David Whitney Building Renovation [Now Open for Business]

**esp1986** · March-25-13, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by gumby

Couldn't they have used a more recent image to create this rendering? Pre-Greektown Hotel and Madison redo, otherwise looks great.

Not to mention, Hudson's is still there.

**Zug** · March-26-13, 11:36 AM

Is that really a rendering? It looks like a picture from when it was open.

**gumby** · March-26-13, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Zug

Is that really a rendering? It looks like a picture from when it was open.

I am going to go with rendering because the Whitney was modernized [[removed the cornice) long before the Capitol Theater was turned into the Opera House which is pictured.

**Gistok** · March-26-13, 01:38 PM

Buried somewhere within this thread I remember mentioning that the 1959 Detroit World Premier of "Anatomy of a Murder" at the Detroit United Artists... there is a Youtube parade and festivites that show the Whitney Building covered in scaffolding. This is one of those somewhat rare instances where we know the exact year of a downtown building facade-ectomy.

The irony is that the old facade lasted 45 years, and the rehab lasted 54 years... time to turn the clock back....

**AGinthe313** · March-27-13, 01:23 PM

Has there been any recent developments or news on the Capitol Park project [[Farwell, United Way Building, etc.)?

**French777** · April-27-13, 01:33 PM

From Yesterday.

**AuburnSpeedster** · April-27-13, 02:36 PM

It's great to finally see signs that work is starting!!

**French777** · April-27-13, 03:19 PM

They went up this week, and with them blocking off a lane of traffic on Washington Blvd. Hopefully, we'll see some serious work begin soon!

**Flintoid** · April-27-13, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by AGinthe313

Has there been any recent developments or news on the Capitol Park project [[Farwell, United Way Building, etc.)?

I have a buddy working for the development company doing this project and they plan to start construction in June.

**Lowell** · September-24-13, 02:10 PM

Update Images:
September 24, 2013
Repair of Exterior Brickwork Proceeds:

**mikeg19** · September-25-13, 06:40 AM

Is the interior work simultaneously going on, or are they just working on the outside at this point? I haven't seen/heard anything regarding that as of yet. Anyone have any details on that?

**Eber Brock Ward** · September-25-13, 09:05 AM

Thanks for the pics Lowell. And...

Originally Posted by Flintoid

I have a buddy working for the development company doing this project and they plan to start construction in June.

Can we just assume that these buildings are stalled or dead at this point? June passed almost three months ago.

**rjlj** · September-25-13, 09:25 AM

Stalled or dead my ass. Do you think the pictures of people on scaffolding from yesterday was doctored? You don't see a giant trash chute on the side of the building. Demo work needs to happen before construction can start. I am pretty sure a lot of the soft work had to be completed and paid for once the financing was closed. Financing closed in March of this year, do you think all the materials, workers, equipment were on hand that same day? Do you think the people in charge of the project have not worked every day on this project since they purchased the property in 2011? Hundreds of hours of work happens before hammer hits nail on any project like this. Normal course of action.

**401don** · September-25-13, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by rjlj

Stalled or dead my ass. Do you think the pictures of people on scaffolding from yesterday was doctored? You don't see a giant trash chute on the side of the building. Demo work needs to happen before construction can start. I am pretty sure a lot of the soft work had to be completed and paid for once the financing was closed. Financing closed in March of this year, do you think all the materials, workers, equipment were on hand that same day? Do you think the people in charge of the project have not worked every day on this project since they purchased the property in 2011? Hundreds of hours of work happens before hammer hits nail on any project like this. Normal course of action.

They are referring to the Capitol Park project.

**stinkytofu** · September-25-13, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by rjlj

Stalled or dead my ass. Do you think the pictures of people on scaffolding from yesterday was doctored? You don't see a giant trash chute on the side of the building. Demo work needs to happen before construction can start. I am pretty sure a lot of the soft work had to be completed and paid for once the financing was closed. Financing closed in March of this year, do you think all the materials, workers, equipment were on hand that same day? Do you think the people in charge of the project have not worked every day on this project since they purchased the property in 2011? Hundreds of hours of work happens before hammer hits nail on any project like this. Normal course of action.

I'm sorry, but I always chuckle when someone gets all angry on here despite completely misinterpreting what another person said.

**restoretheroar** · September-25-13, 01:33 PM

still no exterior lighting on the Broderick as promised.

**cramerro** · September-25-13, 01:40 PM

To clarify, there IS a giant trash chute [[on the Whitney). It's on the right edge of Lowell's last update picture... like a terra cotta red color. I know it is in use... when I went and watched TF4 filming a few days during lunch, there would be giant rumbles like explosions, when there was no action going on [[it was batches of materials being thrown 20 floors down the metal chute, about 1/2 block away). They also were doing some MAJOR excavation on the Washington Blvd side in June-July, down several floors worth in the sidewalk, probably a 20x20 foot hole. Not sure what for, but it was more than just removing some bricks.

**stinkytofu** · September-25-13, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by restoretheroar

still no exterior lighting on the Broderick as promised.

Hate to say it, but the Broderick is a disappointment. No exterior lighting, the south side was never power washed, the fake wall on Woodward that should be office/retail space, the restaurants seemingly in endless purgatory...and the interior is honestly quite cheap/dated looking. I'm thrilled it's an occupied building, but disappointed in the end product.

**royce** · September-25-13, 07:05 PM

So, what are they going to put up on the outside of the Whitney if they are currently removing bricks, new bricks or granite? Seems like returning the building to its pre-modernization look is a grandiose plan, but an unnecessary
cost. Well, if they've got the money to do it, then who am I took question things.

**davewindsor** · September-25-13, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by royce

So, what are they going to put up on the outside of the Whitney if they are currently removing bricks, new bricks or granite? Seems like returning the building to its pre-modernization look is a grandiose plan, but an unnecessary
cost. Well, if they've got the money to do it, then who am I took question things.

Of course it will be the original look. Large buildings like this don't get rehabbed in this city without government subsidies, grants and tax abatements. If they don't keep the facade as close to original as realistically possible, what's their basis to get all that free government money.

BTW, they've already received $8.5m in state grants for restoring it back in January on a building the Roxbury group bought for $3.3m. http://www.freep.com/article/20130123/BUSINESS/130123093/Whitney-Building-gets-8-5M-in-state-grants-for-renovation?odyssey=nav|head

**Gistok** · September-25-13, 08:28 PM

From the look on the right.... to the look on the left...

http://www.historicdetroit.org/galle...ing-artifacts/

**rjlj** · September-25-13, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by royce

So, what are they going to put up on the outside of the Whitney if they are currently removing bricks, new bricks or granite? Seems like returning the building to its pre-modernization look is a grandiose plan, but an unnecessary
cost. Well, if they've got the money to do it, then who am I took question things.

Here is a rendering, this should work.

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**Gistok** · September-25-13, 09:54 PM

The link doesn't work rjlj...

**mikeg19** · September-26-13, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

Hate to say it, but the Broderick is a disappointment. No exterior lighting, the south side was never power washed, the fake wall on Woodward that should be office/retail space, the restaurants seemingly in endless purgatory...and the interior is honestly quite cheap/dated looking. I'm thrilled it's an occupied building, but disappointed in the end product.

Agreed to some extent. I haven't seen the interior so I don't know, but the promised restaurants and commercial space on the lower levels should have been occupied by now. With the buying frenzy going on down there, you'd have thought that they couldn't wait to get those spaces opened up to bring in excess income. The exterior lighting I'm not as worried about, but I would like to see it happen sooner than later. Any kind of accent lighting to bring out a buildings features, IMO, makes it look so much better. I'm hoping they have plants to use it on the Whitney when it's finished as well.

**hortonz** · September-26-13, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

Hate to say it, but the Broderick is a disappointment. No exterior lighting, the south side was never power washed, the fake wall on Woodward that should be office/retail space, the restaurants seemingly in endless purgatory...and the interior is honestly quite cheap/dated looking. I'm thrilled it's an occupied building, but disappointed in the end product.

Another typical Detroit naysayer turning a positive development into a negative commentary on the city. Heck I am jealous when I look at all the great new developments going on in the D and compare them to the complete lack of new investment happening in downtown Windsor, unless you call that multi-million dollar white elephant going up next to the art gallery a positive development. In which case you'd be as big of an idiot as our mayor and city council.