Back to Nature

This well intended but ill-conceived homestead, which was constructed in 2008, has been reclaimed by the St. Aubin-Chene Prairie.

Work Continues on the New Cobo Center

Replaced

The missing bronze plaque dedicating the "Gateway to Freedom" sculpture in Hart Plaza has been repaired and re-installed.  The plaque was removed by the Detroit Recreation Department after it was damaged by scrappers trying to steal it in 2010.  It had been replaced with a construction barrel until recently.

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.  

Rivertown Loses Another

The once proud and thriving Rivertown district has suffered another loss. The Troester Building was built in 1911.  It was located at the corner of Riopelle and Franklin. It was the home of the Rhinoceros Club.

October, 2003

April, 2012

April, 2012

Dan Gilbert's Next Purchase ... Apartments.

Dan Gilbert's next purchase ... apartments | Crain's Detroit Business

Care

Hot Taco Detroit!

Please welcome the latest addition to Park Avenue, a Taqueria. Hot Taco is located in the Iodent building next to Centaur.

Spring Cleaning

A freshly scrubbed David Broderick Tower

The Auburn

Work has started on the latest addition to Midtown.  The Auburn,  named after the car company that once had a dealership on the site, is a mixed use development that will add 58 market rate rental units and 9,000 square feet of retail to the corner of Canfield and Cass this fall.

All That's Left

The former site of Ford Auditorium.

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.

Detroit, a Series of Tubes

You may be familiar with the shiny tubes that traverse Jefferson and Randolph avenues.  You may have even used one of the tubes that link the JLA garage to Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Center. There's even one that links the St. Regis Hotel in Detroit's New Center to Cadillac Place. Yes, Detroit seems to have its fill of human habitrails, but the city is about to get one more.

The Greektown Casino already has one skywalk linking it to a garage, but one just isn't enough.  It seems that the casino's valet service isn't fast enough.  The casino, which didn't have enough money to build out the performance space it was required to when its original license was granted, is going to build a valet parking garage behind Monroe Street. The reason?  The casino wants to cut the time gamblers have to wait to flee the city from 20-30 minutes down to 5-7 minutes.

This reduction in vehicle retrieval time does not, however, come without a cost.  In order to facilitate a speedy escape, Greektown plans to demolish a building containing one of the oldest restaurants in the city.  The Laikon Café was established in the 1920's and the current owners held a 10 year lease on the building.  However, a dispute over that lease forced the restaurant to close, allowing the casino to purchase the vacated property.  In the building's place, the casino will build yet another skywalk across Monroe linking the casino to the new garage.

One of the main selling points for allowing to casino to remain at its temporary location was that it would be integrated with the neighborhood, building synergy.  Instead, with this latest skywalk, Greektown will become a little less greek and foot traffic will be further reduce as customers, along with their winnings, are "tubed" from the casino to their vehicles without ever having set foot upon a city street.

At least the crater that used to be New-Hellas Restaurant has finally been filled it.  Unfortunately, this was only done to create a staging area for the new construction.

Motor City Casino

Cobo Center Recap

A look back at the 25,000 a square foot addition to the rear of Wayne Hall that was completed in time for the 2012 North American International Autoshow.

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.

Comerica Park Scoreboard Exposed

The scoreboard at Comerica Park made news last week as the Detroit Tigers released an artist's rendering and specs for the rehabbed board, along with other improvements being made at the park this off-season

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.

Buffalo Wild Wings Set to Fly into Detroit

Diversified Restaurant Holdings of Southfield have announced that they will be bringing a Buffalo Wild Wings franchise to downtown Detroit. The 12,000-square-foot restaurant will occupy three floors of the Temple of Odd Fellows Building at the corner of Randolph and Monroe. The building was built in 1874. Reconstruction will begin in April for a projected November opening.

You may recall that the City tried to have the building demolished in 2008 after high winds caused the back of the building to collapse in April of that year. The City later relented.

The Slow March to Rehab

There seems to have been a lot of interest in the M@dison building after the open house last week. I've decide to go back to my archive and post some never before released photos of rehabilitation.

WXYZ Tours the David Whitney Building, Discusses Aloft Boutique Hotel

The Reid Building

The Reid Building (1896)

Little House on the Urban Prairie

I spotted this house under construction in 2008. It was built just east of Eastern Market by two graduates of the master's program at the Cranbook Academy of Art as part of their thesis project on affordable single family housing. The 900 Square foot home had a budget of $60,000 and was constructed using cinder blocks and a rubber-coated roof.

It's Official!

There will be no Shield's Pizza franchise in the Kales Building.

 Detroit pizza plan in default

Louis Aguilar-The Detroit News

The attempt to bring a Shield's pizza restaurant back to Detroit has ended up in a large pile of dough owed to the bank.

The Troy-based chain left Detroit, where it started, in the mid-1980s and focused on suburban growth. In 2007, the chain announced plans for a franchise to open a street-level eatery at the Kales Building Lofts at downtown's Grand Circus Park.

The plan never came to fruition. Earlier this week, the lenders of an $819,000 loan filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court charging the investors behind the downtown plan defaulted on the loan signed in 2008. The outstanding balance is $798,777, according to the suit.

Shield's Pizza to Abandon Detroit Again?

Four Years Gone.

Cobo Renovation Update-WXYZ-TV

The Golden Hour

Overhead