Detroit — To the untrained eye, the glittering tiles you spot around the Motor City are remnants of Detroit’s glory days. They call back to a time when industry and population growth brought decadence downtown. But the beautiful ceramics aren’t just a relic of the Roaring Twenties, they’re Pewabic tiles, and they’re still made here.
First stop: Pewabic
Our tour begins on the east side of Detroit at Pewabic Pottery, one of the oldest continually operating pottery studios in the country. This tudor-style house has been home to Detroit’s signature tile makers since 1907. Pewabic was founded just a few years earlier, in 1903, when artist Mary Chase Perry and kiln manufacturer Horace J. Caulkins received their first big commission from a ceramics sales house.
The two, who were neighbors before they were business partners, named their organization Pewabic after a mine in Mary’s hometown of Hancock, Michigan. She borrowed the Ojibwe word “biiwaabik” for iron or metal.
More than 100 years later, the original house still stands, and it still churns out pottery. Visitors can browse the lower floor and shop. Choose between iridescent tiles stamped with ginkgo leaves or Zodiac signs, Christmas ornaments displaying the holy family, or glossy vases standing squat or tall.
Upstairs, visitors can tour through Pewabic’s history at a free museum exhibition. It includes one of Caulkin’s Revelation Kilns, as well as samples of Mary’s early works. Perusing the shop and exhibit, it becomes easier to recognize Pewabic pottery. It’s characterized by earthen tones, iridescent glaze, and handmade designs.
Up next? The Detroit Public Library
Now that you’ve learned to spot Pewabic tile, it’s time to go looking for it. Start at the Detroit Public Library.
Here, you’ll find one of the earliest of the city’s Pewabic installments. In 1920, just as the Motor City’s population began to skyrocket, the library commissioned a tile mural that spans the arches buttressing its third floor. Visible from the outside of the building, the mural extends across all seven archways.
Crafted by Pewabic’s founders, the mural depicts the “Seven Stages of Man”—a scene from Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” It took seven months to complete.
As Detroit blossomed, Pewabic’s handiwork continued to appear throughout the city and beyond. Places like Sacred Heart Seminary, the Detroit Zoo, Christ Church Cranbrook, and Ford Motor commissioned tiles to adorn their buildings.
It was during this time that Pewabic began to receive national renown. Mary was commissioned to create tiles for the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Stop No. 3: Detroit Institute of Arts
Now take a jaunt across Woodward to the Detroit Institute of Arts and head toward the Rivera Court.
On your way, step into Armory Hall. On your right and left, you’ll see twin niches of glimmering tiles providing a shimmering backdrop to glass art. These Pewabic tiles have been there since 1928.
Like many Pewabic installations, you wouldn’t know these are Detroit-made tiles if you weren’t clued in. There’s no plaque. No sign. But there they are, adorning what’s already there to be admired.
If you make your way toward Rivera Court again, you might be tempted to breeze past a fountain on your way into the hall. Don’t. Pause and take in Mary’s handiwork. The muted tiles cemented around a cherub’s golden face were installed in 1927.
After you’ve admired the fountain, you can see Pewabic’s latest contribution to the DIA. It’s tempting to only look up in Rivera Hall, surrounded by vast murals of industrialists. If you look down, though, you’ll see you’re stepping on medallions crafted by Pewabic.
As you exit the DIA, glance across the street where the College for Creative Studies stands. Back when Perry’s iridescent tiles and fountain were being installed in the DIA, the college went by another name: the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. This group was started by the Pewabic founders in 1906. By 1926, it offered a formal four-year art program teaching painting, sculpting, and other artisanship.
Last stop: Downtown Detroit
After you’ve toured around midtown, head down Woodward.
First, you’ll pass Little Caesars Arena. Custom tile inlays flank the arena entrances on the Woodward-facing facade. Notice the ruby-red squares featuring the Redwing’s signature winged tire. Each one is bespoke.
Then drive down to Comerica Park. Once your eye has learned to recognize Pewabic’s shimmering tiles, you’ll see them all over the entrance to the Tiger’s stomping grounds. Completed in 2000, Comerica Park features Pewabic-tile baseballs, tigers, and Old English “D” logos in the familiar orange and blue.
Pewabic’s presence throughout old and new Detroit points to its resilience. After the boom of the 1920s, the group pivoted to making smaller, more affordable products to survive the Great Depression. Mary and her husband even sold their house to keep the pottery studio open.
The institution changed hands several times after Mary’s death in 1961. For a time, it was owned by Michigan State University, who operated it as a satellite for its ceramics programs. By 1979, the beginnings of the Pewabic Society were formed. The group took over in 1981 and has run things ever since.
Spot Pewabic, Celebrate Detroit
These aren’t the only places you can see Pewabic tiles around Detroit. They adorn the Cathedral of St. Paul. They beautify several People Mover and QLine stations. They welcome people into the Guardian Building and babies born at St. John Hospital Birthing Center.
These tiles are seldom marked, at least not in any obvious way. So learn to spot their characteristic sheen. It’s a reminder of Detroit’s past greatness, its resilience, and how skilled artisans can create beauty for future generations.
Katie Clarey is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer.
