The Fisher Building at Eighty

I took this picture of the Fisher building the day I went to see Avenue Q at the Fisher Theater. I can walk to the Fisher from the house. It is a little more than a block away. In fact, I see the building most nights as I pass by the windows at the back of the house.

The Fisher building turned eighty this year. As I was researching it's history I found out it was one of three buildings that were planned, except the stock market crash in 1929 and subsequent depression got in the way. The building was designed to be the Fisher Body Corporation headquarters and convieniently it was just across the street from the General Motors building and headquarters, their main customer.

By 1931, the effects of the "Great Depression" were negatively impacting the City of Detroit and the autombile industry. Car production was down by 80% from 1928 numbers. As Detroit's economy tumbled, the Fisher brothers stepped up and provided food and medical services to the growing number of homeless citizens. They also turned their idled plants into homeless shelters.

By 1935, it seemed that the stranglehold the depression had on Detroit was beginning to loosen. By the end of the 1930s, the Fisher Body Corporation was back to work, this time building the anti-aircraft guns and gun mounts that would play a role in the success the U.S. has in the outcome of World War II.

Gregory Fisher, CEO of Fisher Coachworks LLC and the grandson of one of the original Fisher brothers, recently announced in Crains Detroit Business that they want to begin manufacturing a lightweight mass transit hybrid bus in 2009. The design will allow this new vehicle to achive an MPG that is double what a hybird bus achieves on the road today. He indicated that they "...hope to build the vehicle in Michigan".

The company anticipates that the manufacture of this new vehicle will generate 600 new jobs and revenue of $480 million. With Michigan in it's eighth year of a growing recession and unemployment in the state at 8.6%, it appears that the Fisher family is again stepping up to the plate and hitting a long one for the home team.

Even after eighty years, the name "Fisher" is one a building can be proud of.