  Deandub11 Member Username: Deandub11 Post Number: 292 Registered: 05-2006 |
State grants will fund demolition of buildings owned by Ilitch company By Nancy Kaffer Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority approved $2.5 million in state-funded grants to demolish six dilapidated downtown buildings owned by the Ilitch family’s Olympia Development. The demolition funds are part of a pre-Super Bowl state allocation targeting Detroit’s most dilapidated structures. Capping the demolition list is the historic Fine Arts/Adams Theatre Building in Grand Circus Park. Also, buildings at 479-481 West Columbia, 2203-2211 Cass Ave., 2030 West Grand River Ave. and 145 Elizabeth St. would be completely demolished and replaced with hard-surface parking lots, said Fred Beal, president of Ann Arbor- and Detroit-based J.C. Beal Construction Inc. The Fine Arts/Adams Theatre Building’s façade will remain as part of an agreement with the city’s Historic District Commission. Olympia will pick up the tab for the estimated $500,000 façade stabilization, Beal said. The five smaller projects should be completed by the time the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Final Four basketball tournament comes to Detroit in April, he said. Two board members, attorney Jan Appel and downtown businessman Ted Gatzaros, voted against the project. Full Article Here [admin edit - please do not quote entire articles "Exerpt, Credit, Link, and Comment"] | ||
Detourdetroit Member Username: Detourdetroit Post Number: 325 Registered: 10-2003 |
great...when it rains it pours ok if it's the one story columbia building, i can see, but what's the matter w/the grand river or cass buildings??? the parking deck is a conundrum...apparently it has structural issues, but it's a cool building nonetheless and would be a loss to the urban landscape. it should be used for some type of ilitch related entertainment venue. 6 floors of paint ball and a free pizza and coke for $25 or something. Fred Beal come on!!! ugh...i have to remove myself for a time | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3299 Registered: 07-2004 |
Who's the demolition contractor?  | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 446 Registered: 10-2006 |
WTF? Is this an Onion article? How long before the Book, Broderick and David Whitney Towers are demolished? After all, they're abandoned (or nearly so, in the case of the Book), and could provide convenient additional parking spaces for the Fox, Opera house, Tigers and Lions, so why not? | ||
Deandub11 Member Username: Deandub11 Post Number: 293 Registered: 05-2006 |
sorry, forgot the link http://www.crainsdetroit.com/a rticle/20081211/FREE/812119975 www.DetroitArmy.com | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4364 Registered: 02-2005 |
This is part of our economic recovery. Construction is slow, so we need to destroy and pave over stuff. It is imperative to Detroit's future that irreplaceable architecture be destroyed to make way for...something (we're not sure what. This will "save" a couple hundred American jobs. Yes we can! | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 4041 Registered: 10-2003 |
What a fucking joke. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1631 Registered: 05-2005 |
anyone care to put some names to those addresses? | ||
Glowblue Member Username: Glowblue Post Number: 45 Registered: 09-2008 |
quote: Detroit would be a world-class city if only it had more parking lots. | ||
Emuaaron Member Username: Emuaaron Post Number: 36 Registered: 07-2005 |
please don't think i support this, because i don't, but i would bet that some of those buildings are getting torn down to make way for a new hockey arena. obviously that doesn't explain the fine arts building. | ||
Glowblue Member Username: Glowblue Post Number: 46 Registered: 09-2008 |
quote: I hope you're right, but have the Illiches given any indication that they want to build a new hockey arena? I've been hearing talk about it for a long time, but I've never seen any concrete plans. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 2061 Registered: 03-2008 |
1. Fine Arts is beyond saving. That one was announced a long time ago, along with the saving of the facade. Assuming nothing has changed, a new office building is to be constructed to utilize that space and facade. 2. The Elizabeth Building is the warehouse/parking garage behind the Park Apartments parking lot. Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=145+Elizabeth+St.+Detroit,+MI&fb=1&cid=3776072091571710037&li=lmd&z=14&t=m 3. I believe the West Columbia Buildings are small, one story structures. Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS237US237&q=479-481%20West%20Columbia%2C%20Detroit%2C%20MI&um=1&sa=N&tab=il 4. The Cass Buildings are small one and two story vine covered structures just North of the Chin Tiki. Link: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS237US237&q=2203%2d2211+Cass+Avenue%2c+Detroit%2c+MI 4. The Grand River Building is the triangle shaped building Just Northwest (up Grand River) of the GAR. Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS237US237&q=2030%20West%20Grand%20River%20Ave.%2C%20Detroit%2C%20MI&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl (Message edited by Sean_of_Detroit on December 11, 2008) | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1478 Registered: 11-2004 |
So the state and the city are going to subsidize millions of dollars in demolition of buildings owned by a billionaire? All in the time when both the city and the state face hundreds of millions of dollars of deficits. Unbelievable. When the budget cuts come the bureaucrats and politicians who allowed this funding to pass need to be the first let go. Better yet, fire them asap. Is there any accountability left? | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 885 Registered: 11-2007 |
There are hundreds of potentially dangerous industrial and residential locations that should be a higher priority. Besides, I thought the Greektown Casino Garage was built so that everyone had a free parking spot. What dummies still pay for parking? | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 2063 Registered: 03-2008 |
Glowblue, have you ever read the 5D Detroit Design Workshop 2007 report? It's a somewhat interesting report about Downtown Detroit done by Taubman College at the University of Michigan. The section on North Downtown (Page 21) talks about a five year plan (page 24) that includes the New Olympia Stadium. Some pictures/maps are also included. At the least, it provides a general idea of what North Downtown could realistically become. Link (PDF File; it may take a moment to load): http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/pub lications/pdfs/5d-detroit_desi gn_workshop07.pdf | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 723 Registered: 11-2003 |
2030 West Grand River Ave was once home to Somewhere in Detroit record shop and Underground Resistance. Most of those buildings can go, not sure about the public funds used. I like how the Fine Arts facade will be kept but it it too bad that the office portion could not be saved. What happens to the part of the theatre on the other side of the ally that backs up to the street? That street scape (forgot the street) will have a nice hole in it. | ||
Lowell Moderator Username: Lowell Post Number: 5100 Registered: 09-2003 |
"Big dogs eat first." | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3301 Registered: 07-2004 |
"That street scape (forgot the street) will have a nice hole in it." A nice hole for (future, unspecified) development. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 7257 Registered: 10-2003 |
The auto industry tanks, pizza sales drop and the family struggles. Of course, the state and the city should step up and help them out...AGAIN! | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 2719 Registered: 08-2007 |
I've been in that Elizabeth Building. My cousin used to have his antique auto shop in there, and he stored cars upstairs. It was sure spooky in there as there were only lights on in the shop. He was threatened the place was going down as much as ten years ago. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4981 Registered: 06-2004 |
If the North Campus at UMich is any indication of the work and planning they do say 'no thanks' and run the other way. It's hideous. Whatever is done - suburban sprawl planning and architecture should be welcome in the city. Strip malls need to be summarily banned everywhere unless the parking is *behind* the storefronts instead of in front on the main street. | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 435 Registered: 09-2004 |
Who's been eating less pizza that is causing poor Mr. Illitch to have to use state funds which we don't have to knock down his buildings? WHO IS IT? I for one am still buying my fair share of hot-n-readys! Glad they're saving the Adams/Fine Arts facade but if that's what "historic preservation" has come to these days it's a pretty sad thing. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 923 Registered: 05-2006 |
It may not be much "historic preservation", but at least its a something. I've seen other cities do this sort of thing and at least it looks better than some generic, boring facade. Besides, at least Illitch put up his money for downtown when nobody else would go near it. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 7259 Registered: 10-2003 |
Of course, that 10 million interest-free loan he received from the City didn't hurt. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 917 Registered: 07-2007 |
"Besides, at least Illitch put up his money for downtown when nobody else would go near it." Yeah, it was all Illitch. No one else was investing in downtown. Makes you wonder how the State and Gem theaters were restored or the Elwood Bar was saved. Must have been magic fairies. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1001 Registered: 12-2004 |
Why on earth does Olympia Development get subsidized demolition like this? Also, do they know the meaning of the word "Development?" | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 932 Registered: 05-2006 |
The state and Gem were restored after Illitch restored the Fox, around 1986. Chuck Forbes said part of the reason he was able to restore those theaters is from the money he made by selling the Fox to him. I never said it was all Illitch, he just got the ball rolling. No need to get your panties in a bunch. Do you hate Mr I. so much that you can't give him any credit? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4367 Registered: 02-2005 |
Well said E_Hemingway and Lilpup. Lilpup, I'm sure that if the people at the Taubman college were able to re-build UM North campus from scratch today, it would look nothing like its current ugly state. It's a relic of the mid-century typical community college design (and it may have even been a product of Albert Kahn Associate-- gotta doublecheck that, though). But even with a $7bil. endowment, they're not gonna redesign it. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 3865 Registered: 10-2003 |
My god, is this serious? Is the city even worth it, anymore? This is demoralizing as hell. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5949 Registered: 08-2004 |
As the article mentions this was decided before the SuperBowl. Unfortunately giving the Ilitch's demo money gives fuel to many who find this a corporate welfare public relations disaster. But the Ilitch's really don't seem to care about bad PR. However, nothing new is being announced here... just old stuff that hasn't happened yet. Prior announcements have been relatively ambiguous about the Adams auditorium. I knew that Fine Arts (lobby portion of the building) was coming down. Because of its' wooden beam support was already collapsing, it was a goner (except for the facade). But it sounds like the auditorium (located behind the alley behind the Fine Arts Building) is coming down as well. The Fine Arts Building predates the Adams Theatre. In 1917 they put a theatre entrance into the older Fine Arts Building, and built an Auditorium on Elizabeth that was an "Alley Jumper" (balcony patrons crossed into the theatre via a 2nd story skyway, main floor patrons entered the auditorium via a tunnel going under the alley). Sadly the Adams... a working theatre when the Ilitch's bought in the late 1980's (after CAY closed it down after a shooting inside)... was closed and left to rot. Today rain and snow seep thru the roof and have ruined what remaining plasterwork survived a mid 20th century modernization, and there is 2 inches of mold covering all the seats. But what this article doesn't say, is what the Ilitch's plan to do with the facade once the building behind it comes down. Just stabalizing the facade doesn't answer what their plans are. That has me worried. |
