Opinions needed: Midtown vs. East Riverfront

[Satiricalivory]

If money isn't a problem for you go check out Detroit Towers Condo Association. I've been in those units and they are amazing, high ceilings, great floor plans, no awkward long hallways, a door man, views of the water. Definitely quite. Only thing is it's way more isolated than Garden Court.

Either way congrats, Detroit is a great city to be. There's also an urban format meijer coming to your area really soon.

[KnnNike]

Is that the place with the $2500 per month hoa? I did look at that place, but it seemed a bit too stuffy for me.

[Satiricalivory]

Good luck! You are welcome. I'd be curious to hear why you excluded all the many amazing condos that are on sale in Midtown right now [[including Brush Park for example) for that budget. As you can tell from my comments it's not so clear to me that the Park Shelton is the best option on the market right now!

I'm not sure there are a ton available that are ready for occupancy in Brush Park. They're mostly gobbled up by buyers and the ones that aren't are going for over a million dollars. I don't think OP is THAT rich? You could probably still get something cheaper in the Carlton but those units are not that great IMO.

[Satiricalivory]

Is that the place with the $2500 per month hoa? I did look at that place, but it seemed a bit too stuffy for me.

Yeah, but property taxes are included in the HOA. It's not for everyone, but I personally was wowed by it. It feels better than an East Coast city when you're in those units.

[KnnNike]

Meh, I lived in a pretty nice condo in downtown DC for five years... They were nice, but not "blown away, this is totally worth the price" nice, at least IMHO. I think you're paying for the privilege to live in the building more than any amenities... Of which there aren't many. No workout center, for example.

[KnnNike]

Haha, it's not that I was priced out of that neighborhood. It's more that I don't have any confidence those buildings will be there in 100 years. Ridiculously overpriced for the location, layout, and quality.

[Satiricalivory]

The city modern development seems pretty high quality to me. And you're paying more because well, it's the very center of the city, walkable to pretty much all of central Detroit. Also the great thing about BP is there is lots of neighborhood retail being developed which is very rare anywhere in the US but especially in metro Detroit.

But if a property is not worth it to you then it's not worth it. I think you'll be happy with Garden Court.

[KnnNike]

The city modern development seems pretty high quality to me. And you're paying more because well, it's the very center of the city, walkable to pretty much all of central Detroit. Also the great thing about BP is there is lots of neighborhood retail being developed which is very rare anywhere in the US but especially in metro Detroit.

But if a property is not worth it to you then it's not worth it. I think you'll be happy with Garden Court.

It could very well be. But I've seen similarly-styled developments around the downtown area that haven't given me a ton of hope. I toured "The Corner" development in Corktown when it was going up the year before last...some of my friends were looking at units there. They weren't priced much less than City Modern, and the whole thing was being done cheap...everything was wood-framed, faux this, facade that. They literally just don't build 'em like they used to.

And like I said, I love the ornate styling of old buildings...there are a few in Midtown that have preserved this on the outside, but then they gutted the interiors. Even the Westin is a bit like this...very few interior details were preserved during the remodel.

And don't get me started on the whole "mansion subdividing" thing...it makes me sad for these once-great structures, even if it does mean that they're being inhabited. From what I've researched on G.C., some subdividing has occurred over the years, but it's just not the same as a standalone house with ugly wood decking hulking on the outside.

But yeah, I'm happy with my choice. Thanks for the support!

[Gistok]

[QUOTE=KnnNike;599787]And like I said, I love the ornate styling of old buildings...there are a few in Midtown that have preserved this on the outside, but then they gutted the interiors. Even the Westin is a bit like this...very few interior details were preserved during the remodel. /QUOTE]

Ugh... you just had to mention the Westin....

Much of the interior of the Westin was ruined, so they replaced much of it with plaster. However the over the top golden very ornate lobby ceiling, which had survived 50 years of neglect under a fluorescent light drop ceiling... was just ripped out like last weeks garbage... and replaced with plain white drywall!

Now I have to take my blood pressure medicine...

[Seven&wyo]

It could very well be. But I've seen similarly-styled developments around the downtown area that haven't given me a ton of hope. I toured "The Corner" development in Corktown when it was going up the year before last...some of my friends were looking at units there. They weren't priced much less than City Modern, and the whole thing was being done cheap...everything was wood-framed, faux this, facade that. They literally just don't build 'em like they used to.

And like I said, I love the ornate styling of old buildings...there are a few in Midtown that have preserved this on the outside, but then they gutted the interiors. Even the Westin is a bit like this...very few interior details were preserved during the remodel.

And don't get me started on the whole "mansion subdividing" thing...it makes me sad for these once-great structures, even if it does mean that they're being inhabited. From what I've researched on G.C., some subdividing has occurred over the years, but it's just not the same as a standalone house with ugly wood decking hulking on the outside.

But yeah, I'm happy with my choice. Thanks for the support!

Oh god don’t get me started on The Corner. Not only is it generic it could not possibly look cheaper. I moved here from out west a few years ago and love it. I own several properties and I make pretty good money from them[[relatively speaking). The plaster work in my 1920s Moorish Deco home is absolutely beautiful. Welcome to Detroit

[CR75]

And like I said, I love the ornate styling of old buildings...there are a few in Midtown that have preserved this on the outside, but then they gutted the interiors. Even the Westin is a bit like this...very few interior details were preserved during the remodel.

Agreed on the Westin, even though that is not in Midtown. There are actually a few condos in Midtown with amazing ornate interior features, that's what I like about the neighborhood myself. Maybe it was just bad timing with the market. And yeah in Brush Park too, one or two, not the new developments obviously. Some units in these divided mansions actually look grand, and they make a whole lot more sense than owning the entire thing.

Anyway, good luck and I am happy you chose to buy and hopefully live in Detroit!

[Neilr]

KnnNike,
IMO, the Garden Court is a very handsome, elegant building and the subdivision of the original large apartments has, in general, been well done.
Here's a cut and paste of one of my posts from several years ago:

The Garden Court was designed very much in the manner of a prewar Park Avenue apartment house. The building was to be entered by tenants and their guests through one of the two entrances facing the garden on the west side of the building. Each lobby led to a passenger elevator that serviced just two apartments on each floor. Additionally, there were three sets of service elevators and stairs for staff and tradesmen.


There were only four apartments per floor. The smallest [[if you can call an 8 room apartment small) was in the center of the south wing, facing east and west. Next in size was in the center of the north wing. It had nine rooms. Next largest in size was the north, Jefferson facing, unit with nine rooms. The largest, also with nine rooms, faced south towards the river. While its room count is the same as the Jefferson facing unit, the trapezoidal shape of the building allowed for larger rooms.


The two center apartments have windows facing three directions while the north and south facing apartments have windows facing all four directions. In addition to proving ample light throughout the day, this was an important feature for ventilating apartments before the use of air conditioning.


Every apartment had a small Juliet balcony. The end apartments also had a small balcony off of the bedroom hallway. The balconies for the center units were off the kitchens.


Alas, as times changed and an East Jefferson address lost some of its appeal, most of the apartments were broken into smaller, more rentable units.


To me, the original Garden Court apartments were the equal of those in Indian Village Manor and the Walbri on Covington in Palmer Park.

[ABetterDetroit]

KnnNike, I also think you made a excellent choice in Garden Court. Awesome building.

[KnnNike]

Thanks for the encouraging comments, everyone!

[KnnNike]

Agreed on the Westin, even though that is not in Midtown. There are actually a few condos in Midtown with amazing ornate interior features, that's what I like about the neighborhood myself. Maybe it was just bad timing with the market. And yeah in Brush Park too, one or two, not the new developments obviously. Some units in these divided mansions actually look grand, and they make a whole lot more sense than owning the entire thing.

Anyway, good luck and I am happy you chose to buy and hopefully live in Detroit!

I've got such mixed feelings about the mansion subdividing thing. I think it's rare to see one done well. The ones I've seen in BP...I dunno, I look at the treated lumber decks bolted on to the backs and I shed a small tear. I realize this is what people are asking for, but still...

I did also look at a few single family homes, but kept coming back to the condos. One thing that bugged me about the houses. Even the nicest ones always seemed to have some cheap, vinyl-clad sunroom or back porch bolted on to the back. Ugh, if I were to buy one of those houses, it would be the first thing to go.

[Gistok]

You should check out the West Canfield Historic District. Oldest intact street in Detroit... dating to the 1870s thru 1890s. Also in Midtown...

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...w=1280&bih=591