I remember seeing the Larkin image in an old architecture book many years ago and being unimpressed even then when compared to the other New York skyscrapers that were actually built. There is little excuse for the banal design of the Larkin Tower. Art Deco was coming into vogue at that time - starting with the Exposition internationale des arts décoratif et industriels modernes held in Paris in 1925.
The mention of the 2nd Book Tower in the Larkin announcement is very interesting since it shows how close the Detroit project was to actuality.
By the way Detroit's Book tower is not abandoned. It has changed hands twice since 2005 and is now owned by KSI Capital Corp.; however, I imagine that vacancy rates are fairly high due to the maintenance problems with the elevators and electrical system. Plus the building facade has never been cleaned (at least while I have been alive).
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My Detroit and Lego architecture photos: flickr/decojim/
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