looking out a window. This one features someone looking, possibly at the photographer, from the top corner window.
The window washing business came into existence.
The original, 3-story brick building was designed by William Stratton around 1899. Business must have been good, because first they added a fourth floor to the brick building and then, around 1910, Albert Kahn plopped a concrete tower in the building's courtyard. I was going to embed a google maps view, but this picture from the Detroit1701 site gives a similar view as the original photo, plus shows the tower looming above.
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