Mike Illitch gets a lot of criticism on this board, but he took THE huge step towards revitalizing downtown by moving the HQ of his world class corporation to the Fox Theater Building and restoring the theater itself. He did that in the late 80s, when downtown was a much different place. It was before Mayor Archer, Karmanos/Compuware, Ford Field, Comerica Park, the Casinos, the Campus Martius restoration, GM taking over the Ren Cen, etc. No one really "paved the way" for him, the way he did for Karmanos and Gilbert. The fact that he was able to relocate his company downtown, retain a skilled workforce, continue to have corporate success, etc., made it a less risky prospect for those who came after.

I lived in the Fyfe Apartments from 1989 until 1992, so I got a good look at the way things were then, and how they are now.

I like what Gilbert is doing, but the downtown he is moving to is a much more inviting place than it was in the late 80s.