It's Curtains for Ford Auditorium

*More Demolition Coverage*

The Red Grape Lounge Replaces the 5 & 10 Bar

Out with the 5 & 10 Bar, which was inside the Kresge Building, in with the Red Grape Lounge.

Defacing the Schwankovsky Temple of Music

According to Detroit Moxie a "Pop-Up" performance space has opened up inside the Schwankovsky Temple of Music called vitaminwater uncapped LIVE: Detroit. One of the "Features" of this performance space is a showcase for art. This showcase consists of graffiti painted on the interior of the 120 year old building.

According to Moxie "The juxtaposition between the old architecture and the new graffiti and street art is compelling." Really?  Defacing the interior of a beautiful, viable building is compelling?  It's not even remotely acceptable!  Will vitaminwater, which is underwriting this atrocity, pay to have the interior restored when their event disappears June 18?  I don't think it is very likely.

The Beginning of the End for Ford Auditorium

*More Demolition Coverage*

Nothing Special at Capitol Park

The reconstruction of Capitol Park is complete and I will have to agree with the majority opinion, it is nothing special.  I was underwhelmed by the design when I walked through it last week.  The one thing that it did have going for it was the lack a homeless people milling about.  If the new park is to become a catalyst for the regeneration of that section of downtown, as intended, that is an important first step.

Cass Tech Destruction

Demolition work continues on the annex of Old Cass Tech. The demolition of the remainder of the school will begin in June, once the current school year has been completed.

Nothing Growing at Compuware Gardens

Back in March of this year, Compuware's art and community program manager announced Compuware's urban gardening project. Community gardens will be established on the former sites of the Lafayette and Hudson buildings. Compuware employees will plant and tend these gardens with the produce harvested from the space going to local non-profits, such as Gleaners. Thus far, there are no visible signs of any development on either of these sites which are set to open in July.

Port Authority Terminal Almost Ready to Weigh Anchor

The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority Public Dock and Passenger Terminal will debut next month. Final preparations are underway and the first cruise ship is set to dock in July.

More Funding Coming to Detroit Green Spaces

Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill this week approving $102 million in grants to the Natural Resources Trust Fund.  Close to $35 million from that grant will go to William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor, Detroit Riverwalk and the Dequindre Cut.  The following acquisition projects were recommended for funding:

•  $20 million would be used to acquire three to six large private inholding parcels and trail easements along the Detroit Riverfront as additions to the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor.

•  $9 million would be used by the DNRE to acquire 48,000 square feet of built-out space in the
  Globe Building for the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor Adventure and Discovery
  Center in downtown Detroit.

• $5 million would be used by the DNRE to acquire public use easements and land acquisitions along the
  Detroit River from the Ambassador Bridge to the MacArthur Bridge as part of a 5-mile-long
  public greenway.

• $375,000 would be used to acquire a 0.7-mile section of abandoned rail corridor in downtown Detroit that continues the Dequindre Cut north, connecting the Detroit Riverfront to the historic Eastern Market. 

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*UPDATE* Seldom Blues Space to Host New Restaurant

An announcement is expected to be made next week regarding the vacant space in the GM Renaissance Center that was formerly occupied by the Seldom Blues restaurant. A new restaurant will take over the space and it is rumored to be linked to the Joe Muer's name as well as Andiamo.

*Joe Muer’s Seafood is slated to open inside the Renaissance Center in early September. The former Seldom Blues location won out over sites at the Compuware Building and Asian Village. Muer's will be run by Andiamo Restaurant Group. The company purchased all the original Joe Muer licensing agreements, recipes and trademarks.*

Detroit 2.0: Hudson, Lafayette Building sites to be Community Gardens

Compuware employees will tend community gardens on the sites of the Hudson building (Premier Garage) and the Lafayette Building. What a great use for an underground parking structure that was constructed to support a 15 story structure above it.  There is dumb and then there is Detroit dumb!

North Korea Edges out China in Invasion of Detroit

MGM has taken advantage of the time it spent in bankruptcy to re-brand the villains in its "Red Dawn" remake as North Koreans instead of Chinese.  An attempt to court potential distributors prompted the change.  Distributors were concerned that without changes, the portrayal could alienate the Asian superpower and affect their ability to do business in the country.  The studio will spend about one million dollars to re-edit, re-dub, and digitally alter the film to remove as many Chinese references as possible.  If MGM is unable to find a distributor the film could end up going straight to DVD.

HDR Friday: William Milliken State Park

Your "New" Cobo Center

Cobo Center officials today unveiled details of a $221 million facelift of the convention center. The plan also reconfigures Cobo’s existing spaces crating more than 100,000 square feet of extra exhibition space. View the fly-through

Imported From Detroit!

Another Brush Park Setback

The Inn at 97 Winder in Brush Park is up for sale. My only hope is that someone will buy it soon and put it to a fitting use.  I would hate to see it end up in the same situation that the Lucian Moore House restoration is in.

$2.5M price tag on Detroit mansion an eye-opener | The Detroit News

HDR Friday: The Last Days of the Lafayette

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.

New School

The University Prep Science and Math High School looks ready for students.

January 2010

November 2009

June 2009

10th Annual Broderick Tower Restoration Article: Deal pending to turn Broderick Tower into apartments

The Free Press is reporting this afternoon that a deal will close within the next week to finance the conversion of the Broderick Tower into 120 apartments.  The upper floors, with views of Comerica Park, are expected to be some of the most expensive rentals in Downtown Detroit.

For years now Michael Higgins or Fred Beal have declared that renovations are just around the corner so take this news with a grain of salt.

Does the Castle Building Have Secrets?

There seems to be a bit of controversy surrounding fire and the immediate demolition of the Luben Apartments.

At first, one would assume that this fire was not unlike other house fires in the neighborhood.  Perhaps a squatter started a fire inside to keep warm, fell asleep and a stray ember ignited a floorboard?  There has been talk of two people living in the back of the building for the past few weeks, which is where the blaze appears to have started, so that theory sounds plausible.

However, I heard another rumor on the scene today.  Supposedly, the building was purchased recently with the intention of rehabilitating it but the owner went bankrupt.

The speed and manor in which the building was leveled is what is raising the most questions.  The demolition team was already on the scene before the fire department had even left.  Despite vigorous protests by neighborhood residents, the fire department insisted that the building had to be taken down to protect arson investigators that would return at a later date.

Armed police were on the scene while neighbors shouted at the demolition company.  Dust supression was not used to prevent asbestos and other particles from becoming airborne.  Apparently this job had to be done fast!  Only the front of the building was ordered to be demolished.  The facade was the only architecturally interesting feature of the building. Naturally, being seen as the only justification for saving the building, that was the first section to be toppled.  The rear of the building remains standing and the rubble is still burning.

Was this an unfortunate accident, an insurance claim, or some sort of land clearance?

A Castle no More

Brush Park suffered another loss this evening.  Luben Apartments, my favorite of all of the remaining buildings in the neighborhood that have not been rehabbed,  has been demolished by the city.

A fire, probably caused by squatters, broke out early Sunday morning destroying a large portion of the early 20th century structure.  DFD officials claimed that the building needed to be demolished in order to protect arson investigators that will be looking into the cause of the fire.  *Photos ASAP*

Detroit Funk's Coverage

HDR Friday

HDR Friday

Detroit 1-8-7 Scene By Scene: Nobody's Home/Unknown Soldier

This week after I noticed a home in the cultural district cut into a sequence that took place in Brush Park, I decide to go through my archives and try to match ABC's shots scene by scene.

William Milliken State Park

2007

William Milliken State Park

2007

John J. Owen House (Incidentally, Fredrick Street is NOT in Brush Park)

2006

263 Edmund, Brush Park

2006

287 Alfred, Brush Park

2005

Brush Park

2007

Patterson Terrace, Brush Park

2004

Atwater Block Brewery

2009

Jacoby's

2005

Franklin Street/Dequindre Cut

2010