  Beantown Member Username: Beantown Post Number: 55 Registered: 10-2006 |
While some floors are mezzanine floors as you suggest, that is not the source for the blueprint/rendering discrepancy in this case. Both the Italian Garden and Grand Ballroom will have "mezzanine" floors open to below, exactly as you say. In fact, a portion of the 3rd floor of the building addition also is open to the 2nd floor below, likely indicating a 2-story ballroom there (although I cannot recall for sure). But when an engineering drawing with a cross-section of the 4th floor shows a roof on the building addition, and shows nothing (air) on the 5th floor over the building addition, it is pretty clear... | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 4965 Registered: 08-2004 |
Yup, sounds like it to me... By the way, there is another ballroom planned in the addition that is supposed to be larger than the Grand Ballroom. | ||
Wschnitt Member Username: Wschnitt Post Number: 12 Registered: 07-2007 |
The Book Cadillac really seems to over shadow the Fort Shelby work. Why do people think that is? Why did the Fort Shelby deal seem to come together much more easily than the B-C deal? | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 5860 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well, for one, the B-C is larger and more grand. The B-C was and is on an entire different level; that seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? | ||
Detroit313 Member Username: Detroit313 Post Number: 410 Registered: 02-2006 |
It's like comparing the Ren Cen to the Ponch! <313> | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 4977 Registered: 08-2004 |
The Fort-Shelby was a hotel of the Albert Pick Hotel chain, not exactly high end luxury like the Book Cadillac was. So attention to restoring luxury details at the B-C adds to the cost. Most of the Fort-Shelby didn't have much in opulent detailing. And as has already been mentioned the sheer bulk of the B-C building is much larger (when it was built it was the worlds tallest hotel) than the Fort-Shelby. I don't remember the original room count for the Fort-Shelby, but the B-C originally had 1,200 rooms. It is massive. | ||
Wschnitt Member Username: Wschnitt Post Number: 17 Registered: 07-2007 |
I was very surprised to hear that public money was used in this project. Are they any further details on how much public money was spent? I find this absurd. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 5870 Registered: 10-2003 |
Where are you from? It can't be the United States. Public money is used on private projects all across the country as a tool to compete with suburban development. | ||
Wschnitt Member Username: Wschnitt Post Number: 18 Registered: 07-2007 |
Other than stadia, what are some examples of public money being spent on private developments? | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 5872 Registered: 10-2003 |
What exactly are you defining as public money? I think my definition may be a bit more broad than your's. (Message edited by lmichigan on July 30, 2007) | ||
Wschnitt Member Username: Wschnitt Post Number: 19 Registered: 07-2007 |
Ok that may be the case. Then what are the details of the public money spent on the Book Cadillac? | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1103 Registered: 11-2003 |
Wschnitt, do some searches in the online index of the Free Press and you'll find everything you want to know. If you don't want to pay for the articles, you can look them up on microfilm at a library that carries it. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-sear ch/we/Archives?s_site=freep&p_ product=FP&p_theme=gannett&p_a ction=keyword | ||
Beantown Member Username: Beantown Post Number: 57 Registered: 10-2006 |
From today's Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=20077080703 33 ****************************** ************ Book Cadillac taking reservations for 2009 DETROIT -- The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit is taking bookings for Jan. 1, 2009, and beyond. The hotel's pre-opening office is scheduling meetings, events and banquets, and individual rooms will be booked starting later this year, according to Westin officials. The 455-room hotel offers 39,000 square feet of event and meeting space that includes three ballrooms and 11 meeting rooms. The downtown Detroit hotel opened in 1924 and is undergoing a $180 million renovation. "We have heard from all sales sectors, including corporate business for the 2009 North American International Auto Show," said Scott Stinebaugh, the hotel's marketing director. "On the social event side, a couple is planning a 2009 Valentine's Day weekend wedding to duplicate the groom's parents' wedding at the Book Cadillac 60 years ago." ***************************** I've really been impressed at how much better the exterior looks over the past couple of weeks since they have new windows in place up through the 28th floor. Also, yesterday I noticed the first steel beams being assembled for the building's north addition. Hey, do any of you photographers have recent B-C photos that you can provide a link for? | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 550 Registered: 11-2006 |
the new copper ziggaraut or however its spelled looks great.... and it appears the addition on top of the building for the penthouses I assume, is in place.... Looking nice. I noticed a couple other buildings across the street (one directly opposite the Holiday Inn) have some exterior work goin on...anyone know what thats about? | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1360 Registered: 12-2006 |
The Archdiocese's building is being fixing the exterior. That's the one across the street. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1113 Registered: 11-2003 |
The Archdiocese building is on the same side of Washington as the B-C. Do they have an additional building across the street? | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1362 Registered: 12-2006 |
I thought it was the one across the street. Maybe I'm just thinking incorrectly. EDIT: According to Google, it's on the opposite side. (Message edited by SCS100 on August 07, 2007) | ||
Downtownguy Member Username: Downtownguy Post Number: 43 Registered: 07-2004 |
^^The Archdiocese has offices in the building on the SW corner of Michigan and Washington Blvd. I assume that's the one getting the exterior work. You're probably thinking of St. Aloysius Church north of the BC. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 552 Registered: 11-2006 |
Its definitely on the same side.... This is an older office building, about 8 or 10 stories high having some work done to it | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1363 Registered: 12-2006 |
If you're talking to me, I definitely don't mean St. Aloysius. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 553 Registered: 11-2006 |
downtownguy - thanks | ||
Erikd Member Username: Erikd Post Number: 888 Registered: 10-2003 |
The Gabriel Richard Building is the one undergoing exterior renovations. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1114 Registered: 11-2003 |
The main Archdiocese offices are at 1234 Washington Blvd. (info from official website), the east side of the street. My mom has done research there. | ||
Swiburn Member Username: Swiburn Post Number: 202 Registered: 07-2006 |
The Archdiocese main office is at l234 Washington Blvd and they also have another office where they store boxes of school information. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1408 Registered: 10-2006 |
http://www.wxyz.com/news/story .aspx?content_id=faf066b8-3e49 -4f13-82b4-687ddad92680 | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 1671 Registered: 10-2003 |
Lookin' good! Nice to see sheet rock on some of the walls. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1125 Registered: 11-2003 |
I was disappointed to find this info on the B-C page of emporis.com regarding the mechanical penthouse: "It was reconstructed 17 feet and 11.1 inches shorter, making the copper 'ziggurat' crowns the highest points of the structure." I thought that use of historic tax credits was supposed to have prohibited this sort of exterior alteration. Why is it not being reconstructed to the full height? | ||
Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 1816 Registered: 01-2004 |
Wasnt that just the radio station up there ? | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1126 Registered: 11-2003 |
No, this was the top of the tall shaft that contained the boiler flue and service elevators, with big arches above some of the top windows. The arrow in the following pic points to it. http://www.dkpdetroit.com/bc/s tott_view.jpg | ||
Rbdetsport Member Username: Rbdetsport Post Number: 373 Registered: 11-2005 |
I would rather have the ziggaurts be seen as what they were intended to be. The focal point of the top of the hotel. |
