Friday, October 08, 2010

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

Friday, September 24, 2010

Plan B for Globe Trading Company Complex

William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor has received a $25,000 grant from Coca-Cola, the American Parks Foundation and the National Park Foundation. The money will be used to turn the Globe Trading Company building into a 17,000 square-foot play area.

Instead of converting the space into market-rate condominiums and retail space, the building will contain a rock climbing wall, playscape, obstacle course and a state-of-the-art archery range.

It remains to be seen where the additional funds needed to complete this project will come from.

*UPDATE*

It turns out that the plan only calls for a portion of the building to be used for the playscape. A private developer will develope the rest. M-Bike.org has posted a few renderings of the  building developed by the DNRE.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Spaulding Court Revival

You may remember last fall that Faded Detroit pointed out the clean-up work going on at the neglected Spaulding Court apartment complex in Corktown. In August crews began doing renovation work at the site. They plan on rehabilitating two apartments at a time.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

All that Remains


The Lafayette Building is no more.  Welcome to your new pocket park to be named later.



Friday, September 03, 2010

Dumping Ground

Now it can be revealed. The real reason the Statler Hotel was demolished was to provide a staging area for big budgeted Hollywood films. As was the case with Red Dawn, the Statler site is being used to store movie props and fake debris for Transformers 3.  It's a same they could not have used one of the Macedonian parking cartels fenced in lots instead.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Theft?

Following upon the presumed theft of  the bronze Edwin Denby plaque from the Brodhead Armory, scrappers might be at it again.  Today I noticed that the Dedication Plaque to the "Gateway to Freedom" sculpture at Hart Plaza is missing.  The sculpture is a memorial to the Underground Railroad and has a companion piece entitled "Tower of Freedom" which is located in Windsor.

Maybe, the plaque is being repaired or replaced and was not scrapped.  However, things being what they are right now, I am not all that hopeful.

After Hours

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Texas de Brazil Coming to Compuware

The Brazilian churrascaria-style steak house chain is slated to open April May, 2011 in the former Borders Books location inside of the Compuware Building.  Texas de Brazil provides fixed-price dinners for a 50  to 60 item bar of salads and appetizers, plus all-you-can-eat roasted meats, continuously carved off long skewers onto guests’ plates by servers.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Plan To Turn Free Press Building Into Condos Revived

It looks like Detroit Paper Place 2.0. is finally, slowly, moving forward.  The Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority approved incentive financing on a $70 million plan to turn the vacant Free Press building into residential apartments, office and retail space, as well as a health club on the upper floor.

The project still needs to find market rate financing, but the developers are hopeful.  They believe that construction will begin in 2011.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Another Loss in Rivertown

You had to see this one coming. The back of this building at Franklin and St. Aubin collapsed prior to March of 2009. The city finally got around to demolishing it this past May. All that remains is a hole in the ground.





Detroit Photo Heat Map


Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Monica Conyers Wants More Time

Monica Conyers wants to delay the start of her federal prison sentence by three months. In a court filing Conyers declared that she wants to help a close family member who's having surgery in late July.

Conyers' appeal of her sentence is still pending in federal court.

Dequindre Cut 2010

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Oneida Jackson: Free Press Copy Editor, Vandal!

Vandals mar new bridge in Detroit

Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News

Less than a day after it opened, the Mexicantown Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge was vandalized, Michigan Department of Transportation officials said....

In fact, MDOT video cameras caught one woman as she used a colored pen to scrawl on a bench in the middle of the 400-foot-long bridge.

"Yes, it was me," said Oneida Jackson, a copy editor at the Detroit Free Press and author of the Sunday's "O Street" blog.

"I did it. If you see a person with a green pen ... dressed in black slacks and a red top, that's me. I was excited about the event and wanted to put my name on it."
Jackson eventually put away the marker and said "Oh, I guess I shouldn't be doing this," the tape showed. As a blogger, she has written about her efforts as a mom to raise her 16-year-old son and encourage citizens to be more patient and civil.

From The Detroit News

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Faces of Matty

Joel Thurtell scorches Matty Moroun once more.

Faces of Matty from Joel On The Road.

It turns out that Mr. Moroun have given a gift to Windsor as well.

You can view some of the construction of Mr. Moroun's WINDSOR ramp to nowhere here.


Sunday, April 11, 2010

Madison-Lenox Hotel Demolition

Please check out the new sideshow covering the demolition of the Madison-Lenox Hotel that has been posted in the archives.

Matty Moroun and his big slice of Detroit


BY JOHN GALLAGHER/DETROIT FREE PRESS

Whether battling to keep control of Detroit's only bridge to Canada or sparring with neighbors over his blighted Michigan Central Station, businessman Manuel (Matty) Moroun faces a wealth of controversy.

It doesn't help his public image that he's rich, reclusive and he's suing the City of Detroit, the State of Michigan and the government of Canada, among others.

But when it comes to owning big chunks of real estate in Detroit's most depressed districts, Moroun sees no controversy. He is unabashedly proud of his record -- and thinks Detroiters should be, too....

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Monday, April 05, 2010

Henry Ford plans $500M hospital expansion, redevelopment in Detroit

Christina Rogers / The Detroit News
Henry Ford Health System is finalizing plans to make a $500 million investment in its flagship hospital in Detroit and expand the medical center's footprint across West Grand Boulevard, building a south campus with doctors' offices, research facilities and an education center....

The seven-hospital system also plans to lead a collaborative effort aimed at redeveloping a larger 300-acre section of Detroit's New Center neighborhood, turning it into a "Community Health Park." Henry Ford says it intends to work with developers to transform blighted land directly south of its hospital into a hub for mixed-use housing, retail and other commercial activity. It hopes these efforts will attract another $500 million in investment by outside residential and commercial developers.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100405/BIZ/4050386/Henry-Ford-plans-$500M-hospital-expansion--redevelopment-in-Detroit#ixzz0kFwvgH3M

Dequindre Cut Trail Extension

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Battle for Hearts and Minds has Begun

It has been pointed out that avid Dyspathy.com reader and DUI lawyer, Daniel Hajji has posted his "grossly non-compliant and inappropriate" motion on the homepage of his law firm's website.  This is the equivalent of a kindergartner taping has "finger painting" to mommy's refrigerator in a desperate search for approval.

As the battle heats up between Woodward's Friend and SuperMichiganLawyer, writers from across the region have begun to take notice.  Bill Shea at Crain's Detroit and Aaron Foley of MLive.com have both weighed in.  It will be interesting to see what tomorrow will bring.

Ambassador Bridge owner sues officials

Lawsuit claims U.S., Canada are stalling efforts to build 2nd span over Detroit River

Mark Hicks / The Detroit News

Detroit -- The owner of the Ambassador Bridge has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Coast Guard as well as Canadian and American government officials, saying they are stalling efforts to build a second span over the Detroit River.


According to the suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court by the Detroit International Bridge Co., owned by Manuel "Matty" Moroun, and the Canadian Transit Co., a proposed competing bridge plan, the Detroit River International Crossing, violates a long-standing law passed by U.S. and Canadian governments settling ownership and maintenance of the Ambassador Bridge.


That included "the right to construct a new span to replace an older span that requires substantial maintenance to extend its useful life," the suit read.


"We feel that the U.S. and Canadian governments are constrained from interfering with the operations of the Ambassador Bridge based on acts passed by Congress and the Canadian parliament," said Phil Frame, bridge company spokesman....

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Reputation Doctor Releases Another Missive on Our Felonious Ex-Mayor

As you know, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is required by law to pay restitution to the City of Detroit based on 30% of his current income, benefits and gifts received. Sadly, we are back in court tomorrow to put an end to the prosecutor's goal to increase his restitution payments based on rumors and innuendo and not facts. We feel confident the facts will speak for themselves tomorrow.

It is ironic these court issue continues to be top news stories in Detroit as the new Mayor gives his State of the City address. Kwame Kilpatrick is the former Mayor and not the current Mayor. External to his court problems, former Mayor Kilpatrick's accomplishments for the City of Detroit speak for themselves, including new hotels, new private and public sector jobs, a new Riverfront, national and local special events in a then vibrant downtown Detroit, new parks and recreation centers, new casinos bringing valuable revenue to the City, cleaner streets and much more!

Why is former Mayor Kilpatrick a scapegoat for all?

I certainly hope that Mike Paul buys his client a new shirt for tomorrow's hearing just to avoid any confusion.

World's Worst DUI Lawyer Threatens Detroit's Favorite Blogger

Apparently, second chair counsel for a certain felonious ex-mayor has had his feeling hurt and doesn't understand satire.  He emailed Woodward's Friend a cease and desist letter this past weekend. That lawyer's only claim to fame is writing a notorious appeal on behalf of his client to halt his probation violation hearing. The filing was deemed "grossly noncompliant and inappropriate" by Judge Karen Fort Hood. His cease and desist letter was poorly written as well.

Please show your support at dyspathy.com

Sunday, March 14, 2010

This Olde Building

In honor of the demise of the Lafayette Building, Faded Detroit brings you the Olde Building. The former Grand Trunk office building came down in 2004 to provide more parking for the Dime Building. This was followed by the the demolition of People’s Outfitting Company (Detroit Commerce Building) in 2007 and the Lafayette Building in 2010.