  1805 Member Username: 1805 Post Number: 58 Registered: 03-2007 |
Anyone else notice this ABOMINABLE OVERSIGHT that's left a symbol of our nightime skyline stood up in the dark?? The glowing red ball that blinks intermittently atop the Penobscot Building has been out for at least a week. It's intermittent flash controls the intermittent beat of my heart, and I'm waiting to be resuscitated. | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 4028 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ha Ha ^ one might say you have the pulse of Detroit. But if you feel bad, imagine how the pilot who crashes into it because he couldn't see it might feel. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1210 Registered: 07-2004 |
Now he'd *really* be ON THE BALL ... | ||
Jz_detroit Member Username: Jz_detroit Post Number: 23 Registered: 12-2005 |
I noticed it off I-75 and Mcnichols going south. That light needs to be fixed ASAP! | ||
Elsuperbob Member Username: Elsuperbob Post Number: 19 Registered: 03-2007 |
I was going to post this myself after seeing it off Sunday night. I've been out of the country for a while and was wondering if it's been off for a while or not. | ||
Kslice Member Username: Kslice Post Number: 126 Registered: 04-2007 |
I was at the tiger game back on the 21st and saw the light was out. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1341 Registered: 10-2006 |
Has it been that way for a while? I remembered the first comment in this thread; took a min. to dig it up: https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/91697/104420.html | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1107 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hopefully it's just temporary and the owner hasn't shut it off for good to save money. Is there a smaller red light at the top that meets the FAA requirements? | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 2791 Registered: 12-2005 |
How many forumers does it take to change a light bulb? Discuss Detroit » NON-DETROIT ISSUES » What does it mean to have the last post in a thread? | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1295 Registered: 12-2006 |
^Don't bring that up again!  Ah, that was fun. | ||
1805 Member Username: 1805 Post Number: 59 Registered: 03-2007 |
It's back on now! Albeit, faintly flickering. Since the light's been resuscitated it's going to need some time mustering strength and a strong, healthy pulse. I swear it appears as if it's "recovering". | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1986 Registered: 04-2005 |
I tried looking at it from the river cam, no go. http://www.detroithistorical.o rg/webcam/default.htm | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1108 Registered: 11-2003 |
Didn't the frequency (or cycle, whatever you want to call it) of the light make it come on more often than its rather sluggish cycle of recent years? Did it use to be constantly lit? | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1109 Registered: 11-2003 |
By "constantly lit," I meant at night, of course-- not also during the day. | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 2358 Registered: 02-2004 |
It wasn't on last night. I watched for it from dusk to 2am. | ||
Downtown_dave Member Username: Downtown_dave Post Number: 150 Registered: 07-2005 |
Wow - there's a person in need of a hobby... I know a good patch of fresh cement that you might want to watch dry... (just kidding, Oldredfordette :-) (And MGM is running out of places to pour cement!) | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 2393 Registered: 02-2004 |
Slow night, DDave. All I have to do to see the Penobscot Building is turn my head ever so slightly to the right (which I try not to do). | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1421 Registered: 01-2005 |
I commented about it being out several weeks ago. Anyone know what's up? | ||
Karl_jr Member Username: Karl_jr Post Number: 55 Registered: 06-2007 |
Penobscot Building Management sez the contractor has been ordered and it will be repaired soon. | ||
Alexei289 Member Username: Alexei289 Post Number: 1316 Registered: 11-2004 |
... someone check the plug yet? ;) | ||
Rsa Member Username: Rsa Post Number: 1194 Registered: 10-2003 |
saw it was on last night driving into downtown. | ||
Billk Member Username: Billk Post Number: 75 Registered: 09-2005 |
Last night it was on. but not flashing off and on. | ||
Malcovemagnesia Member Username: Malcovemagnesia Post Number: 41 Registered: 12-2005 |
What was the ball originally put there to do? Just be a signal for aircraft ("please don't hit this building"?) or an advertising thing? (growing up, I remember there being a "MNB" sign underneath it, short for Manufacturers National Bank, now merged/conglomerated into Comerica) | ||
Erikd Member Username: Erikd Post Number: 889 Registered: 10-2003 |
It's on tonight, but still not flashing. | ||
1805 Member Username: 1805 Post Number: 60 Registered: 03-2007 |
Who prefers it to blink besides me? It looks foreign with that constant glow. Pulse!! | ||
Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 1766 Registered: 01-2004 |
 | ||
Downtown_dave Member Username: Downtown_dave Post Number: 155 Registered: 07-2005 |
Great photo, Mauser. I experienced that angle quite a few years ago from the old view deck on the Penobscot. Looks like an alien ship has gotten tangled with an Italian street market. ;-) | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1122 Registered: 11-2003 |
The letters in the '70s actually were CNB, for City National Bank. I can't remember what bank gobbled up CNB. There was a big fuss when CNB renamed the Penobscot the City National Bank Building. | ||
Billk Member Username: Billk Post Number: 106 Registered: 09-2005 |
Last night it still wasn't blinking. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1837 Registered: 01-2005 |
Well, it was on last night during the ballgame. I was watching it here on TV in Las Vegas when the camera panned up to a close-up on the Penobscot and sure as the dickens, it was lit up. If I can see it here in Vegas, howcum youse all in Detroit can't? | ||
Homer Member Username: Homer Post Number: 224 Registered: 08-2004 |
we see it but it's not blinking no mo. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5158 Registered: 08-2004 |
Piece of trivia... the 47 story Penobscot Building is officially listed as having a height of 557 feet. However, including the roof top antenna(s) and ball it soars to 625 feet. | ||
Elsuperbob Member Username: Elsuperbob Post Number: 65 Registered: 03-2007 |
Maybe you can answer this, Gistok. It's said the Penobscot was the 8th tallest when built. Do you know of a list of what the others were. I've found 6 buildings that were certainly taller and one building that I've found two heights for, one taller than the Penobscot and one shorter. Here's the list and building date and height in meters. Is this accurate? Woolworth-1913-241 Metropolitan Life-1909-213 New York Life-1928-188 Singer-1908-187 Manhattan Municipal-1914-177 Chicago Temple-1924-173 Penobscot-1928-172 Hotel Sherry-Netherland-1927-171 or 173.5 It's also interesting to note that the Penobscot was in the top 10 but only a few years later was knocked out of that and its height more than doubled by the Empire State Building. The Ambassador Bridge shared a similar fate. When built it had the longest main span of any suspension bridge in the world but only a few years later it was nearly doubled by the George Washington. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5161 Registered: 08-2004 |
Thanks for the list Elsuperbob. I'll have to mull this over for a while. The Hotel Sherry-Nederland is actually the Carew Tower complex in Cincinnati, which consisted of a 49 story office tower, a 36 story hotel and a 28 story (demolished) parking structure. However, I thought that the Carew Tower complex dates to 1930, since the Fisher Building predates both it and Rockefeller Center as a "building complex". Of the buildings on that list, the Singer Building has since been demolished. It looked very awkward as an early attempt at skyscraper construction, with a top that was bulkier than the shaft of the tower. If that list is accurate, then Penobscot's reign in the top 10 was something like 1-2 years. Other taller buildings (built 1929-32) were: Cleveland's Terminal Tower, NYC 40 Wall Tower, 60 Wall Tower, Chanin Building, RCA Building, General Electric Building, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and so on. (Message edited by Gistok on August 23, 2007) | ||
Elsuperbob Member Username: Elsuperbob Post Number: 66 Registered: 03-2007 |
Thanks Gistok The Hotel Sherry Netherland I'm listing is a New York building at 781 5th. At Emporis it's 171 meters http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/b u/?id=hotelsherrynestreetrland -newyorkcity-ny-usa At nyc-architecture.com it's listed as 173.5 http://www.nyc-architecture.co m/UES/UES007.htm | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5169 Registered: 08-2004 |
Thanks Elsuperbob. Since I had not heard of that hotel name anywhere else, I assumed it was the building in Cincinnati. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 91 Registered: 05-2007 |
In case you all were still in fear of the Penob's ball not blinking ever again, I was at the Tigers game last night (9/11), and while sitting in Sheff's Kitchen (section 142), observed the red ball blink on and off numerous times. We can all rest soundly tonight.... |
