  Vandykenjefferson Member Username: Vandykenjefferson Post Number: 52 Registered: 06-2006 |
Hello Again Everyone- I'm in the middle of a research paper, and I'm trying to determine if the buildings housing these businesses were abandoned or adaptively reused at some point during their history. Cyprus Taverna Russell Street Deli Golden Fleece Señor López Taqueria Atlas Global Bistro Good Girls Go To Paris Crêpes Pollo Chapin El Barzón Traffic Jam and Snug Mexicantown Bakery I haven't been able to get a hold of staff at these places. Thanks in advance for any help. | ||
Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 2189 Registered: 08-2007 |
you're up in the middle of the night writing a paper on a subject you don't know much about, but it's gotta be done by noon. Right? Could you define "abandoned" or "adaptively reused" for me. Once a restuarant is closed, does it immediately become abandoned? Or do the windows have to be blow out, the pipes frozen, to qualify as "abandoned"? Does "adaptive reuse" mean switching food styles? Or does it have to do with changing a gas station into a coffee house? Also, if you want folks to do some of your research for you, it would be a good idea to list the addresses of the establishments. If folks have old City Directories, they could look things up if they had the address. | ||
Vandykenjefferson Member Username: Vandykenjefferson Post Number: 55 Registered: 06-2006 |
Yes it is for a school project, Gnome. It's not due today, actually, it's due in two weeks. I know quite a bit about adaptive reuse, actually. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I've taken a class on historic preservation and a class on adaptive reuse. I've already looked up/called 300 some businesses - I just haven't been able to find anything online saying anything either way, and/or, when I've called the owner/manager hasn't known the building history. I'm using DYES more out of desperation then out of laziness. I guess by abandoned was looking more at ownership then the physical state of the building. I meant without an owner - no one is paying taxes on it. While frozen pipes and blown out windows may be signs of abandonment, many abandoned buildings don't have those staples, and conversely, I'm sure many owner, tax-paying properties have a blown out window or two. By adaptive reuse I meant that the physical design of the building has been altered to allow a NEW use. i.e. a a doctor's office into a restaurant, or a bowling alley into a bookshop. An Italian restaurant into a Greek restaurant would not be an example. Here are the addresses. Cyprus Taverna - 579 Monroe St., Russell Street Deli - 2465 Russell St., Golden Fleece - 525 Monroe St., Señor López Taqueria - 7144 Michigan Ave., Atlas Global Bistro - 3111 Woodward Ave., Traffic Jam and Snug - 511 W. Canfield St., Mexicantown Bakery - 4300 W. Vernor Hwy., Good Girls Go To Paris Crêpes 2 John R St. Pollo Chapin - 2054 Junction St. El Barzón - 3710 Junction Rd. Thanks for the post, Gnome | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 756 Registered: 11-2003 |
Since you have the addresses of each place, I would suggest going to each one and asking them. | ||
Pkbroch Member Username: Pkbroch Post Number: 211 Registered: 02-2008 |
Traffic Jam and Snug owners, would be more than happy to tell you about the building. Just call, then stop in for lunch or just a glass of their great beer. | ||
Ruxy17 Member Username: Ruxy17 Post Number: 25 Registered: 08-2007 |
VDnJ - what are you majoring in? Sounds like some interesting classes you've taken. I'm currently getting my grad degree in urban anthropology at Wayne State and think a class on adaptive reuse of buildings would be fascinating. | ||
Townonenorth Member Username: Townonenorth Post Number: 433 Registered: 10-2007 |
From the 1928 Polk Directory 579 Monroe was the Panellenon Cafe 2465 Russell was a Fruit Market, M Fisher and Son Wholesale Fruits. 525 Monroe was a Michael Pappas, soft drinks (probably once a bar, Prohibition) 7144 Michigan - No listing 511 Canfield W R. L. Deppman Company Heating Appliances 4300 West Vernor Louis Shalweet Groceries and Meats 2 John R -no such address. starts at 15 2054 and 3710 Junction, a residence and not existing. You may have to go to DPL for later versions. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3825 Registered: 07-2004 |
Sigh. Yeah. Right. You couldn't get ahold of anybody. Go to the freakin' Burton collection and look through the old city directories, you lazy sod. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 839 Registered: 06-2005 |
Vandykenjefferson, have you visited the Burton Library at the DPL Main Library? If not, I suggest that you stop in and look in the old City Directories. Start with 1920/21, the year that our address numbering changed. That volume will have both the old and new addresses for each of these buildings. For example: look up "579 Monroe" and you should find what business was at that address in 1920. Then look (again, for example) in the 1910 volume for the pre-1920 address. Then, 1900. As you go back, the earliest listing will be the first use of that building. I should warn you, however, that such research can become quite time-consuming as you careen from one tangent/topic to another.  | ||
Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 2194 Registered: 08-2007 |
The Altas bistro is in the old Addison Hotel. IIRC the place is an Albert Kahn creation built in 1903-05. you can google "Addison Hotel" detroit and look in "books" under the drop down menu on the right. You need to invest in some shoe leather. The Cyprus has/had a bunch of photos of Greektown thru the years. Traffic Jam has newspaper clippings all over the walls. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2281 Registered: 11-2004 |
You honestly could not have tried hard if you couldn't get ahold of someone about the Atlas Building. They guy who renovated it is around there all the time and Atlas is open from like 11 to 11 pretty much every day. Or maybe you did try hard but you didn't try right? No offense. Oslo and the creperie are in the building owned by Sophie, I am sure either business can put you in touch with her. Her office is in that building. You can call Joel at the Addison building and he could tell you all about the restoration. Or you could google "addison apartments detroit" and get the info you need: http://www.addisonapartments.c om/ I think the suggestion to drive to each place and ask for building owner/landlord contact info is a sound one. |
