The Demolition of 139 Bagley [AAA Building]

[Danny]

Make way for the new Statler Apts. Make way for progress in Gilberttown.

[PeachLaser]

Here's a video of the west wall coming down that I shot a few minutes ago.

It looks like the riders of the People Mover got quite a show! It looks like a very special location in the way the PM curves around it.

I vote for a public/private green space like DTE is doing down the street. At least, temporarily.

[Lowell]

Panorama of change in downtown Detroit.

[animatedmartian]

Oh hello Whitney, you're looking mighty clean.

[night-timer]

I shot pix of the demo. It happened all daylong. By the end of the day, no recognisable 'building' structure existed. I will post the pix tomorrow. All that was used in the demo was a backhoe. I live over the road in the Detroit City Apartments [[1431 Washington Boulevard) and no-one I spoke to in the building new much about the future plans for the site. It was commonly known as 'the Care building) and I even heard its future is as an additional car park for our Detroit City Apartments at 1431 Washington.

[emu steve]

Panorama of change in downtown Detroit.

That is butt ugly, but it has 'potential.' Lol.

[lpg]

Wife started her 45 year career across the street at the UA building with AAA. One of her later co-workers worked at 139 Bagley. Both ended their careers at the Downriver office.

[Whitehouse]

Panorama of change in downtown Detroit.

Now that all the buildings are gone in this plot, it makes this kink in the track look so pointless. It would be better to straighten the track from Times square to Park ave. and build a new building around it with it's own station. It also gives the United Artist building some breathing space. A great new awning on that building would look so much better without the PM so close to it.


I wonder what comes first, a new building or Transformers V.

[Lowell]

Interesting but expensive idea Whitehouse.

Here is the view today. Interestingly, there appears to be a large vault uncovered.

[emu steve]

Interesting but expensive idea Whitehouse.

Here is the view today. Interestingly, there appears to be a large vault uncovered.

Jimmy Hoffa buried there? Lol.

[Whitehouse]

I saw that at Detroitcurbed this building is referred to as the "Carebuilding" due to some grafitti being there on one side of the building. [[More pictures on his site). This grafitti was painted there for a video clip by Kid Rock for a song called Care. Kid Rock is not my kind of music [[especially since he raped Warren Zevon) but I like this song.

[Whitehouse]

jimmy hoffa buried there? Lol.

CAll GERALD0!!111!!one

[mcsdetroitfriend]

This article is from 2006 http://nemecek.blogspot.mx/2006/04/e...-building.html

[night-timer]

A few demolition pix as the day unfolded....

[Whitehouse]

So now what? What should occupy this space now? A building of the same size and stature of the Stattler, or something more modest?

[Lowell]

So now what? What should occupy this space now? A building of the same size and stature of the Stattler, or something more modest?

Statler City Apartments. Taking Place Of Stalter Hotel

It is not clear as to what will happen to the AAA land. The present owner could choose to develop it.

[night-timer]

The AAA 'care' building always looked like an orphan on that empty lot. I wanted photos of it standing, but I never got it looking fully intact. Myself and a few neighbors rushed to see what was happening when we heard the almighty crash of the backhoe belting into the building.

[night-timer]

Now that all the buildings are gone in this plot, it makes this kink in the track look so pointless. It would be better to straighten the track from Times square to Park ave. and build a new building around it with it's own station. It also gives the United Artist building some breathing space. A great new awning on that building would look so much better without the PM so close to it.


I wonder what comes first, a new building or Transformers V.

Is the Care Buidling / AAA / Statler site where Transformers was filmed?

[mtburb]

Is the Care Buidling / AAA / Statler site where Transformers was filmed?

Yes-saw it myself.

[Zacha341]

Wow! You can really see the internal fire damage once the demolition got underway. Thanks for the photos.

[Whitehouse]

Is the Care Buidling / AAA / Statler site where Transformers was filmed?

Here's a thread about the movie shoot.

[kathy2trips]

I finally found a vintage [[night shot) photo of the building, originally posted by Hornwrecker on this older thread on the subject: http://www.atdetroit.net/forum/messa...697/91280.html

Hard to believe all those adjoining buildings are gone too. All that's left is that damn ugly rail.

[kathy2trips]

The former inhabitants of this stretch of Bagley can be found on this page http://quod.lib.umich.edu/g/genpub/a...175;view=image of the Polk Detroit City Directory from 1929. Fascinating...

[Vitalis]

So, in this era of returning to the "D" what would it take to bring AAA HQ back downtown? Maybe they could move into the UA building, with a skywalk over to the Michigan building. With retirements and a serious upgrade to technological infra-structure, there could be enough office space, so - Welcome Home AAA!​