History
Construction on the building began in 1926, and completed in 1927. The building was constructed for the fraternal organization Knights of the Maccabees which later established the Royal Maccabees Insurance Company.
Surplus space in the building was leased to other businesses, including retail business on the ground floor and office space in the upper floors. One noteworthy tenant was Detroit's radio and television station WXYZ which had its offices and later television studios and broadcast facilities in the Maccabees Building prior to 1959. From 1959 until 1987, the studios, transmitter, and broadcast tower were used by WDET-FM. During the 1950s, Soupy Sales performed in the lower level studio.
In 1960, the Maccabees Insurance Company relocated its headquarters to a new building in the northern suburb of Southfield. In 1986, it built new 251000 sqft office building, once again in Southfield. These newer structures are also sometimes referred to as the Maccabees Building.
When the Maccabees organization vacated the building in 1960, the Detroit Public School System (DPS) purchased it for a headquarters. From 1960 to 2002, it served as the headquarters of Detroit Public Schools. It officially became the School Center Building but the Maccabees name remained visible on the exterior.[3][4]
The Maccabees Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The use of grey stone and the architecture partially inspired the appearance of the Unity Tower.[5]
In 2002, DPS paid the owner of the Fisher Building $24.1 million to purchase five floors to house administrative offices, citing the high cost of renovations needed at the Maccabees Building to comply with building and safety codes.[6][7] That same year, Wayne State University purchased the Maccabees Building for additional space. The building houses administrative offices, communication equipment, retail space, and offices for a number of the university's academic departments as part of Wayne State's campus. After acquisition, initial reviews of the structure estimated that façade repairs would cost $1.95 million; upgrades to the fire alarm and emergency lighting systems, $960,000; repairs to utility shaft and exit stairways, $405,000; and elevator upgrades, $770,000.[8]
The entire structure was renovated in 2004 and 2005 with second, third and fourteenth floors equipped to house the Wayne State University Computer Science Department.[9][10]
On March 25, 2011, Wayne State University and Detroit Public Television announced they would jointly operate a television production studio in the space previously occupied by WXYZ-TV. The studio would reunite the entities who co-produced programs through the late 1970s. The space will be upgraded in phases to install new equipment and provide internships for students in the university's media arts programs.[11]
On April 1, 2026, the building experienced a fire which was confined to a rooftop air circulation unit. No injuries were reported and all occupants evacuated safely. [12][13]
