Arab American National Museum
Dearborn, MI
The main entry to the museum is a monumental limestone arch. Panels are representational of stacked stone. The other adjacent materials are broken down in scale in order to complement and showcase the history and achievements of Arab Americans and their contribution to the American way of life. It serves as an educational resource, an institution of preservation, a community center as well as a national landmark, making the permanence of masonry the natural material choice. As a national, ethnic-rich museum, it was important that it be visually prominent and culturally reflective in design while complementary to its urban surrounding. The owners also required that artifact preservation be a top priority. Masonry aided in areas where natural daylight, harmful to artifacts, was not desired. Beige Arriscraft Adair limestone with concrete masonry unit back-up provided high aesthetic qualities, creating a monumental arch along the Michigan Avenue entrance as well as interior column wraps, walls and accents. CMU was used at elevator shafts, partition walls and stairwells. Chamfered Bluegrass Arriscraft units, creating rich, dramatic shadowing effects, were used at the building’s base as well as the north façade, a second entry off the parking lot. The 4” x 12” x 24” Renaissance unit was selected for this elevation for its larger size, consistency of color, ease of installation and hand-chiseled texture. These manufactured stone units weigh approximately 70 lbs. and are installed using standard unit masonry techniques. This stone creates a visually interesting and appealing aesthetic quality, rivaling that of the entry, as well as great durability for future generations of museum patrons to enjoy.