Orleans Landing

 December, 2004

May, 2018

Ford in Talks to Become a Major Tennant Within Michigan Central Station

According to multiple sources, Ford Motor Company is in talks to establish a presence in a redeveloped Michigan Central Station. An announcement could be made as soon as next month.

Detroit News

Crain's Detroit Business

Another Building in TechTown to Get the Loft Treatment

HD Developments of Florida has announced that this warehouse on the corner of 2nd and York will be getting the loft treatment just as soon as it can get its final financing in place.

"Yorke Lofts" will consist of 42 studio and one-bedroom units and a rooftop garden. The two smaller buildings next door will be part of the development as well. One building will continue to serve as a parking garage while the other will provide room for retail spaces.

Capitol Park on the Rise

Things are looking up for Capitol Park as renovation work picks up in one of downtown Detroit's oldest districts. Bedrock Real Estate are the ones responsible for kicking up the dust.

Work was already underway to renovate the Bamlet Building (1897) when Bedrock announced this week that it had acquired two additional buildings and a surface lot in Capital Park.

With the purchase of the Church Building (1895) at 45 W. Grand River Avenue and the six-story building at 119 State Street (1887), Bedrock now controls nearly 92,000 square feet of space within the district.

No announcement was made for the development of the 4,000 square foot lot next to The Grind strip club at 28 West Grand River Avenue, but Opportunity Detroit's Placemaking and Retail Vision suggests a residential/retail building at that location.

An earlier renovation of the Bamlet Building (September, 2004)

The Bamlet Building (May, 2014)

 The Bamlet Building (right) next to the Farwell Building (October, 2013)

The Bamlet Building (May, 2014)

The Church Building (September, 2004)

The Church Building (March, 2009)

119 State Street (May, 2014)

28 West Grand River Avenue (May, 2014)

Cobo Center Construction Update

Woodward Garden Apartments

The third phase of the Woodward Garden Block redevelopment is taking shape.

HQ

The process of converting the old IRS building/MGM Grand temporary casino into the new public safety headquarters is well underway.

Corktown Development

Unable to find a suitable location in Midtown, the Two James Spirits Company has settled on a location on Michigan Avenue in the shadow of the Michigan Central Station.  Owners Peter Bailey and David Landrum will convert a former taxi garage into a distillery and tasting room for their gin, whiskey and bourbon.

When Two James Spirits opens in early 2013, it will be the first licensed distillery in Detroit since prohibition.

Next Door Neighbors

As Buffalo Wild Wings readies for its grand opening, it was revealed today that a Bagger Dave's Legendary Burgers franchise will be moving in next door.  T. Michael Ansley, president and CEO of Diversified Restaurant Holdings has announced that the company has signed a long-term lease for the restaurant to occupy the building that once housed Shaw's Grooming Center on Randolph Street.

Diversified Restaurant Holdings operates several Buffalo Wild Wings franchises in Michigan and it is the owner, operator, and franchisor of the Bagger Dave's chain.

Almost Done

Detroit's first Buffalo Wild Wings didn't meet its goal of opening in time for the Thanksgiving Day parade, but it's getting closer.

Temple of Odd Fellows

Infill

With the completion of the redeveolpment of the David Broderick Tower, the owners have finally filled the gap between the tower and the neighboring building.  The adjacent restaurant space had collapsed in 2008 and was used as a staging area during the Broderick's conversion to apartments.

Work Continues on the New Cobo Center

What's Next?

What will the ultimate fate of the Ford Auditorium site be?  Mayor Bing would like to build a permanent outdoor amphitheater at the location and bulldoze Chene Park for redevelopment.  Obviously, a funding source would have to be secured first and given the current state of the city, that proposition does not seem very likely this decade.

In the meantime, it has been revealed that the Detroit Jazz festival would like to expand their footprint on the riverfront by erecting a temporary stage on the site.  This would be contingent on whether the city can convert the grounds to green space in time.  Some work has already begun.  

Jeffries East Becomes Cornerstone Estates

The low-rise Jefferies East housing project was torn down in 2008.  Work proceeds on the site today as it continues its transformation into Cornerstone Estates, a 180-unit mixed-income affordable housing rental development.

Cobo Arena Blowout

The gutting of Cobo Arena is well underway. The space is being converted into a 40,000 square foot ballroom capable of seating 2,600 people for dining and 5,000 for general sessions.

30 Clifford Street

You may remember 30 Clifford Street from such films as 8 Mile (where it stood in for the Shelter), Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Red Dawn.

It has received a significant face-lift since then and the owners of Louie's Ham & Corned Beef in Eastern Market have been working on turning the location into Bar/Eatery.

Baby Steps?

It looks like the last vacant building on 100 block Watson street in Brush Park will be saved.  The Devon building, built in 1905, is slated to be converted into four 1,300 square feet condos.  With the rehabilitation of the concrete building, the restoration of this particular block will be complete.  That's not to say that it couldn't use a few more buildings for infill.  The art deco facade will be saved, but the rear of the building will be demolished and rebuilt with floor to ceiling windows.  This will also make room for new garages to be build along the alley.

Construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2011.  However, work will not begin until all four units are sold.  The expected price per unit will be $220,000.

The Ford Auditorium Renovation That Wasn't

It was revealed in today's indictments that there was a plan in place back in 2003 for a theater developer to purchase Ford Auditorium from the city and renovate it.

Derrick Miller was the point man for the city on the deal and is said to have like the offer. Following the meetings the developer commissioned artist renderings, developed a renovation proposal and obtained insurance quotes and an assessment on asbestos removal for the renovation.

After a great deal of time and money was spent on the proposal, Miller and the developer met again. At this meeting the developer was told that he needed to hire Bernard Kilpatrick in order to complete the deal with the city. The developer refused and deal collapsed.

The Caille Brothers Building

In 1888 the Caille Brothers invented and patented coin-slot devices which resulted in establishment of penny arcades. The brothers moved from Saginaw to Detroit in 1895 and worked out of this factory to establish their slot machine empire. 500 people worked there and it was the largest plant in the world for manufacture of coin controlled machines. Later they expanded their product line to include other items such as marine motors, scales, and the conveyor belts used in grocery stores. The Caille Brothers Company maintained branch offices in New York, Chicago and Paris. The Building has been transformed into phase two of the Lofts at New Amsterdam.

Spaulding Court

The Corktown Residents’ Council is working with residents to retake the Spaulding Court apartment complex on Rosa Parks. The century old property has long been abandoned by its owner and is unoccupied, except for two units. The group has launched a Nuisance Abatement suit against the owners and a default judgement is likely.

In October community members cleaned up the site, sealed the unoccupied units, and illuminated the grounds.

It is likely that the complex will be seized and the title will be transferred to Wayne County. It is hoped that the land bank will sell the property to the Greater Corktown Development Corporation for redevelopment.

 Check out Spauding Court in 2003 from detroitpix.