Mini Minorus | Jason R Woods | Architectural Photography

If you follow me on Instagram, you may notice that I have a particular affinity for Minoru Yamasaki designs. This week we’ll look at a few of his smaller, lesser-known works in the Detroit area.

First up is Land’s Pharmacy. You can find it on 11 Mile Road in Royal Oak just a few blocks west of Main Street. Once you spot it, you’ll immediately notice the peculiar shape of the two story structure. According to the current owner (who was kind enough to give me a quick tour), the building is within 10 inches of being a perfect equilateral triangle.

The building boasts the distinction of being the first pharmacy in Royal Oak with a drive-thru service, perhaps the first in the state. Land’s Pharmacy was built in 1953, and the first drive-thru windows had only been in existence for a few short years. The building also housed a dumbwaiter, likely carrying prescriptions from floor to floor.

Know Advertising is the current occupant, and has been since 2008. They made some renovations to modernize the space to accommodate their hard working team. I was delighted to see some large prints of some other Yamasaki works in the area.

Land’s Pharmacy (now Know Advertising) by Minoru Yamasaki in Detroit, MI. Photograph by Jason R. Woods.

A few short blocks away is one of Yamasaki’s residential commissions. The Abraham and Dorothy Becker house rests just off Woodward Ave in the mature Huntington Woods neighborhood. Built in 1951 for the couple, it is a simple and elegantly Modern structure of brick and glass. In typical Yamasaki fashion, an element of humanism is introduced by the playful accent colors around the doors and windows.

Also, there is an Eero Saarinen house around the corner, if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

Abraham and Dorothy Becker House by Minoru Yamasaki in Huntington Woods, MI. Photograph by Jason R. Woods.

Lastly is a more curious and almost unheard of work by Minoru. Located just west of I-94 on Morang Ave sits the Joseph A. Sloan Dental Clinic. Very little is known about this structure, other than that it was built in 1953. Clearly, it no longer serves as a dentistry, but I hear it is being slowly renovated.

Although it doesn’t necessarily mimic the style of the neighborhood, it does look like a single-family home that blends nicely into its surroundings.

Exterior of Joseph A. Sloan Dental Clinic by Minoru Yamasaki in Detroit, MI. Photograph by Jason R. Woods