[Michi]

Ugh. Anyway, I kinda went a little overboard with this update.

These are all of Friday, September 29, 2006 I was on a picture-taking frenzy yesterday.

First stop, WINDSOR! - Casino Windsor hotel tower expansion.


The Portofino as seen from Detroit.


Rivard Plaza - Rivard and Atwater


...of course 1/2 the property is a parking lot (out of photo).


Some of my photos came out really BLURRY, so I appologize for the next few. I don't know what was wrong w/ my camera.
This is development on Larned Street. Not sure what it is though.


Relatively new Rock Downtown Financial Park on E. Larned Street.


The bohemith city within a city...I mean BCBC Parking Garage. Good grief, Charlie Brown.


Greektown infill - Monroe Street.


Sorry, I can never remember the name of this loft rehab on S. Broadway.





On to the CASINOS:

First up is Greektown Casino from Lafayette and the Chrysler Fwy.




MGM Grand Casino - 3rd Street & Michigan Avenue @ the Lodge Fwy.


Michigan Avenue, looking east.










I think this is the main enterance to the gamin space off of 3rd Street.




Remember the parking bohemith/city within a city posted above? Well, here's another.


The sky was awesome most of the afternoon.


Lots o' cranes still.


Downtown-bound Lodge Freeway


Motor City Casino as seen from Michigan Avenue over the Lodge Fwy.


Who knew dead logs could bring sexy back?


This thing was freaking loud...whatever it is...


Hotel as seen from the Lodge Fwy.


South facade






I'm really hoping this is as far as the side brickwork goes. It looks like cheap, suburban mall facade or something you'd find at a freeway rest stop building. eek.


Waiting patiently for the windows to be carved out along Grand River Avenue...any day now...


Clark Lofts - Grand River Avenue. Who knew? I didn't.


A never-ending loft conversion: Grand River/Griswold, Capitol Park.


What's this doing in a development thread?


Yes, the Westin Book Cadillac, Detroit!






Imagine it polished in just a few years! It'll be an instant asset.


The recently-completed, yet 100% vacant Kennedy Square Building. Way to be, Redico.


Lafayette Building still on the rumor mill.








Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Building. Recently announced for renovation/preservation.


Rosa Parks Transit Center. Looks like its serving the purpose it was intended for. (I'm kidding)...or am I? *sigh*


Hotel Pick-Fort Shelby restoration. This project will anchor the west side of downtown which hasn't near the amount of activity as the east side. Therefore, it should be a HUGE milestone for this area which has a lot of potential with other vacant buildings, ie: Free Press Building.


What's on Detroit's plate.


DEMOLITION makes its way into a development thread. The old State of Michigan complex will be demolished shortly for a new, flat campus-like, mall-parking lot setbacked, super-blocked piece of garbage for the FBI. A simple facade improvement would have sufficed.


Grinnell Place Lofts - Michigan and Brooklyn, Corktown.


And how about a little Brizz-ush Park for dat ass. Mmmkay.


The latest in the northward construction expansion along Woodward Avenue. Word of mouth all this time was hoping so much for something other than the townhouses on Woodward, but whatever.


Harbor Light Center on the left, and Hotel Eddystone on the right. Their renovations will begin once the Carrolton (see below) is finished and occupied.


But for now, the current tenants occupy this area.


Garden Lofts of Brush Park - Winder Street at the Fisher Service Drive.


I LOVE LOVE LOVE balconies!


The next development culprit - Winder Street:


...and another near Brush and Adelaide. I also believe Brush-Adelaide Park is going to see a lot of investment in it to make it a vibrant, urban park. Haven't heard much confirmation on that yet though.


The old French Mansions that were able to be saved are nothing short of amazing...especially if you saw what they looked like before. Look no further than Edmund Place on Edmund Street.

...simply amazing for Detroit.

More Edmund Street fixer-uppers. These are in great condition compared to most of the other structures that were saved.


This old home will soon be the site of the Brush Park Conservatory of Music and Fine Art - Edmund & John R. I'm telling you, a neighborhood in the making!


This is the Carrolton, as mentioned above. - John R. Street.


John R. is even seeing some historic commercial rehab! "Impossible" you say, in Detroit.


John R. reconstruction. The old surface was comprable to an up north two-track.


Moorey Manor (Erskine Street) was featured on HGTV's Restore America as a fantastic example of restoration and expansion into condominiums.


This caught me by surprise. It's next to Morrey Manor on the Woodward side.


"I wanna play!"


A soon-to-be-rehabber and the Carrolton in the background.


I think this is a private residence...in other words, unlike most of the other homes whose renovations were done by various development, housing, and construction companies.


And old cobblestone alley behind Woodward Avenue.


Delicious!


Sorry, I forgot the name of these renovations. This one in particular is going hella-fast!


That's the Bonstelle Theatre on the adjacent left.


Yes, the infamous Ellington is STILL being constructed on the interior. Hasn't it been like 15 years now?


Cass Corridor Area


Willy's Overland Lofts is another amazing renovation! - Willis Street near 3rd.


Nine on Third Townhouses - 3rd Street in Midtown.


Improvements were recently completed on the Detroit Historical Museum in the Cultural Center.


The new garage serving the new condos at Le Park Shelton - Ferry Street.

--ugly--

Mid-Med Lofts - Canfield Street. This is one of Detroit's only projects that demolished the entire thing except for the facade. An outstanding feat if you ask me in a city that blindly bulldozes itself over for sexy parking lots and glamerous, Waldorf Astoria-type parking garages.


Front facade.


Michigan Welcome Center and Supermercado, Mexicantown. This facility is situated adjacent to the customs plaza of the Ambassador Bridge. The plaza and freeway ramps are undergoing a huge reconstruction project right now that will tie it into these two buildings.

There will also be a "Calatrava-like" pedestrian bridge over the Fisher Freeway connecting Bagley Street


The Supermercado (Supermarket) portion. Bad picture...it looks nicer than this in person.


One of Brush Park's greatest assets is its proximity to Detroit's Central Business District and the Riverfront.


These are just a blip on the radar for what's in store for Detroit. Sure, there will still be a lot of great disappointments like the demise of the Commerce Building, but it really is exciting to be a part of a city in such a great transition!