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 2001, 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 251,000-square-foot (23,300 m2) 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 1992, 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.
The Maccabees Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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. 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 Midtown Detroit campus. The 2nd, 3rd and 14th floors were recently renovated to accommodate the Computer Science Department.
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