Somethin's Cookin' in Milwaukee Junction

The transformation of this building at Piquette and John R, from Dave's Drive-In to the Bucharest Grill's third location is nearly complete. The new shawarma hut is set to debut this summer.

River Rocked!

Two more Riverfront Holdings Inc. properties met the wrecking ball recently, thus completing a demolition trifecta by GM's real estate arm.

Having already leveled Schweizer's Place at the end of 2014, GM completed their future improvement project by demolishing the building that once housed the popular River Rock Cafe and later the less successful McNarney’s Irish Pub>River’s Edge Grille>Club Waterfalls. Also demolished was the adjoining office building at 672 Woodbridge. Suprisingly, both buildings were listed as being built in 1978.

Trumbull Avenue Restoration

It has recently been announced that a restoration effort for the 130 year old beauty on the left will begin this summer. Developer Alex Pereria (The Lorax House) is leading the effort to restore the house on Trumbull Avenue in the Woodbridge neighborhood.

(1976 Place Promo)

Cobo Center Atrium

Restored

The restored cornice of the David Whitney Building.

Davenport Apartments

The Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corp's rehabilitation of the Davenport Apartments (1905) is wrapping up.

(June, 20014) 

(December, 2014)

Detroit Institute of Music Education

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

The Bamlet Building (May, 2014)

The Bamlet Building (December, 2014)

Schweizer's Place

General Motors' real estate arm demolished one of its recently purchased Rivertown properties earlier this month. Riverfront Holdings Inc. leveled the 130 year old Schweizer's building for future improvement. The building recently housed Vondie’s on the River.

Park Avenue Building in Danger of Being Demolished

The Albert Kahn designed Park Avenue Building (1922) has been targeted for demolition by the city of Detroit's law department. The city has declared the building at the corner of Park and Adams to be "the very definition of irreparable harm to the public" in a court filing this week.

The building is owned by property speculator Ralph Sachs who is the person that demolish the neighboring Hotel Charlivoix in 2013 after years of neglect.

The city has asked Wayne Court Circuit Court Judge Robert Colombo Jr. to declare the site a public danger and order that the building be demolished immediately. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for September 19.

Mt. Elliot Park Reboot

(November, 2006)

(July, 2014)

 (November, 2006)

(July, 2014)

Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects

The Dawn of Justice

Set construction for the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is underway in Corktown. The production has set up shop across the street from the Executive Plaza Building on Sixth Street.

Rising on Brush *Update*

A new location for Gameday Detroit is being constructed at the corner of Brush just north Gratiot.

About Face

Developers of what was to be the Midtown Professional Building at the corner of Stimson and Woodward have changed their minds. Instead of a five-story, 75,000 square foot office building, Queen Lillian II LLC will be erecting 68 apartments on the site with an additional 25,000 square feet dedicated to retail space. The development will also include a 230-space parking deck.

Roesink Stadium

A fund-raising effort is now underway to restore Hamtramck's Roesink Stadium, one of few surviving ballparks from baseball's Negro League era. 

Two different incarnations of Detroit Stars along with the Detroit Wolves called Roesink Stadium home. The stadium opened in 1930 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2012. A historical marker will be placed at the site during a ceremony on August 14.

If you are interested in volunteering or donating to the effort you can contact Gary Gillette, president of the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, at GGillette@247Baseball.com.

(October, 2007)

(October, 2007)

Hotel Madison Lenox

(September, 2004)

WSU's Mackenzie Home at Risk?

Having already survived one demolition scare in 1975, the future of Wayne State University's David Mackenzie Home has again been called into question.

Wayne State recently announced a $48.6 million expansion of its Hilberry Theater.  The University plans on expanding the theater complex to occupy the entire block, raising questions about what will happen to the 1895 Queen Ann home.

There has been talk about moving the home to another lot in the neighborhood, but no official announcements have been made by the University at this time.


To find out more about the Mackenzie Home and its role in Detroit's preservation movement, check out this video about Preservation Detroit.

A Look Inside the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ New Outdoor Adventure Center

The Detroit Free Press recently covered a sneak preview of the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor's latest attraction.

http://www.freep.com/article/20140622/BUSINESS06/306220065/DNR-Globe-RiverWalk-Roxbury-DEGC

What's Gilbert Buying?

Bedrock Real Estate is at it again. Detroit booster Dan Gilbert has purchased a large portion of the east side of Broadway between Grand River and Gratiot. With the purchase of these three early 20th century buildings, Gilbert has added nearly 27,000 square feet to his downtown empire.

1332 Broadway (Display Creations Building) in 2005

1332 Broadway (1919), 1326 Broadway (1904), 1322 Broadway (1922) today

Place Promo shows Broadway as it looked in 1976:

1332 Broadway

1326 Broadway

1322 Broadway

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.

Temple Hotel

The Temple Hotel was demolished in May of 2014 to make room for the expansion of a DTE substation that will supply power to the new Detroit Red Wings arena that will be built nearby.

 (February, 2005)

(May, 2014)

 (October, 2013)

(May, 2014)

(May, 2014)

From Barbershop to Burger Joint

 (September, 2004)

(May, 2014)

Second floor bar and seating area

Here's the Steeple

It appears as though the Mother of Divine Mercy Parish's "Save Our Steeples" campaign has been a success.  Rather than removing St. Josaphat's damaged central steeple and capping the tower with a new roof, work began earlier this spring to restore the 200 foot structure and clad its exterior with new slate.