Penobscot Building weighs new light, observation deck

That winking red orb atop the Penobscot Building is almost as much of a downtown Detroit landmark as the skyscraper itself. So how come more than half of it has been burned out for months?

Because changing the bulbs is a heck of a lot easier said than done.

For starters, the ball is made up of about 200 neon tubes — and those neon tubes are custom-made.

And it's not like you can just stand on a chair to change them, either. The ball sits atop a 100-foot tower that is accessible only by a narrow ladder that puts you more than 650 feet above the streets of Detroit.

Then there's the cost.

Fixing and rewiring just 21 of the tubes in October 2011 cost about $26,000, said Kim Farmer, vice president of operations and leasing for the building's owner, Triple Properties.

"Not to mention you have to find the electrician brave enough to climb 568 feet into the air" to swap them out, she said. "I don't even know how they do it."

Farmer said Triple is working on getting the orb fixed and is exploring bigger, longer-term solutions, such as converting the orb to LED lights. The fact that the lights are mostly out is anything but an issue of neglect, she said.

"Trust me, having it lit is as important to us as it is to others," said Farmer, who has worked in the building for 18 years. "We know that the ball is one of those Detroit icons.

"My thought is that we will replace the tubes and repair the ball this year. The project of converting the ball to neon is likely in the three- to five-year plan."

The orb, which is 12 feet in diameter, was first turned on when the building opened in October 1928, and can be seen 40 miles away. There is an urban legend that the building's tower and orb were once used as a port for a dirigible. In truth, it was just a plain ol' aviation beacon, necessary because the Penobscot was the eighth-tallest building in the world — and the fourth tallest in the United States — when it opened 87 years ago.

These days, however, with planes flying higher and the Penobscot having been surpassed by taller buildings, the blinking red light is simply for decoration. There aren't any safety issues with the Federal Aviation Administration, Farmer said, so it hasn't been urgent to get it relit.

A case in point: Around 2006, the building's then-owner shut off the beacon completely, citing the electric bill and the pain of maintenance. But in October 2011, the switch was flipped back on as part of a $1.5-million renovation of the 1928 Art Deco landmark. Triple Properties bought the building on May 3, 2012.

In related news, Farmer reports that Triple Properties is exploring the possibility of reopening the building's observation deck, which has been closed for decades. A number of other soaring skyscrapers in other cities have such tourist draws, so it's a safe bet that such a move would be wildly popular here, too.

Dan Austin, assistant editor for opinion digital/interactive, also runs the Detroit architectural resource HistoricDetroit.org. He has written two books, "Forgotten Landmarks of Detroit" and "Lost Detroit." Follow him on Twitter @HistoricDET and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HistoricDetroit.

Did you know?

That the giant Penobscot Building is actually one of three Penobscot buildings that make up the complex? The first was a 13-story number on Fort Street between Griswold and State streets that was erected in 1903. It was joined by a 24-story tower in 1916. The 47-floor monster with the blinking red eye joined the skyline 12 years later, in 1928.