DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[illbred]

Anyone know how the demolition of abandoned houses is going in Detroit?

[gsgeorge]

Detroit's rebirth continues!

The big news:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100827/FREE/100829903


A critical piece of financing has been approved for a mixed-use development in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.

The Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority approved a $1.7 million tax credit for a residential and retail project at the southeast corner of Cass Avenue and Canfield Street called the Auburn.

....


The Auburn will be built on a site that is vacant and blighted. It will include 54 market-rate, one-bedroom apartments units and four studio apartments. There will also be 11 retail units comprising 9,100 square feet.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CD/20100827/FREE/100829903/AR-100829903.jpg

=====

Also from the Crain's article:


Also approved by the brownfield board was a $300,000 tax credit for the restoration of the former home of James A. Burgess Book, Jr. at 8469 E. Jefferson Ave.

The house will be the new home of the Ars Poetica Chamber Orchestra. The $1.5 million mixed-use development will also include other offices, a conservatory, an apartment and a retail music store.

The building was designed for J.B. Book by one of Detroit's well-known architects, Louis Kamper, and completed in 1911.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/3087174062_1a5efcc82e.jpg

=====

Work has started at 23rd Street and Michigan Avenue, a former business district, converting the historic Grosfield Building into market-rate apartments/lofts. This is the first signs of life in this depressed district since the early 1990s, when the last bars & businesses closed. Nearby businesses include in the venerable Hygrade Deli, and just down the street is the sprawling 23rd Street Studios, a film studio which has seen an increase in business since the Film Tax Incentives started here in Michigan.

http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww215/detroitzack/Detroit%20August%202010/089.jpg

Plans viewable here:

http://www.eccodesigngroup.com/portfolio/2006/06/grosfield-building/

The owners also quietly purchased a beautiful bank building & bar w/liquor license directly across the street, and put up signs on the building in an attempt to attract a new restaurant or business.
http://oconnordetroit.com/properties/commercial/3415_mich/1.htm

http://oconnordetroit.com/properties/commercial/3415_mich/large_img/1.jpg

=====

Up at the Detroit Medical Center, Vanguard has announced plans for an $895 million to $1 billion investment in the sprawling complex, adding new buildings and major upgrades to existing facilities. 5000 workers will be hired for construction, which will start in October. The largest addition will be this new wing of the Children's hospital:

http://www.dmc.org/upload/images/NewPartnership/chm3.png

For more details, read up at the DMC's website here:

http://www.dmc.org/?id=693&sid=1

Just down the street, crews are working hard to restore the historic Helen Newberry Nurses Home into apartments. This is an old photo. The building was totally gutted, roof included, and its interior is being completely rebuilt.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1439/678436858_3e1310206e.jpg
http://detroit1701.org/Helen%20Newberry%20Nurses%20Home.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71288712@N00/678436858

This is another 'supergreen' development in the vein of the recently-completed 71 E. Garfield.
http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/71egarfield020210.aspx

This is all part of the recently-named "Sugar Hill Arts District" around Woodward & Garfield.

http://www.sugarhilldetroit.com/71outside.jpg

http://www.sugarhilldetroit.com/

=====

Detroit's Riverfront is seeing major work completed this year.

- The Dequindre Cut extension is finally complete, now connecting the Cut with the Riverwalk. The beautiful pathway runs right alongside the Globe Trading Company Building. Rumors have recently flown that the 1896 building, a former shipbuilding warehouse and one of Detroit's oldest industrial buildings (Henry Ford worked there as a teen), will be converted into a recreation center & rock climbing facility. Former plans called for its conversion into condos or lofts.

http://www.modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/Issue%20242/DN-deqcut.jpg

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/76017/76735.jpg

More on the Globe Trading Bldg plans here:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20100825/METRO/8250441/1361/Milliken-State-Park-gets-$25K-for-planned-playground#ixzz0xgIr94TA

- The Elevator Building is finally nearing completion. This landmark project is converting a 100-year old warehouse into retail, office, and studio spaces. Fronting a State Park and with direct access to the Dequindre Cut greenway, this project promises to be a success. Tenants have already put down deposits. The building is providing large work spaces, a common kitchen & bathroom area, and amenities like high-speed internet and 220V power.
http://elevatorbuilding.com/

- The former Franklin Furniture Building, an Albert Kahn-design warehouse building, has been beautifully converted into a new middle school, called the University Prep Science & Math Middle School, part of the much-lauded University Prep charter schools. Couldn't find a recent photo (the building is 90% finished and looks better than the render, but a render is below.
http://www.modeldmedia.com/developmentprojects/mshigh.aspx

Render:
http://www.modeldmedia.com/galleries/Default/Story%20Images/Issue%20193/DN-math-350.jpg

=====

Other projects:

- At The Lodge & Martin Luther King Boulevard, on a gigantic parcel of empty land (once the home of the Jeffries East projects) workers are putting in a sewer system & streets for a future condo/housing development, along the lines of the Woodbridge Estates development to the northeast of it. Plans call for 180 units of mixed-income housing.

- In Midtown, work is completed in the 'green alley' on 2nd between Prentis & Canfield; the "Green Garage" just had its new windows installed; and Motor City Brewing Works has a new rear entrance. Read about the 'green' projects here:
http://www.greengaragedetroit.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

- 3 historic Detroit Public schools have been targeted for $60 million in upgrades & renovations.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24391062/detail.html
http://dpsschoolconstruction.org/

=====

[Affrojuice]

Thanks for the great update. I'm inspired to take some pics of these different projects when I get the chance.

[mind field]

Lots of very good news for Detroit over the last couple of weeks.


Quicken shops around for space in downtown Detroit
By JOHN GALLAGHER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER


Quicken Loans founder and chairman Dan Gilbert is shopping around for distressed skyscrapers in downtown Detroit.

Two real estate professionals told the Free Press today that Gilbert is looking seriously at the 1920s-era First National Building on Woodward Avenue near Campus Martius Park and is looking at several other buildings as well. One of the professionals said Gilbert has taken an option on the First National Building, which is in foreclosure.


http://www.freep.com/article/20101001/BUSINESS06/101001050/1002/business/Quicken-shops-around-for-downtown-space



Fallon, Cadillac's new ad agency, to open RenCen office
By Chrissie Thompson
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER



Fallon, Cadillac’s new advertising agency, has opened an office on the 15th floor of the Renaissance Center’s 400 tower, adding up to 50 new Detroit jobs.


http://www.freep.com/article/20101004/BUSINESS01/101004028/1019/business06/Fallon-to-open-RenCen-ad-office


Unity Studios Moving to Detroit’s Creative Corridor

Film productions, training program to continue in City of Detroit
Contact:
Eric Cedo
313-492-9090
eric@unitystudiosmichigan.com

Unity Studios is relocating to the City of Detroit, studio officials announced today. Initial plans to build sound stages and production offices in the City of Allen Park will move forward in Detroit. “We’re very excited to be moving to the City of Detroit and to be a part of Detroit’s emerging Creative Corridor,” said Jimmy Lifton, President of Unity Studios. “Having trained over 200 people, filmed 3 feature films, and put over 150 people to work on various projects, we are doing all we can to play a part in Detroit’s developing film industry.”

http://unitystudiosmichigan.com/2010/09/unity-studios-moving-to-detroit/

September 30, 2010 3:06 PM
Wonderstruck Studios leases space at Ford Field, source says
By Bill Shea

A delayed deal is expected to be announced soon that Wonderstruck Studios L.L.C., a digital animation company, has leased space at Ford Field, a source familiar with the situation told Crain’s.

Studio owner Michele Richards declined to comment today.

Wonderstruck originally was going to buy the old MGM Casino site and turn it into an animation studio, but that deal broke down in mid-2009 and the backers turned to a lease option at Ford Field

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100930/FREE/100939983/wonderstruck-studios-leases-space-at-ford-field-source-says


And last but certainly not least:


Last Updated: October 05. 2010 5:42PM .
Davidson, Ilitch negotiating sale of Detroit Pistons
Vincent Goodwill and Darren Nichols / The Detroit News

Mike Ilitch is making a pitch to become the only owner to hold three major professional sports franchises in North America.

Sources familiar with the situation have told The Detroit News the Pistons are negotiating exclusively with Ilitch Holdings within a 30-day window with an eye toward a new downtown arena for the Pistons and Red Wings.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101005/SPORTS0102/10050385/Davidson--Ilitch-negotiating-sale-of-Detroit-Pistons

[subterranean]

Great things are afoot in the Motor City.

[LMich]

Mysterious movements continue around Cass Park...



http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20101007&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=10070337&Ref=AR&Profile=1001

Midtown land deals multiply (http://detnews.com/article/20101007/BIZ/10070337/1001/rss21)

Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

October 07, 2010

Detroit — Four more properties have been sold in a blighted area of lower Midtown where 18 parcels already have been bought or optioned in the past two years, furthering speculation that land is being gathered for a major development like a new arena or light-rail line.

Longtime city developer Dennis Kefallinos confirmed Wednesday he has sold four parcels to an unknown buyer, including two large empty buildings on the corner of Temple Street and Cass Avenue.

...

Sports consultants have said it might be easier for Ilitch to get financing to build a new arena if it housed both the Red Wings and another team like the Pistons because it would generate two separate streams of revenue.

Plans for light-rail transit along Woodward from Hart Plaza to Eight Mile also could be fueling the land speculation.

Kefallinos said he worked through a broker who wouldn’t reveal the client’s identity.

...

[LMich]

Depending on where you fall this is either good or bad news. To me, this was probably one of the hardest reuses in the city, and the DPD totally let the place go to hell when it didn't have to. A school that's been closed for only 5 or so years looks like one of those ruins left to rot for decades. What a d@mned shame.



Old Cass Tech to be razed (http://detnews.com/article/20101019/SCHOOLS/10190432/1026/rss06)

Shawn D. Lewis / The Detroit News

October 19, 2010

Detroit — Preliminary razing of the old Cass Technical High School, which closed in 2005, will begin Nov 1.

Extensive demolition will begin in June 2011, after school is out for summer vacation, and completion is slated for August 2011.

Since closing, the building has been subject to vandalism and fires, including one in 2007 in which two firefighters and two police officers were injured.

Demolition work will include the leveling the building and capping off utilities, sidewalks, curbs and gutters. The work will make way for use of the site by the existing adjacent school for athletics and additional parking. The project will include targeted salvage of historical artifacts and markers.

"This demolition allows us to remove a structure that has, unfortunately, blighted the neighborhood since closure and has been a danger to the community," said Robert Bobb, Detroit Public Schools' emergency financial manager. "But we are pleased that we can preserve various artifacts and bricks from the original Cass Technical High School building to honor the rich legacy of this school."

Two entry arches, plaques, a relief sculpture and other artifacts from the old Cass Tech will be preserved at the current school. Also to be preserved are bricks from the demolished school.

...

DPS, with the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, has launched a program to preserve and restore bricks from selected schools being demolished, allowing the artifacts to be sold to raise funds for schools.

Bricks from Cass Technical, Finney, Mumford and Chadsey high schools will be saved. Contractors will be responsible for removing the bricks from the sites, and the DPS Foundation has committed to securing a private firm that will package the bricks for fundraising.

...

[Affrojuice]

Land near Temple Bar mysteriously bought up

Two derelict properties went for $670,000

Louis Aguilar The Detroit News / The Detroit News

The Temple Bar opened in Detroit's Cass Corridor during the Depression, and nearly 70 years later the surrounding neighborhood has collapsed.

The olive-colored bar front blends into an area of boarded-up structures, but its interior is clean and well-maintained. The bar still manages to attract an eclectic clientele. Across the street, though, the former American Hotel closed more than a decade ago. The former drugstore next door went out of business maybe two decades ago.

The neighborhood is so sketchy the front door of the bar is always locked — patrons have to be electronically buzzed in by the bartender.

The Temple Bar appears to be one of the last holdouts in a mysterious real estate buying frenzy, surrounded by 22 mostly empty or blighted parcels that have been bought or optioned since September 2008 by various entities.

While scant public information is available, the investors have paid as much as $670,000 for two derelict properties in an area where the median annual household income is $8,317.

Owner George Boukas seems willing to sell the property that his family has owned off and on since the 1930s and relocate if he gets the right offer. He was courted with a secretive offer, too, but now he's not sure where it stands.

"Of course, everyone assumes this is where the new arena will be built, but now I'm hearing (developer Al Taubman) wants to build a mall next to the arena. And last week, I heard someone got $2 million" for a nearby property, Boukas said. "I know all that sounds crazy, but look at all that unbelievable stuff that's gone on already. Someone is thinking big."

Metro Detroit real estate experts agree, saying the amount of land being accumulated in the area and the high sales prices mean someone is trying to get enough property to build something big — like a sports venue or even a light-rail line.

That includes the most recent sale of the former American Hotel, along with the weedy lot next to it, and the former drugstore. The blighted properties were bought by the same entity that paid $650,000 for another empty building in January 2009 on Temple Street, just around the corner from the bar, and made the seller sign a confidentiality agreement about the deal.

The hot spot is several blocks north of the Fox Theatre, headquarters of Ilitch Holdings Inc., and the Comerica Park and Ford Field stadiums. Next to the area being purchased or optioned is four empty blocks of Woodward owned by the city.

Mike Ilitch, billionaire founder of a pizza, sports and entertainment empire, has indicated he wants to build a new arena downtown for his Detroit Red Wings. And now Ilitch is the leading bidder to buy the Detroit Pistons, which could share a new arena with the Wings if Ilitch succeeds in buying the team.

The Ilitches control the Masonic Temple, which is a half-block away from the Temple Bar. The MotorCity Casino, owned by Marian Ilitch, is farther west of the bar on Grand River.

City of Detroit and Ilitch Holdings officials say they are bound by confidentiality agreements not to talk about the details of a possible new arena. There are no public plans for the swath of land around the Temple Bar.

Boukas' experience with negotiating with a real estate broker adds to the mystery of the surrounding property purchases. The offer was unsolicited and "aggressive," he said.

Earlier this year, a broker named George Mellish walked into the bar and asked Boukas what it would take for him to sell. Boukas had bought the bar back from a non-family member in 1988. The broker wouldn't say who he represented, Boukas said.

The offer was not just to buy the bar, but included finding a Midtown site for the bar to relocate and payment for the move, he said. The two sides were at odds about the relocation costs, and Boukas said he initially refused the offer, thinking he would get a counter offer.

Then Mellish died.

Since Boukas never knew whom Mellish represented, he doesn't know whom to contact. Now he is left wondering where he stands.

"I'm ecstatic of what's happening," said Boukas, referring to the acquisitions in the neighborhood. "I'm nervous as hell about what it means for me. But you can't be a world-class city if you can't attract new people or business."

Boukas has reason to sell. Many customers have moved away from the area, he said.

"There's not that much of an immediate neighborhood now" to draw from, Boukas said.

There aren't many details about the most recent sales near the bar. The former American Hotel and the former drugstore were sold by local developer Dennis Kefallinos, who said he worked through a broker. Kefallinos said he felt uncomfortable publicly identifying the broker.

The official buyer is listed as a Coldwater firm called Temple Commons LLC, according to Wayne County records. A purchase price wasn't disclosed. That LLC is traced back to CSC-Lawyers Incorporated Services Co., which has an East Lansing address.

[gsgeorge]

Amphitheater to replace an eyesore
Detroit to raze old Ford Auditorium

http://www.freep.com/article/20101117/NEWS01/11170327/1003/Amphitheater-to-replace-an-eyesore



By STEVE NEAVLING
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Ford Auditorium, once home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and a destination for pop music concerts, famous speeches and theatrical productions, is expected to be demolished as early as May.

City officials hope the demolition of the vacant downtown waterfront venue on Hart Plaza will make way for a 5,000-seat amphitheater with a sprawling lawn.

"This is a symbol, in many ways, of blight in the city," Dan Lijana, spokesman for Mayor Dave Bing, said of the auditorium. "The mayor has been very clear that he is committed to having people see and feel the progress in the city."

Built in 1955, the auditorium was revered for its state-of-the-art recording system, but bad acoustics dogged it from its opening.

Finally, in 1989, the DSO returned to its former home, Orchestra Hall, because musicians couldn't hear one another on stage at the Ford Auditorium.

The venue closed in 1990.

Retired DSO bassoonist Paul Ganson, the orchestra's historian, said the auditorium deserves its reputation for poor acoustics.

It was simply too big and the wrong shape for an orchestra, he said.

"It was built as a multipurpose auditorium with a wide-band shape, which is opposite the traditional shoe-box setting that's considered ideal," said Ganson, who noted that the building functioned well for many other civic purposes.

Among the most famous speeches delivered there was one by Malcolm X in 1965. It was his last public address outside New York before his death.

Questions remain about what treasures are inside. An Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ installed in 1957 for $100,000 is believed to be collecting dust, according to the Detroit chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

"They need to save that," said Carolyn Thibideau, a member of the guild who says she was the last person to play the organ.

Recognizing the auditorium's historic significance, Lijana said that the city plans to salvage as many of the auditorium's interior gems as possible.

By the end of the month, the city expects to begin accepting bids for demolition. The cost is unknown, but the city plans to use existing federal funds to pay for demolition.

[Busy Bee]

Why couldn't the old Cass Tech be reused? What a gorgeous building! Lack of imagination? No market demand? Damn shame indeed!

[213]

.....................

[213]

Cass Tech's best qualities -- its scale, its age, its wondrous design -- are its fatal liabilities. To adaptively rehabilitate it would be a difficult business case in just about any scenario.

Like MCS, CT's best rehabilitative option would be as a facility of government. But given the general state o' things these days...

:(

[gsgeorge]

Slows BBQ owner Phil Cooley aims to revitalize Roosevelt Park, in the shadow of Detroit's hulking Michigan Central Station.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/huffposts-greatest-person_4_n_784906.html

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/13533/slide_13533_184689_large.jpg

For many, Detroit, known for its high unemployment rates and arguably dysfunctional local government, is the face of American urban decay. For Phillip Cooley, the young proprietor of Slows Bar BQ, a popular eatery there, Detroit is a city of opportunity.

Cooley, a former model who worked in places like Barcelona, Paris, Tokyo, and New York City, before moving back to Michigan to open his restaurant, bemoans the dearth of commercial options in his city: "Detroit is starved for commercial and small businesses," he says. "There's no Starbucks, and mostly mom and pop shops." But where Detroit lacks, he says, there is room for massive revitalization, for building businesses, seeding ideas, and, giving back on a very local level.

As the owner of his own small businesses, Cooley himself only works an actual 10-15 hours a week, which allows him more than enough time to volunteer. His current big project: transforming Detroit's Roosevelt Park. "We need more green space, more interacting with each other out of our homes," says Cooley of his focus on changing public spaces.

So far, $300,000 has been invested in landscaping, and another $200,000 went into creating a parking lot for the park. Another $50,000 has been raised so far for the next addition: a skate park that will consist of massive, skateable letters spelling out "Roosevelt Park." Slows has been a major financial donor (along with many others) for these projects.

Cooley also points to Detroit's Heidelberg Project, which promotes social change by transforming a previously crime-ridden neighborhood into what is now an art-covered tourist attraction (one house is draped with smiling stuffed animals, another painted with bright, multi-colored dots), as a prime example of urban renewal.
Story continues below
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"The crackheads you once worried about when your children were walking to school are out of there because there's so much traffic," says Cooley. He helps out by organizing events and fundraisers to introduce new people to the project, making fliers, providing generators, and collecting purveyors for the annual street festival.

But, there are challenges. "Detroit is a huge city segregated by abandoned structures and abandoned lands, so connecting our city is very difficult," he notes.

Cooley currently sits on seven advisory boards, including the ACLU of Southeastern Michigan, The Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit, and The Center for Community Based Enterprise. This is all in addition to co-owning Slows BBQ restaurant, and real estate and development firm, O'Connor (he founded both with his brother).

"I can't imagine leaving anytime soon," he says. "In a sense, this is utopia."

[Onn]

Why couldn't the old Cass Tech be reused? What a gorgeous building! Lack of imagination? No market demand? Damn shame indeed!

No, just no. It needed to be torn down it was ridiculously out of shape and blocking the gorgeous new building behind it.

[lio45]

This is actually the Cass Tech building being torn down?

http://media.mlive.com/news/detroit_impact/photo/old-cass-technical-high-schooljpg-685f019c488d4795_large.jpg

I'm actually glad I didn't spend any time in Detroit when I passed through it two weeks ago... I'd rather not be aware of the extent to which nice architecture is bulldozed there. What a shame... Do people really believe new parking lots will help the downtown core in the long term? Wow.

Although I couldn't help but notice Michigan Central station was still standing (it's very visible from the bridge) for now...

[mind field]

Years of effort lands $50M for redevelopment of Broderick Tower
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Source: Fred Beal, JC Beal Construction
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh


Construction is really and truly underway at the 34-story Broderick Tower, long one of Downtown's most visible mostly-vacant skyscrapers. While other redevelopment schemes have been announced in the past, this time the project is a sure thing, says Fred Beal of JC Beal Construction, a member of the development team. "We did not announce the project this time until 100% of the financing was arranged," he says. "This is the real deal."


http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/broderick011111.aspx

This is probably downtown's most iconic vacant building, towering over Woodward, the stadia and foxtown for all to see. I think it's redevelopment will send a strong message that downtowns renaissance is moving forward.

[LMich]

I agree. Symbolically, this is one of the better projects to get done given the location. It's hard to miss. And, from and urban planning perspective, it's impossible to see how this won't spur development along Lower Woodward and help to continue to reconnect the financial district and Foxtown.

[zuelas]

wow, really great friggin news..... for once

[LMich]

Well, here's some more...



http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20110112&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=110112044&Ref=AR&Profile=1320&MaxW=320&MaxH=300&Q=100&mime=jpeg
File photo of the David Whitney Building in 2003. (David P. Gilkey/Detroit Free Press)

Detroit's David Whitney Building in line for renovation (http://www.freep.com/article/20110112/NEWS01/110112044/1320/David-Whitney-Building-in-line-for-renovation)

By John Gallagher
Free Press Business Writer

January 12, 2011

Detroit's dormant David Whitney Building is in line for renovation as a mixed-use project under a plan approved today by the city's Downtown Development Authority.

The elegant 18-story tower at Woodward and Grand Circus Park was designed by famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. It opened in 1915 and originally was home to downtown doctors and dentists. But it has stood empty for many years amid several previous renovation attempts that went nowhere.

The DDA approved a plan to provide a $1-million loan to help Whitney Partners LLC buy the tower as part of the building's $3.3 million purchase price.

Whitney Partners LLC includes the Roxbury Group, a Detroit real estate investment group, and Trans Inn Management Inc., a Farmington Hills-based real estate company with investments in more than a dozen states.

David Di Rita, a partner in the Roxbury Group, told the DDA that plans include restoring the Whitney's original classical architectural ornament that was stripped away a half-century ago.

Combined with work on the nearby David Broderick Tower, a project that closed on its construction financing recently, the Whitney project will help restore a gateway to downtown at Grand Circus Park.

[hudkina]

Here's a small rundown of Midtown:

71 Garfield in the Sugar Hill block renovation:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5415493054_18a99fa0f2_b.jpg
Website: www.sugarhilldetroit.com

Studio One apartments on Woodward:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5414882751_82b8b28319_b.jpg
Website: www.studio1apartments.com

Midmed Lofts and adjacent retail:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5415492818_f2f8955d86_b.jpg
Website: www.midmedlofts.com

55 West Canfield:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/5414882403_b297ab7a61_b.jpg
Website: www.55westcanfield.com

The Green Alley demonstration project with the Green Garage still under renovation:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5414882033_80e6b278ff_b.jpg
Website: www.greengaragedetroit.com

The 1898 Helen Newberry Nurses Home being renovated into apartments:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5414881893_e61abe0a53_b.jpg
Website: N/A

4160 Cass being renovated into retail units:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5415491392_b325be6300_b.jpg
Website: N/A

Detroit's famous Slow's BBQ added a new "Slows to Go" location:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5414880997_003d554166_b.jpg
Website: ww.slowstogo.com

Curl Up & Dye opened a little over a year ago:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/5414881191_0b79a9f226_b.jpg
Website: www.curlupanddyedetroit.com

In the grand scheme of things, Avalon hasn't been around for very long, but it's already a midtown institution:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5414881275_62662a3266_b.jpg
Website: www.avalonbreads.net

The Burton Theatre is an independent art house theater in an old school building:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/5414880453_07b20f53f9_b.jpg
Website: www.burtontheatre.com

Canine to Five is a daycare for pets that opened not too long ago:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/5414880295_07076629a1_b.jpg
Website: www.caninetofivedetroit.com

[subterranean]

Nothing short of spectacular. Thanks for posting.

[MasonsInquiries]

Glad to see Detroit's making a comeback!!

[animatedmartian]

Hey guys, just saw this in today's news, and it's nothing short of awesome.

A new Cobo!

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/07/38/ac/37/38/1f/20110301174847_EastAerial.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/05/ff/4e/9d/63/53/20110301175046_aerialdetail1.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/da/89/f0/38/04/38/20110301175925_SouthElevation.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/3b/b6/9e/e6/25/de/20110301175346_aerialdetail3.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/c1/43/e0/44/cf/4f/20110301180321_1before.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/82/11/27/c3/c2/c2/20110301180409_1afterWashingtonBlvdViewSou.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/03/f3/97/c9/93/c9/20110301180505_2beforeAtwaterViewWest.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/88/19/ba/65/00/9d/20110301180550_2afterAtwaterViewWest.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/3e/1d/bb/f1/65/28/20110301180631_3beforeEastElevation.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/b3/e2/b1/15/67/3f/20110301180709_3afterEastElevation.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/97/f5/b6/70/86/21/20110301181748_AtriumNorth.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/02/12/70/0d/4a/09/20110301181834_AtriumSouth.jpg

Two years after Detroit officials ceded oversight of the 51-year-old facility, local business leaders, city and county officials gathered today to see the revealings of artist renderings of the project that is expected to begin in July and last until 2014. The work is the final stage of a $274 million project to revamp the 2.4 million square-foot facility that was last updated in 1989.


Full article including video. (http://detnews.com/article/20110302/METRO01/103020393/Auto-show-leaders-praise-planned-Cobo-renovation)

To be honest though, I'm a bit skeptical to think that it would be fully completed. Then again, any improvement would be better than tearing down something.

[subterranean]

It looks like it connects the riverfront, which is the most appetizing piece to me.

[DetroitSky]

I saw new housing going up today near the intersection of Outer Drive and Van Dyke today while I was driving by. Looks to be senior housing maybe? Not too sure. It's a good thing for the area either way!

[PistonsFan]

Great news about Cobo! Hope it all happens.

Here is the youtube fly-thru video of the renovation plans:

nmemuWq1IeU

[Onn]

Well the new design is certainly bright and airy, that's a huge plus! Also great use of the existing arena. :)

There's no doubt Cobo right now is in serious need of renovations, it's an embarrassment to the city, and the auto industry most of all.

[mousquet]

Some more about Cobo, because that seems big news though.
tvsdesign Leads Architectural Team to Restore Convention Center (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tvsdesign-leads-architectural-team-to-restore-convention-center-117316003.html)

Edit : 12,000 jobs created by the project.
Sorry guys, they actually said some twelve hundred jobs which is already not bad. I've been amazed myself when writing 12,000. :redface:

[gsgeorge]

Whole Foods Market scouting for space in Detroit's Midtown district
by John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press

The Whole Foods Market chain won’t talk about it, but the upscale grocery has been shopping for a possible store location in Detroit’s Midtown district and holding preliminary meetings to line up potential local suppliers.

Kate Klotz, a Midwest regional spokeswoman for Whole Foods, declined to comment today, citing the company’s policy of never discussing possible new stores until a lease is signed.

But Dan Carmody, president of Eastern Market Corp., said he and Whole Foods representatives have held preliminary meetings in Detroit to explore lining up local growers and other potential producers to supply food products to a store in Detroit.

“They seem to be genuine about it,” Carmody said

Known for its fresh produce, prepared dishes and upscale prices, the company typically builds stores averaging 36,000 square feet in size, but has gone as small as 19,000 square feet and as large as about 100,000 square feet.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher99 @freepress.com

[gsgeorge]

Decaying Central Depot to get spruce-up
Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News
After decades of looking like a bombed-out relic, the iconic Michigan Central Train Depot is set to receive a mini face-lift.
Manuel "Matty" Moroun, owner of the depot and the Ambassador Bridge, will replace the roof and the windows on the once elegant 19-story building that has overlooked Michigan Avenue since 1913.
"We're applying with the city to replace the roof and the windows," said Dan Stamper, bridge company president.
"We're doing it because it would be much easier to help a developer to come up with a package to use the depot if some improvements were made … so that's what we're doing."
Stamper said it was too early to come up with an estimate for the repairs, but acknowledged it would be expensive.
"We have our engineers working on an estimate," he said.
Mayor Dave Bing's office confirmed the city has had preliminary talks with the bridge company about repairs to the depot.
"But that's about the extent of it so far," said Bing spokesman Dan Lijana.
"Obviously seeing improvements to the central depot to make it look more aesthetically pleasing is something we would certainly support. But they haven't pulled any permits as of yet. We await their next move."
Created by the same architects who designed Grand Central Station in New York City, the building at one time was the largest train station in the world and known for its rich décor.
Decline and decay pulled into the station soon after the last train departed in January 1988. Scrappers looted the building.
Over the years, several ideas have been pitched for the building, including a new police headquarters. None has panned out. Nor has a 2009 resolution from the City Council to demolish it.
Because of its look of urban decay, the depot has been used in several films, including "Transformers," "The Island," "Four Brothers" and "Eight Mile."


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110325/METRO01/103250394/Decaying-Central-Depot-to-get-spruce-up#ixzz1IaQUaT23

[gsgeorge]

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/03/the_corner_development_detroit.html

The Corner Development: Detroit rejects $65.3M proposal for 'living building,' charter school, retail and housing at old Tiger Stadium site
by Jonathan Oosting of MLive.com

You might not know it by looking at it, but the northwest corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit still has a lot going for it: The 9.4-acre property has a rich history as former home of Tiger Stadium, sits in a relatively-stable neighborhood, enjoys tax-free renaissance zone status and qualifies for a $3.8 million federal earmark for redevelopment.

Here's what the city-owned parcel won't have any time soon: Michigan's first "living building," the headquarters of two prominent nonprofits, a charter school, retail shops and housing -- all surrounding a rehabilitated ball field re-purposed as a community recreation center.

The Detroit Economic Development Corporation earlier this month rejected a $65.3 million redevelopment proposal for the site, citing "significant concerns about the overall financial feasibility" of the project in a letter to organizers.

"I knew it wasn't a sure thing," said Thom Linn, who helped put together the proposal and serves as president of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy. "But it would have been an amazing plan. It would have been a major draw for Southwest Detroit and Corktown."

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/9428110-large.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/9428115-standard.jpg

[Illithid Dude]

Such a shame. It's like Detroit wants to stay in the pit they currently reside.

[LMich]

Reading the article, it's pretty clear that even those that proposed the project admit that there wasn't any solid funding for it. It's a great plan on paper, no doubt, but I don't think the city should feel obligated to hand over the development rights to a site - paticularly a the most valuable sites - for a fly-by-night proposal. If they can find funding, they are more than welcomed to come back to the table, I'm sure.

[LMich]

Whole lot of movin' and shakin' goin' on...

Quicken Loans closes deal on Detroit's Chase Tower

Corey Williams / Associated Press

April 7, 2010

Detroit— Online retail mortgage lender Quicken Loans is keeping to its promise to help Detroit's revitalization by closing on the purchase of a 14-story, 505,000-square-foot office building downtown, company officials said today.

The purchase price of the Chase Tower was not released, but Quicken founder and chairman Dan Gilbert said in a statement that about 4,000 of the company's employees will work downtown when the company moves into the building and the recently acquired Madison Theatre Building.

Quicken moved its corporate headquarters and 1,700 workers to the Compuware building near Campus Martius downtown last year. That building, the Chase Tower and Madison building are within walking distance of one another. The company also finalized the purchase of a 1,095-space parking garage two blocks from the Chase Tower.

...

Gilbert, who also owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, called the section of Woodward Avenue adjacent to Campus Martius "Webward Avenue" and wants other companies to join Quicken and software developer Compuware Corp. downtown.

"That's our thing," he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Those dozers out there in the suburbs — I think it's time they wake up. They are going to lose opportunities in their own back yard."

He hopes to fill available space in the Chase Tower with major retail tenants.

"We have to be a destination," Gilbert told the AP. "We're about to be in flat-out recruiting mode for large tenants. They have knocked on our doors without us even asking."

...

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110407/BIZ/104070468/Quicken-Loans-closes-deal-on-Detroit-s-Chase-Tower

[jodelli]

Today I noticed what looked like sequential LED lighting in a band around the top of Tower 400 at the RenCen. The colors were red, green and blue which could mean they could combine these to make different combinations.
This is in addition to a blue band that has shown up that surrounds the hotel tower just under the GM sign.

I'll post pictures when I get closer; it was foggy and my building is about 3 miles away.

[gsgeorge]

Eastern Market plans a full rebuild of Shed 4 after the successful renovations of Sheds 2 & 3.

http://modeldmedia.com/devnews/erbfoundation040511.aspx


Eastern Market to build community kitchen


Thanks to Birmingham's Erb Foundation, Eastern Market will build a $200,000 community kitchen sometime in 2011, furthering one of the foundation's key missions: promoting environmental health and justice.

Plans for the grant, payable over two years, will allow Eastern Market to develop the community kitchen as an hub for food entrepreneurs, in a city where access to commercial kitchen space can be difficult to find. They also hope to increase access to locally grown and processed healthy foods.

"It's going to serve as an incubator for people, especially Detroiters, who want to start their own niche food processing business. It's a good way to not only support the local food system, but to create jobs," says the Erb Foundation's Jodee Fishman Raines.

It's also a way to make better use of produce and other perishables that can go to waste -- fruit that can't be sold can still be pickled or jarred, for example. There will be food demonstrations and workshops encouraging healthy eating, plus the community kitchen can be rented out by groups.

The Erb Foundation, which has distributed money over the past three years, focuses primarily on promoting environmental health and cultural wellness to help revitalize the Great Lakes region, with a focus on Metro Detroit.

"Eastern Market is really, we think, an important institution in the city, an important part of building this local food system ... the better and stronger it is, the better off we think it will help revitalize the city. When you've got these wonderful local institutions, you can make them even more accessible to people. Eastern Market is already very user-friendly, but this takes it to a whole new level," says Fishman Raines.

Source: Jodee Fishman Raines, Vice President of Programs, Erb Foundation
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/113/shed_4_-_exterior_01__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/113/render_ext_02__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/113/shed_4_-_interior_02__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/113/shed_4_-_interior_03__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/113/shed_4_-_interior_04__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/113/shed_4_-_interior_01__detail.jpg

Via
http://www.thekraemeredge.com/index.php/projects/commercialdetail/eastern_market_shed_4

Constructed in the heart of the renovated Eastern Market campus will be the new Shed 4 Market Hall. In place of the existing Shed 4 and the public restroom building will be a multi-functional building containing a market hall, a cooking school, offices, and an incubator kitchen for new businesses. On the main floor, the Market Hall stretches from north to south, reinforcing the central axis of the adjacent market sheds. A cooking school, demonstration kitchen, and restaurant will anchor the facility and create a vibrant connection to the existing street retail
The renovation will also include two solar array structures to generate heat for hot water to the Eastern Market campus to be mounted on top of the parking garage. In addition, a green roof will span over the east side of the building to minimize storm water runoff and reduce solar heat gain. The building will also take full advantage of natural day lighting and stacked ventilation.
When complete, The Shed 4 Market Hall will heighten the options available for Eastern Market patrons and its vendors. It will also allow the Market to expand its hours into weekdays, with the eventual goal of being open for business 7 days a week.

[mind field]

"We have to be a destination," Gilbert told the AP. "We're about to be in flat-out recruiting mode for large tenants. They have knocked on our doors without us even asking."



I wonder who these ever elusive "large" tenants are? A few more companies the size of Quicken to fill up vacant downtown space and downtown can return to the hustle and bustle of the late nineties early 2000s.

[Complex01]

Some nice new stuff. Kewl...

[subterranean]

Broderick Tower renovation continues -- here's the update

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Source: Brian Rebain, project architect, Kraemer Design Group
Writer: Ashley C. Woods
http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/broderickrenovation042611.aspx

"It was in rough condition. Not the roughest I've ever seen, but pretty rough," says Kraemer Design Group's (http://www.thekraemeredge.com/) Brian Rebain, the architect who's managing the project. Faulty roof conductors leaked water into the building, which crumbled much of the concrete on the building's upper floors. Old carpet, peeling paint, forgotten furniture. Vandalism and graffiti. "I have seen worse buildings, but you gotta strip it clean before you start building again," he says.

Rebain says much of the Broderick's original splendor will be maintained -- and in some cases, restored. Much of the building's original plaster walls and original beams will be on display. While many of the Broderick's materials and finishes will be more contemporary, the structure's old-time elegance will be visible in the historic lobby off of Witherell. The lobby's black marble and tiled floors, ceiling and brasswork will all be preserved.

[LMich]

Some more updates:

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20110503&Category=NEWS05&ArtNo=105030322&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0
A $21.5-million port development along Detroit's riverfront is to open next month and is expected to create a new era of waterfront tourism. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority plans a ribbon-cutting when it opens. At the site last month, workers continue with construction. / April 19 photo by WILLIAM ARCHIE/Detroit Free Pres

New development aims to make Detroit a popular port of call (http://www.freep.com/article/20110503/NEWS05/105030322/New-development-aims-make-Detroit-popular-port-call?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE)

By Matt Helms & Ellen Creager | Detroit Free Press

May 3, 2011

A $21.5-million port development along Detroit's riverfront will debut next month with the tall order of changing how the waterway is used.

The port -- located between Hart Plaza and the Renaissance Center -- is the latest piece of the ongoing revitalization of Detroit's riverfront and is the key to hopes of luring Great Lakes cruise ships, starting a Detroit-Windsor ferry and creating a new era of waterfront tourism.

The project mirrors efforts of other Great Lakes port cities looking to maximize their waterfronts, including Cleveland, but critics doubt that Detroit has the demand to match the cost.

"On net balance, these kinds of investments are little more than expensive ribbon-cutting ceremonies," said Michael LaFaive with the free-market Mackinac Center think tank in Midland. "If this was a valuable addition to Detroit's waterfront, entrepreneurs would fall over themselves to fund it."

The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority plans a ribbon-cutting next month; the Grande Mariner cruise ship is expected to be among the first to use the new dock in July.

A bustling riverfront is "not as far-fetched as people might imagine," countered John Kerr, the port authority's economic development director. "Port communities across Michigan are looking at what we're doing."

...

Among the Detroit port's first customers will be the Grande Mariner.

The 96-passenger vessel will dock in Detroit for one night during a July 15-23 cruise, then again sometime between July 25 and Aug. 3 for the "Discover Ontario -- Scenic Georgian Bay" cruise, said Esther Pato, spokeswoman for Blount Small Ship Adventures in Warren, R.I. Grande Mariner's journey goes from Chicago to Toronto.

Shore excursions for passengers at the Detroit port will be the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, plus Windsor.

...

3,000 Blues workers start move to RenCen (http://www.detnews.com/article/20110503/BIZ/105030329/1001/3-000-Blues-workers-start-move-to-RenCen)

Louis Aguilar / / The Detroit News

May 3, 2011

Detroit— Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan began relocating 3,000 workers Monday from Southfield to their new offices at the General Motors Co. Renaissance Center downtown.

"We write the next chapter in the story of Detroit," said Daniel Loepp, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, at a press conference in Tower 500 of the RenCen. "For a kid who grew up on the east side of Detroit, this is a great day."

About 300 workers came this week and the remaining will come in waves that end in 2011. It's one of the biggest infusions of workers into downtown in recent memory.

The workers join nearly 3,000 employees already in Detroit on a unified campus extending from the Detroit River to the company's headquarters two blocks north on Lafayette Boulevard.

The relocation to downtown Detroit is part of a series of moves by the nonprofit health care insurer to concentrate its employees to three cities — Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids — where 97 percent of the Blues' work force eventually will be located.

...

The Blue Cross workers will move into the RenCen's 500 and 600 towers, occupying 435,000 square feet of space for at least 15 years.

The move by Blue Cross will raise the RenCen's occupancy rate to 92 percent and reduce the amount of vacant Class A office space 6 percent. Blue Cross will occupy 21 floors of Tower 500 and floors 3 to 10 in Tower 600.

...

[LMich]

Not specifically Detroit-related, but more solid news that the ecnomic recovery of Michigan is beyond where it could be considered a fluke:

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110504&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=105040363&Ref=V2

Michigan manufacturing shores up nation's economy (http://www.detnews.com/article/20110504/BIZ/105040363/Michigan-manufacturing-shores-up-nation%E2%80%99s-economy)

Brian J. O'Connor / / Detroit News Finance Editor

May 4, 2011

...

Among manufacturing states, Michigan is well ahead in job creation — nearly 30,000 jobs in that period. That's 40 percent more than the second-biggest gaining state — Wisconsin — and five times the jobs added in California.

Compared with June 2009, when the recession officially ended, Perry noted, the number of manufacturing positions in the United States has declined, but Michigan has added 48,500 manufacturing jobs.

Driving much of that is the rebound in auto sales, especially in Michigan-made pickups. Jenny Lin, senior U.S. economist for Ford Motor Co., says business investment is a big part of that, noting that capital spending increased 11.6 percent in the first quarter over the fourth quarter.

"That shows businesses are investing," Lin said. "They're finding they can't live with an old fleet of vehicles anymore, so business owners are renewing their fleets. That's a point of support for Ford sales going forward."

And for Michigan, as businesses, contractors and farmers pick up more pickups.

Ford's F-150 line is made in Dearborn's Rouge River plant, while Chrysler Group LLC makes the Ram 1500 and Dakota pickups in Warren. General Motors Co. assembles the heavy-duty versions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra in Flint, models selling so well now despite an increase in gas prices to nearly $4 a gallon nationwide that GM just added a third shift.

While it would take many, many extra shifts of auto workers to replace the 503,000 jobs lost in Michigan since January 2006, the manufacturing rebound underscores the heavily cyclical nature of the state's economy. With its dependence on automakers, Michigan's economy falls faster and harder when bad times send vehicle sales plummeting.

But the state also bounces back faster and higher than others after an economic downturn.

After four years of posting the worst unemployment rate in the nation — topping out at a whopping 14.5percent in December 2009 — Michigan now ranks fifth at 10.3 percent, behind Nevada, California, Florida and Rhode Island, and barely above the 10.2percent rates of Kentucky and Mississippi. Michigan's unemployment rate has fallen at twice the rate of the U.S. rate, now at 8.8 percent.

...

Long way to go, but, yes, we still can make things in America, and make money on them, too.

[animatedmartian]

Matty Moroun's company hires Ann Arbor architectural firm to touch up Michigan Central Depot

By Lizzy Alfs
Business Reporter

May 6, 2011

annarbor.com (http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/ann-arbor-firm-hired-by-bridge-company-to-restore-michigan-central-station/)


Ann Arbor-based Quinn Evans Architects has been hired by the Detroit International Bridge Company to design restoration plans for the dilapidated Michigan Central Depot in Detroit, the company announced Thursday.

Manuel “Matty” Moroun owns the bridge company, which also controls the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor. Moroun is currently trying to block a proposed publicly-owned bridge that would similarly span the Detroit River and connect the two cities.
A statement released by the bridge company said Moroun’s son and vice chairman, Matthew Moroun, “looks forward to a renewed, vibrant building.”

The project will include restoration of the windows and replacement of the roof at the historic building, which has been unoccupied for over two decades and is generally considered a symbol of Detroit's decline.

Elisabeth Knibbe, who will lead the design project for Quinn Evans Architects, said her firm specializes in historic restoration and has worked on projects such as the Garfield Building in Detroit and the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing.

Knibbe said the building looks “pretty sound” structurally, but she said there are issues that have to be addressed before the restorations can begin.

...



Actually, I just noticed that the Detnews has a similar article from March 25, only this article names the architects. It's nice to see more progress towards a slow rebirth of Detroit, nonetheless.

[subterranean]

Not specifically Detroit-related, but more solid news that the ecnomic recovery of Michigan is beyond where it could be considered a fluke:



Long way to go, but, yes, we still can make things in America, and make money on them, too.


When there was a "sky is falling" mentality, many of these companies undoubtedly over cut. This new hiring will seriously level out soon. At least I hope. I don't want the new Michigan to be so reliant on the automotive industry. We need to continue diversifying.

[Michi]

May I suggest a Detroiter step up and keep us all up to date on the window replacements (and anything else) happening at the Michigan Central Train Station? I find the suspected contradiction between the Ambassador Twin Span/Public Bridge & the timely restoration of the MCS rather fascinating and a great emerging case study in power, politics, corruption, taxes, free markets and, of course, warm tinglies! :)

[subterranean]

May I suggest a Detroiter step up and keep us all up to date on the window replacements (and anything else) happening at the Michigan Central Train Station? I find the suspected contradiction between the Ambassador Twin Span/Public Bridge & the timely restoration of the MCS rather fascinating and a great emerging case study in power, politics, corruption, taxes, free markets and, of course, warm tinglies! :)

God, I hope that's not his logic. If so, then he may move straight to demo (or at least threaten to demo) if he doesn't get his way with the bridge. This man is a disgusting, despicable excuse for a human being.

[animatedmartian]

Work begins to replace windows at Michigan Central Depot
Tom Greenwood/ The Detroit News
June 07, 2011
http://www.detnews.com/article/20110607/METRO/106070433/Work-begins-to-replace-windows-at-Michigan-Central-Depot

Detroit — If it's true that "a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step," then the Michigan Central Train Depot may be on its way toward restoration.

On Tuesday morning, a crew of workmen from Professional Abatement Services Inc. began removing asbestos-laden caulking and glazing from all the first-floor windows of the iconic building, which has sat abandoned and derelict on Michigan Avenue for decades.

The work backs up a recent pledge by Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun — who also owns the train depot — to replace the roof and more than a thousand broken windows in the 17-story building.

"The activity occurring at Michigan Central Station is the beginning of a long process for depot restoration," said Moroun's wife, Nora. "It is the first of many positive steps to come."

PASI workmen will also be removing asbestos ductwork and tiles from the first floor, according to company President Danny Bennett.

"This is really a huge job, and we could be here for months to come," Bennett said.

"Once we finish the first floor we'll probably start working our way up to the top of this thing. There are an estimated 1,400 windows in this building, with very big windows on the first floor."

[...]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110607&Category=METRO&ArtNo=106070433&Ref=AR

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110607&Category=METRO&ArtNo=106070433&Ref=V2



I can't chose between optimism and cynicism knowing that and old rich guy has power over what gets done. :yuck:

[animatedmartian]

Progress on the Broderick Tower.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/260214_218445661522486_109210839112636_702765_2211809_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/253742_218445701522482_109210839112636_702766_2183671_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/253778_218445714855814_109210839112636_702767_7340380_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250450_218445724855813_109210839112636_702768_536173_n.jpg
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.218445631522489.61170.109210839112636

Renderings

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/47/extsouth.jpg

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5488/exteast.jpg
http://www.brodericktower.com/

[subterranean]

Yes!! Thanks for the photos.

[mind field]

The Broderick Tower is the renovation that i've waited sooo long to see come to fruition in Detroit. I think it will be a new beacon of hope for the renaissance of downtown Detroit.

[Austinlee]

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/47/extsouth.jpg


F--- YES!!

[Austinlee]

Also, I wanted to say when I was in Detroit last year for DEMF (I didn't make it this year) I stayed at the Westin Book Cadillac; What a hotel! Amazing. I loved it and will always stay there when I am in town.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/streetlevelpostrenovation.jpg


Couple shots I took. Nice cluster here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_9926.jpg

I'm not really a statue guy bu this one is epic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_9924.jpg


Loved this textures of this angle. Wish RenCen was more integral to downtown though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/P1050906.jpg


Random people shots with RenCen from DEMF '10.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG00088-20100529-1832.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG00090-20100529-1835.jpg


Hart Plaza rules.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/P1050884.jpg

[Austinlee]

Concerning the waterfront convention center; This looks good. Hope it connects properly to the water.

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/da/89/f0/38/04/38/20110301175925_SouthElevation.jpg

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/07/38/ac/37/38/1f/20110301174847_EastAerial.jpg




Pittsburgh's convention center waterfront park:

Before -

http://christinedavisconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/836405.jpg
http://christinedavisconsultants.com/2008/12/convention-center/

Recently completed:

http://www.mascaroconstruction.com/images/projects/fullsize/Riverfront0.jpg
http://mascaroconstruction.com/projects/view/78

http://www.mascaroconstruction.com/images/projects/fullsize/ribbonwalk0.jpg
http://mascaroconstruction.com/projects/view/78

http://mascaroconstruction.com/images/projects/fullsize/facingsisterbridges0.jpg
http://mascaroconstruction.com/projects/view/78

[animatedmartian]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/28315374/detail.html

Detroit's getting people from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as swell as Department of Transportation.

(looking for a link)
I also saw a story about the state of Michigan owing Detroit $20(or $220) million dollars from a deal that Denis Archer made with the state. The state supposedly only paid for two years on that deal.

Crossing fingers for money not going into corruption or wasteful spending. [/cynicism]

[Frequency]

It's so good to see work finally being done on both Broderick and the train station. There are so many amazing buildings in Detroit, many of which have fallen into disrepair or sadly been torn down (or turned into parking lots). I'm glad to see these buildings fight for a second life. This bit of revival will do Detroit good.

[The North One]

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/47/extsouth.jpg


F--- YES!!

Now all thats left is the book tower.

[animatedmartian]

From detroitbob66 at detroityes:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10007&d=1308804097

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10006&d=1308804093
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?1783-Broderick-Tower-Official-Thread/page15

Scheduled to be open by fall 2012.
http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/broderickrenovation042611.aspx

[LMich]

Whole Foods is still seriously looking at the city:

Whole Foods meets with Detroiters to discuss possible store in city (http://www.freep.com/article/20110624/BUSINESS06/110624020/Whole-Foods-meets-Detroiters-discuss-possible-store-city?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p)

by John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

June 24, 2011

Reaching out to local Detroit residents, the Whole Foods grocery chain held another community listening session this morning as it mulls whether to open one of its upscale food emporiums in Detroit.

Red Elk Banks, the company’s director of operations for Michigan, told the 35 to 40 residents attending the session at the Friends of Detroit & Tri County Center at 8230 E. Forest that no decisions have been made about whether to open a store in Detroit. The company operates five groceries in Michigan.

...

Banks and other Whole Foods representatives used the meeting to talk about Whole Foods’ corporate values and to promise to support local growers and vendors if and when a store happens here.

“We seek out and find Michigan products,” Banks said. “We’re not going to be successful unless we’re lifting every vendor around us.”

The soonest a decision might be announced would be at Whole Foods’ next earnings report on July 27, and local real estate insiders point to one or more possible locations in Midtown as the most likely site.

...

Although no decisions were announced, the Whole Foods representatives did said that if the company decides to open a store, it would take 18 to 24 months to build. The size would likely be in the 18,000- to 25,000-square-foot range.

...

In other news, Michigan is looking to lure (back, in a way) Sears:

SE Michigan battles to lure Sears headquarters, 5,000 jobs (http://www.freep.com/article/20110624/BUSINESS06/110624036/SE-Michigan-battles-lure-Sears-headquarters-5-000-jobs?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE)

by John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

June 24, 2011

With giant Sears Holdings Corp. mulling a headquarters move from its base in suburban Chicago, Southeast Michigan has jumped into the fray to try to lure the retailer.

A package of incentives worth at least $50 million is being offered to Sears to relocate its headquarters and some 5,000 jobs to metro Detroit, two sources familiar with the talks said Friday.

Two potential sites in metro Detroit are being offered to Sears. One is Regent Court, a Ford Motor office building on Ford Road in Dearborn. The other is the former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan complex on West 11 Mile Road in Southfield, which is on the market as BCBSM moves employees to downtown Detroit.

Both Wayne and Oakland counties, as well as the Michigan Economic Development Corp., are participating in the attempt to lure the Sears headquarters, the sources said. MEDC had no comment on the effort.

...

Moving to Southeast Michigan would be a homecoming of sorts. The former Kmart Corp., then based in Troy, bought Sears in 2005 to form Sears Holdings and left Troy for combined corporate offices in suburban Chicago.

Michigan is just one state lining up with offers. Published media reports in Chicago have said that Sears has been in talks with North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and New Jersey about leaving its Hoffman Estates-based headquarters in suburban Chicago after its state and local tax incentives expire in 2012.

...

[canadaonstrike]

Federal government to jumpstart manufacturing in Michigan

By Tracy Samilton | Michigan Radio

Michigan is playing a starring role in a new federal initiative designed to spark the creation of new manufacturing jobs as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. The federal government will spend $500 million to jumpstart manufacturing research and development projects.

...

Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris will lead the partnership and Ford Motor Company, Stryker Corporation and the University of Michigan will also be involved. U of M President Mary Sue Coleman says Michigan, with its heavy reliance on manufacturing, has more to gain from the partnership than any other state.



http://www.michiganradio.org/post/federal-government-jumpstart-manufacturing-michigan

[animatedmartian]

Dan Gilbert hopes Madison project will change downtown Detroit
Jun. 21, 2011
By John Gallagher / Detroit Free Press

To get a good idea how Quicken Loans founder and chairman Dan Gilbert hopes to change downtown Detroit, take a look at the progress on his Madison Theatre Building.

Gilbert bought the small, five-story structure near Broadway and Grand Circus Park and has workers transforming it into a hub for high-tech entrepreneurial activity.

The building is to open in late fall.

There'll be a co-working floor that Gilbert plans to offer for free to entrepreneurs -- sort of a desk-for-a-day environment for techies. And there'll be a 150-seat theater where Gilbert hopes to host all sorts of technology events, from critiques of new software and hardware to brainstorming sessions for digital types.

...

The Madison, to be finished this fall, is just one of several Gilbert projects under way downtown. Gilbert and his partners have purchased the Chase Building and the First National Building, and real estate insiders say he continues to look for more buildings.

...

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20110621&Category=BUSINESS04&ArtNo=106210329&Ref=V2&MaxW=600&Border=0
ANDRE J. JACKSON/Detroit Free Press



http://www.freep.com/article/20110621/BUSINESS04/106210329/Dan-Gilbert-hopes-Madison-project-will-change-downtown-Detroit

[LMich]

And, the news keeps on coming. Meanwhile, across the street from the Broderick Tower...



http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110627&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=106270362&Ref=H3
Construction could begin next year to turn the David Whitney Building into a boutique hotel that would “elevate the panache of the city.” (David Coates / The Detroit News)

Boutique hotel eyed for downtown's Whitney Building (http://www.detnews.com/article/20110627/BIZ/106270362/Boutique-hotel-eyed-for-downtown-s-Whitney-Building)

By Louis Aguilar | Detroit News

June 27, 2011

The new owners of an empty downtown Woodward Avenue building are putting their faith in Detroit's eclecticism with plans to open the city's first boutique hotel — a genre of small, trendy lodgings that often become local hangouts, too.

...

The owners of the David Whitney Building want to take advantage of its architecture, which includes a sweeping four-story lobby with a glass atrium, and mostly intact white terra cotta columns and a marble floor.

The idea is for the hotel to be distinct and not have a corporate feel to it, said David Di Rita, one of the new owners of the David Whitney. It would aim for a young, cosmopolitan clientele, he said.

...

The Whitney partners are trying to raise $80 million to bring a mix of 130 hotel rooms and 180 residential units to the 19-story building. They are in talks with several national hotel chains that run boutique brands, said Di Rita, but he declined to name the chains. Examples of those brands include the W, Aloft and Palomar hotels.

...

If things go as planned, construction in the David Whitney Building would start next year, and the residences and hotel would open in 2013, said James Van Dyke, vice president of development in The Roxbury Group and the Whitney partnership.

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110627&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=106270362&Ref=AR
New owners of the David Whitney Building plan to turn the property into a boutique hotel with trendy lodging and a lobby that looks like a nightclub. (David Coates / The Detroit News)

[subterranean]

LMich, you always beat me to it. You must not sleep at night.

Excited for the Whitney.

[animatedmartian]

Grand Circus Park looks like it's might become a big hot spot. :yes:

[animatedmartian]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110710/SUB01/307109989/real-estate-wave-signals-healthier-city-momentum-flows-from-office

Real estate wave signals healthier city: Momentum flows from office to retail

Originally Published: July 10, 2011
By Daniel Duggan

It started with two large office deals, then a few midsize and small office deals. Apartments started filling up, and retail projects are being planned.

The momentum for real estate deals in Detroit has been hard to miss during the first half of 2011, with close to 1 million square feet of office space in the process of being occupied.

The level of real estate activity has many optimistic about its future.

"Right now, the fundamentals of the Detroit office market are the health-iest they've been in my lifetime," said A.J. Weiner, a office broker with Jones Lang LaSalle who has worked in Detroit for 15 years.

"The CBD is reaping the benefits of a dramatic amount of absorption in a short period of time and is now seeing ripple effects from that."

...

The business decision to be in Detroit is one of the most encouraging signs right now, said George Jackson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.

"These are smart people making investments," he said. "People who've done well in business are coming in and making the business decision to be in Detroit. That tells you something."

The second-quarter research report on the city shows a 29.9 percent vacancy rate, according to Grubb & Ellis Co.

The firm's research report shows 112,000 square feet of positive absorption this year -- a real estate metric that shows how much new space is being used, minus the space that has been vacated.

"While we have yet to see the real impact on paper, there's almost a million square feet of space either occupied or accounted for that was vacant 12 months ago," Weiner said. "This much absorption is positively changing the competitive landscape in the CBD and, as a result, is limiting the uncertainty of the market, block-by-block, and that's making for stronger fundamentals in what has historically been one of the regions most challenged real estate environments."

...

Related to the office deals, many of the city's apartment buildings are near or at full capacity, with some reporting waiting lists.

A recent study by Midtown Detroit Inc. showed apartments in the Midtown neighborhood are at 94 percent occupancy.

That level of residential demand is fueling moves such as Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc. to open a store in the city and Troy-based Somerset Collection to open a temporary retail collection in the city.

...

[animatedmartian]

There's some hard numbers here, too.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110710/SUB01/307109989/real-estate-wave-signals-healthier-city-momentum-flows-from-office

Building purchases by Dan Gilbert:
1. Madison Theatre Building: $1.4 million
2. Chase Tower: $16 million
3. Two Detroit Center parking deck: $10.5 million
4. First National Building: $8.1 million
5. Dime Building: $15 million

New developments under discussion or under construction:
6. David Whitney Building: Hotel and apartments, $3.3 million purchase price, $80 million project cost, awaiting financing
7. Broderick Tower: Apartments, $53 million, under construction
8. Somerset Collection CityLoft: 4,000 square feet of retail from Somerset Collection in Troy

Other projects include a Meijer store likely at the site of Redford High School, $25 million; a Meijer as part of the $90 million Gateway Park project; and a Whole Foods Market, price and location not disclosed.

Suburban companies opening Detroit offices:
9. Sachse Construction, Birmingham: 1,100 square feet, Guardian Building
10. Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions, Farmington Hills: 800 square feet, Penobscot Building
11. Brownrigg Cos., Auburn Hills: 1,000 square feet, 333 W. Fort St.

Suburban companies moving headquarters/substantial numbers of employees downtown:
12. Blue Cross Blue Shield (from Southfield) to Renaissance Center: Moved 300 employees, the rest of the 3,000 to move over the next year, taking 465,000 square feet
13. Quicken Loans Inc. (from Livonia): 240,000 square feet in the first wave, an additional 2,000 people; likely to take 140,000 square feet in Chase Tower
14. Skidmore Studio (from Royal Oak): 10,000 square feet in Madison Theatre Building
15. Jack Morton Worldwide (from Troy) to One Woodward Ave.: 6,000 square feet
16. Michigan Women's Foundation (from Grosse Pointe) to 333 W. Fort St.

Companies expanding in Detroit:
17. University of Phoenix: Leaving small presence in the Dime Building to take 20,000 square feet at 1001 Woodward Ave.

Additionally, Health Plan of Michigan is seeking another 25,000 square feet in the city.

Companies new to the region in Detroit:
18. Big Fuel: The New York advertising firm is opening a 7,000-square-foot office at 150 W. Jefferson Ave.

[jowens]

Really love the positive trend that is happening in Detroit!!

You Go Motown!!!

[animatedmartian]

The Detroit Port Authority Public Dock and Terminal is finally completed.

KATHLEEN GALLIGAN/DFP
http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=13&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=11&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=7&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=9&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=8&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=3&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=5&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110716&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=107160803&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=60
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20110716&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=107160803&Ref=PH/Detroit-Port-Authority-Public-Dock-Terminal?odyssey=mod|defcon|img|FRONTPAGE

[mind field]

DTE is latest to relocate downtown
July 16, 2011
By John Gallagher
Detroit Free Press Business Writer

DTE Energy is becoming the latest company to move suburban-based workers to downtown Detroit.

Joyce Hayes Giles, DTE Energy senior vice president for customer service, said Friday that DTE will transfer its Southfield-based customer service call center downtown in September. About 300 workers will make the move.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110716/BUSINESS04/107160323/DTE-latest-relocate-downtown

[NYC2ATX]

All the positive news coming in recently is so good to hear, it puts a smile on my face. :D The news about the Michigan Central Station is truly inspiring, and I have high hopes for the future of this city.

:cheers::cheers::cheers: to Detroit!

[animatedmartian]

Broderick Construction Update July 18, 2011 from its facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.207816515933091.48621.185268824854527

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/269709_207816582599751_185268824854527_550506_3647880_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270620_207816622599747_185268824854527_550507_5961813_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/270613_207816675933075_185268824854527_550508_1812846_n.jpg
Scrappers Delight. As of this week the buck hoist is operational so all of this can finally be removed. There are about 34 piles like this, one of each floor.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/270264_207817149266361_185268824854527_550519_492971_n.jpg
Resident of 6C may never know this lies behind their wall.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/283073_207817245933018_185268824854527_550522_1954923_n.jpg
New sample window on the left, original window on the right.

Can't wait to see this completed. :D

[LMich]

Nice! You can catch the renovation going on at the Madison Building, too, in that first picture.

The Terminal & Dock was formally opened, yesterday...

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110719&Category=METRO&ArtNo=107190358&Ref=AR&Profile=1409

Officials hope newly opened Detroit port helps revive waterfront
(http://www.detnews.com/article/20110719/METRO/107190358/1409/Officials-hope-newly-opened-Detroit-port-helps-revive-waterfront)

Tom Greenwood | The Detroit News

July 19, 2011

If you build it, they will cruise on in.

That's the hope behind the new $22 million Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority that officially opened Monday.

And in a bit of sea-going serendipity, the backdrop to the ceremony was the sleek, 184-foot-long boat Grand Mariner, which earlier stopped at the port as part of its Chicago-to-Toronto cruise.

"This is a huge milestone on our waterfront," said John Jamian, executive director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority.

"Detroit started on the waterfront, and we're returning to the waterfront.

"There were so many cruise ships that docked here in the 1920s … we're returning full circle."

Jamian said so far, five boats have docked at the new terminal within the past few weeks, including the Pride of Baltimore II, which berthed at the dock last week.

...

I'm really pulling for the terminal. To be honest, though, if they want to assure that this doesn't become a white elephant, they'll really put effort into searching for an operator to start a Detroit-Windsor ferry. I really think that's something that could work, and give the terminal an anchor, pun not intended.

[animatedmartian]

That's kinda a funny looking boat to me. :sly:

As mentioned in an earlier news story, there are plans for a Mejier at the former Redford High School Site. Here's a site plan so far:

Parkguy (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidlegg/)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1233/5147005116_b06e0fde8c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidlegg/5147005116/)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1233/5147005116_cb1b614fb3_o.jpg

Area currently:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3196/zscren253.png

[Rizzo]

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/270264_207817149266361_185268824854527_550519_492971_n.jpg

Dang, that's crazy. The Broderick is an all-steel structure so it warranted such oversized bracing back in the day.

[LMich]

That's kinda a funny looking boat to me. :sly:

As mentioned in an earlier news story, there are plans for a Mejier at the former Redford High School Site. Here's a site plan so far:

Parkguy (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidlegg/)

I really do wish they'd front the store on Grand River, so you could walk in through the front, kind of like how the current school complex is. It wouldn't really change the function of the overall site plan because you'd still have entrances off the parking lot in the back (maybe even the main entrance), but it'd look better. I know that's not who these big boxes do things when they don't have to, but it'd be nice.

[subterranean]

I really do wish they'd front the store on Grand River, so you could walk in through the front, kind of like how the current school complex is. It wouldn't really change the function of the overall site plan because you'd still have entrances off the parking lot in the back (maybe even the main entrance), but it'd look better. I know that's not who these big boxes do things when they don't have to, but it'd be nice.


Exactly. This kind of crap frustrates me to no end. But, we must recognize that position/approach of the loading docks is the most important access point for a store like this. It would be difficult for stores like this to accommodate both the volume of people and merchandise/trucks with a zero lot line without doing some creative site finagling and a building redesign. And in the mind of Meijer corporate, I'm sure the mindset is "this works, replicate it". Also, I'm wondering what restrictions the city has on minimum parking requirements, setback, curb cuts, etc.

[animatedmartian]

Lights are on at Broderick.

Detroiturbex (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Detroiturbexcom/109210839112636)
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6033/27253423570804312958110.jpg
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=235708043129581&set=a.204745672892485.51328.109210839112636&type=1&ref=nf

I also saw the lights on at the Michigan Bell building. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. I think there were some other buildings were being built across the street or remodeled or something. I was really caught by surprise going down this way.

http://www.obecc.com/images/bell_building_b.jpg
http://www.obecc.com/bellbuilding.html

The Neighborhood Services Organization is renovating the place for homeless and low-income residents.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110414/FREE/110419946/neighborhood-services-organization-to-turn-michigan-bell-building-into-apartments-for-homeless#

[mind field]

Lights are on at Broderick.

Detroiturbex (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Detroiturbexcom/109210839112636)
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6033/27253423570804312958110.jpg
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=235708043129581&set=a.204745672892485.51328.109210839112636&type=1&ref=nf



Now that is an amazing sight to see, we've waited so long!

[animatedmartian]

Whole Foods to set up shop in Detroit's Midtown

Louis Aguilar/ The Detroit News
Last Updated: July 27. 2011

Whole Foods Inc. plans to open a 20,000-square-foot market on the northwest corner of Mack Avenue and John R in Detroit's Midtown, the national grocer's first store in the city, the Austin, Texas-based national grocer said this afternoon.

The plan is to open the store in 2013 and create between 60 to 75 jobs, according to a statement by the Austin, Texas-based natural and organic food store chain. The planned store is much smaller than a regular suburban supermarket, but it will be a full-service store and one that reflects the company's goal of supporting quality local suppliers and organic agriculture.

...

The site for the store is a 1.92-acre property near the Detroit Medical Center, which is about to undergo a major expansion and add jobs.

Midtown, located just north of downtown, already has a growing affluent and educated population. The area has the city's highest rate of income per acre at $231,961, according to a 2010 study by Social Compact, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that gathers data to help spark urban development. The study shows Midtown also has the highest average household income of new Detroit homebuyers at $113,788, followed by downtown at $111,509 and Indian Village at $111,200.

...

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110727/BIZ/107270417/Whole-Foods-to-set-up-shop-in-Detroit’s-Midtown#ixzz1TLNQ041M



The empty parcel of land here:

http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.348054,-83.057526&spn=0.00266,0.00618&t=h&z=18

[Onn]

Fitch moves Michigan bond outlook from stable to positive

Kathy Barks Hoffman
Associated Press/The Detroit News
July 27. 2011

Lansing— Fitch Ratings has revised its outlook for Michigan bonds from stable to positive today, reflecting what it calls "prudent budgeting" and a state economy that's beginning to slowly rebound.

The New York ratings agency left the state's overall bond rating unchanged at AA-, an investment-grade rating that's three steps below the top rating of AAA. But it said the state might see its rating improve if the economy continues to strengthen and the budget remains structurally balanced.

Gov. Rick Snyder has made it a top priority to improve the state's credit rating, including it as one of the items measured on his MiDashboard. The state lost its top AAA bond rating from Standard and Poor's in 2003, and years of bad economic news limited its ability to improve its ranking with any of the three major agencies that rate state debt. A higher rating would save the state money, making it cheaper for school districts to borrow for new buildings and for the state to borrow for new construction projects.


http://detnews.com/article/20110727/BIZ/107270426/1361/Fitch-moves-Michigan-bond-outlook-from-stable-to-positive

Congratulations Mr. Governor, maybe this will help get the bridge built!

[animatedmartian]

They've started to clean the facade on the Broderick.

Kramer Design group (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kraemer-Design-Group/164434555881)
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300692_10150256864565882_164434555881_8130392_7976341_n.jpg


http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/531/29093010150256864565882.jpg http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150256864565882&set=a.431008855881.220695.164434555881&type=1

[patriotizzy]

It boggles my mind how cities let beautiful architecture get so wasted. I appreciate the renovations but it shouldn't happen in the first place. Still, huge praise for this building's renovation!

[Onn]

Wonderful, I'm glad they're finally doing it! :)

[Rizzo]

It boggles my mind how cities let beautiful architecture get so wasted. I appreciate the renovations but it shouldn't happen in the first place. Still, huge praise for this building's renovation!

I agree. Vacancy is understandable in Detroit, but the slumlords did nothing to protect these buildings. The Broderick has an absolutely awful history of abuse and neglect in the past 10-15 years. So much so that this development seems to be a fluke. I thought for sure it was a goner.

[fishrose]

I agree. Vacancy is understandable in Detroit, but the slumlords did nothing to protect these buildings. The Broderick has an absolutely awful history of abuse and neglect in the past 10-15 years. So much so that this development seems to be a fluke. I thought for sure it was a goner.

Everyone thought it was a goner. I was talking to the guy who runs buildingsofdetroit.com at Lefty's last year and he said he'd been inside and it was a completely lost cause. I'm very glad it's finally getting the attention and care it deserves.

[animatedmartian]

In terms of what buildings have been lost in Detroit, two were recently demolished.

Ford Auditorium

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10145&d=1310485961

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10415&d=1313281022
Photographer D.Coles.

Cass Technical High School

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/5987466629_d7ca8ece3d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49499216@N04/5987466629/)
_MG_1184.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49499216@N04/5987466629/) by detroiturbex.com (http://www.flickr.com/people/49499216@N04/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5987473583_bc1faf29bc_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49499216@N04/5987473583/)
_MG_0641.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49499216@N04/5987473583/) by detroiturbex.com (http://www.flickr.com/people/49499216@N04/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5987468601_0424b3b0bf_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49499216@N04/5987468601/)
_MG_0703.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49499216@N04/5987468601/) by detroiturbex.com (http://www.flickr.com/people/49499216@N04/)

So it seems for every building we do save, there are still some that are pretty much lost. At least Cass was replaced by a newer high school, (building in the background of the last picture). The good news is that I don't think there are any more high rises that will be demolished anytime in the near future, except for maybe the Brewster Projects, but no one wants to keep those anyway. The bad news is that we're still in a slow economy and it's going to take lots of money to renovate whatever buildings are left. I'm optimistic, though, that Detroit has seen the worst and that things are getting better.

[Rizzo]

I think the Lafayette was the last remaining building of architectural significance to be demolished downtown....for now. But up next I'd guess the Charlevoix building is next likely to fall. So bad, it doesn't even have stairs

Notable neighborhood buildings of size, height, and architecture in danger include:
American Hotel
Lee Plaza
Harbor Light

The rest as you mentioned (like the Whitney and Book) are highly likely to be renovated in the near future.

[animatedmartian]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110817/NEWS01/108170379/9-Detroit-schools-unveil-172M-renovations-next-month?odyssey=mod_sectionstories

9 Detroit schools to unveil $172M in renovations next month

Students at nine Detroit Public Schools will find new and improved facilities on the first day of classes next month as the district unveils half of the projects from its $500.5-million school construction bond program.

Parents and staff who recently toured some of the projects were impressed by new perks, including two-story common areas and new art rooms with kilns for making pottery at several schools. Some said they didn't get everything they wanted but were looking forward to moving in.

The unveiling of nine projects worth $172 million will be the largest one-day grand opening of the three-year construction blitz voters approved in November 2009. The massive bond package was sold as a crucial step in the process of righting the district.

...

DPS closed dozens of schools in 2005-09, but voters approved the Proposal S ballot measure in 2009 to build anew and also renovate remaining buildings.

In total, the bond is paying for 18 projects: seven new schools, a new district police headquarters, renovations to nine existing schools and the demolition of the old Cass Tech High School. District-wide technology and security upgrades also are part of the package.

The last construction bond program passed in 1994 for $1.5 billion.

The nine projects are: new buildings at the King High School and Gompers and Earhart elementary-middle school sites, and renovated facilities for Bunche and Garvey elementary-middle schools, Duke Ellington at Beckham Academy, and for Denby, Ford and Western International high schools.
...

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=12&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=11&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=10&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=5&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=14&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60
ANDRE J. JACKSON/DFP

[animatedmartian]

Major Developers are looking at Detroit. (http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/28905174/index.html)

One mentioned is the W hotel chain. :tup:

[animatedmartian]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110821/BUSINESS04/108210384/Loft-living-where-action-metro-Detroit-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Loft living is where the action is in metro Detroit
BY JUDY ROSE
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Aug. 21, 2011

...

Heavy demand means short supply

In Detroit or in the suburbs, if you hunt for a loft, you'll find 90% are rentals.

When low-down-payment mortgages crashed around 2007, they took the for-sale loft market with them. Back then, developers building lofts for sale found they had to rent them or fold.

Now both locally and nationally almost all new lofts are for rent, says Andy Farbman, president and CEO of the Farbman Group in Southfield.

But even for rent, he says, Detroit is close to running short of lofts. For the first time, his company's Woodward Lofts in Midtown has a waiting list.

"With all the young work force coming downtown, you'd have to be blind to not see what's happening."

At The Loft Warehouse, owner/broker Sabra Sanzotta handles both sales and rentals in areas like downtown, Midtown and Corktown. The larger part of her business is rentals, she says, but she could sell more lofts if she had them.

"People moving into Detroit is a phenomenon," Sanzotta says. "We really have to work hard to find individual condo owners who want to sell." As with single-house sales, she says many loft sales are foreclosures or short sales.

The loft idea is so popular, many apartments now incorrectly call themselves "lofts." Of true lofts for sale right now, the largest is Willys Overland Lofts on Canfield near Cass, where Wren and Smiley bought two smaller lofts and combined them into one. The complex only offers lofts for sale.

...

[LMich]

More Gilbert-induced migration:

Another Gilbert firm to move downtown Detroit (http://www.freep.com/article/20110822/BUSINESS06/110822052/Another-Gilbert-firm-move-downtown-Detroit?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE)

By John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

August 22, 2011

MyInsuranceExpert.com, an online life insurance brokerage owned in part by Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert, will soon follow Gilbert’s other companies moving to downtown Detroit from the suburbs.

MyInsuranceExpert currently employs about 85 workers in Troy, but has plans to hire an additional 200 people in the next several months and move downtown by the end of this year.

The expansion and move has been aided by an investment from Rockbridge Growth Equity, LLC, a private equity firm based in Detroit that is one of Gilbert’s investment firms.

...

A spokeswoman for Gilbert said the company would consider locations in various downtown buildings.

[Rizzo]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110817/NEWS01/108170379/9-Detroit-schools-unveil-172M-renovations-next-month?odyssey=mod_sectionstories



http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=12&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=11&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=10&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=5&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20110816&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108160803&Ref=PH&Item=14&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60
ANDRE J. JACKSON/DFP



Did the freep really post these crooked-ass photos?

[animatedmartian]

Did the freep really post these crooked-ass photos?

:yes: :haha:

[subterranean]

did the freep really post these crooked-ass photos?

lol.......

[fishrose]

Did the freep really post these crooked-ass photos?

Does that really surprise you? :haha: The Free Press is a joke, they've recently reported more than one internet message board rumor as fact. They even ran a story with a fake, photoshopped image (made by a message board poster) of Michigan State's yet-to-be-revealed Nike Pro Combat football jerseys :haha:

[animatedmartian]

Cobo update.

bqyRUESlEKs

[Rizzo]

Thank you for posting that video. Very informative and I look forward to the progress. Despite some of Cobo's drawbacks, the center has been very flexible to change over the years. And what also makes it great are the very high ceiling exhibition spaces with a 200' spans between columns....and yet an occupied floor above for parking. Probably considered extremely ground breaking for the time it was built. Even today, stacked spaces can rarely achieve this because of cost.

[animatedmartian]

Now that you mention it, I've never noticed the columns that actually supported the roof. I would only notice the ones that supported the people mover. Don't know if these have been posted yet, but they're on Cobo's website.

http://www.cobocenter.com/renderings2.html

Basement Level
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6090331627_a910ab21ca_b.jpg

Street Level
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6090326467_b277f063d3_b.jpg

Level 3
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6090328039_475de69801_b.jpg

Level 4
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6090873972_3359403c9e_b.jpg

Interesting to note that when it was originally built, it stopped at Larned. It was expanded in 1989 (wikipedia).
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/getimage-idx?viewid=18783;cc=vmc;entryid=x-18783;quality=1;view=image
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?q1=cobo;rgn1=vmc_all;op2=And;rgn2=vmc_all;g=photojournalism;med=1;c=vmc;back=back1314941090;chaperone=S-VMC-X-18783%2018783;evl=full-image;chaperone=S-VMC-X-18783%2018783;quality=1;view=entry;subview=detail;cc=vmc;entryid=x-18783;viewid=18783;start=;resnum=38

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/getimage-idx?viewid=78332;cc=vmc;entryid=x-78332;quality=0;view=image
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?q1=cobo;rgn1=vmc_all;op2=And;rgn2=vmc_all;g=photojournalism;med=1;c=vmc;back=back1314941196;chaperone=S-VMC-X-78332%2078332;evl=full-image;chaperone=S-VMC-X-78332%2078332;quality=0;view=entry;subview=detail;cc=vmc;entryid=x-78332;viewid=78332;start=;resnum=68

[LMich]

Thank you for posting that video. Very informative and I look forward to the progress. Despite some of Cobo's drawbacks, the center has been very flexible to change over the years. And what also makes it great are the very high ceiling exhibition spaces with a 200' spans between columns....and yet an occupied floor above for parking. Probably considered extremely ground breaking for the time it was built. Even today, stacked spaces can rarely achieve this because of cost.

Funny, huh? Governments and public authorities the nation over actually used to spend money to get the best product possible. lol But yeah, I used to hate Cobo, but during the fight over this new renovation and expansion it began to grow on me.

BTW, looks like the Wayne County Commission voted to awarded a contract (to Walbridge) the other day for the building of a consolidated county jail across from the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice. They will tear down two existing jails (one building of which is from 1929 that I can't even picture at the moment, and the 1980's built Baird Detention Center), and empty their jail in Hamtramck. With the old city police headquarters and jail soon to be vacated in the area, this is a heck of a lot of land that'll be opened up, though, I fear it'll just be more parking.

[animatedmartian]

I'm wondering if it's going to be a sprawling jail since it's so much space.

[animatedmartian]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110903/BUSINESS04/109030330/Start-Uniroyal-cleanup-sharpens-vision-Detroit-riverfront

Start of Uniroyal cleanup sharpens vision for Detroit riverfront
Sep 3, 2011
BY JOHN GALLAGHER

Promises made, promises kept.

Detroit's once-industrialized east riverfront took another huge step toward a hoped-for future Friday as a long-awaited environmental cleanup began on the old Uniroyal site near Belle Isle.

The Uniroyal work is part of the decades-long transition of the riverfront from a place of factories and smokestacks to a place of recreational, residential and retail uses.

That transition remains a work in progress, as it will for many years to come. But cleaning up the Uniroyal eyesore marks a huge milestone. It will allow for the future expansion of the city's RiverWalk and the eventual development of shops and waterfront housing on one of the most prominent sites in the region.

...

Faye Alexander Nelson, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, said she expects to begin construction next spring to extend the Detroit RiverWalk from Mt. Elliott Park across the Uniroyal site to link up with the piece of the RiverWalk at Gabriel Richard Park, just east of the MacArthur Bridge.

Meanwhile, former NFL star and Detroit native Jerome Bettis -- working with Pittsburgh-based developer Charles Betters -- has been planning to redevelop the site as a series of mixed-used residential and retail projects.

...

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20110903&Category=BUSINESS04&ArtNo=109030330&Ref=V2&MaxW=600&Border=0

[DTW]

Pics I took last week of progress on the Broderick Twr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6103670285_bdc53827cd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6103670285/)
Broderick Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6103670285/) by msufan507 (http://www.flickr.com/people/21407890@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6103668225_f6a1f7c840_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6103668225/)
Broderick Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6103668225/) by msufan507 (http://www.flickr.com/people/21407890@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6103662647_f67e129006_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6103662647/)
Broderick Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6103662647/) by msufan507 (http://www.flickr.com/people/21407890@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6104218314_9b7411e190_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6104218314/)
Broderick Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6104218314/) by msufan507 (http://www.flickr.com/people/21407890@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6104210634_f80349fab6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6104210634/)
Broderick Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21407890@N03/6104210634/) by msufan507 (http://www.flickr.com/people/21407890@N03/), on Flickr