A fire broke out at the iconic Maccabees Building on Woodward Avenue in Detroit on Wednesday afternoon, sending plumes of smoke through Wayne State University’s campus.
Students covered their mouths and noses with coats and scarves as firefighters rushed to the scene and quickly contained the blaze. The fire, which started shortly after 1 p.m., was extinguished in less than an hour.
The cause of the fire appears to be electrical, and no one was injured, a Wayne State University spokesman tells Metro Times. It wasn’t immediately clear how extensive the damage was to the historic Albert Kahn-designed building.
Smoke poured from the upper portion of the 14-story building, and the flames scorched the limestone facade.
The building, one of Midtown’s most recognizable structures, opened in 1927 and is now owned by Wayne State.
Originally built as the headquarters for the Maccabees, a fraternal organization that transformed into an insurance company, the building later became home to Detroit Public Schools before Wayne State purchased it in the early 2000s.
The building is also an important part of Detroit broadcasting history. According to Historic Detroit, the original radio versions of The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet were created and recorded there after WXYZ moved into the building.
The Maccabees Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
