Ilitches to tear down Cass Avenue building once part of Detroit's historic Chinatown

[401don]

Not defending the Ilitch empire in the least, but this building doesn't appear to have any real architectural significance. Sure, it was used by the Asian community but it's an island. It's hardly preserving a Chinatown. Yet some lawyer has found a few Asian Americans who suddenly at the last moment have an interest. Do they have money or plans? Of course not.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...g/70475449007/
"Chang worries razing the building could hurt Detroit's attempts to grow it's Asian American community." Yeah, right.

[jcole]

I concur. I'm not defending the Illitch company for years of making parking lots, but this is pretty lame at its best. That building looks like a non descript warehouse, it was begun as someone's home, but obiously not anyone noteworthy or they would have tied a name to it by now. It didn't become anything dealing with "Chinatown" until
"Chinatown" was almost dead in Detroit. And after years of neglect, it sat unnoticed for 40 or more years and now it's important. I don't buy it.

Not defending the Ilitch empire in the least, but this building doesn't appear to have any real architectural significance. Sure, it was used by the Asian community but it's an island. It's hardly preserving a Chinatown. Yet some lawyer has found a few Asian Americans who suddenly at the last moment have an interest. Do they have money or plans? Of course not.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...g/70475449007/
"Chang worries razing the building could hurt Detroit's attempts to grow it's Asian American community." Yeah, right.

[Richard]

I concur. I'm not defending the Illitch company for years of making parking lots, but this is pretty lame at its best. That building looks like a non descript warehouse, it was begun as someone's home, but obiously not anyone noteworthy or they would have tied a name to it by now. It didn't become anything dealing with "Chinatown" until
"Chinatown" was almost dead in Detroit. And after years of neglect, it sat unnoticed for 40 or more years and now it's important. I don't buy it.

Maybe it is about the bigger picture and sending a message that if you buy a building and sit on it for years while allowing it to deteriorate,or demolition by neglect,you are going to run the risk of being denied that opportunity.

Is about stopping the cycle ?

I remember when the argument was about MTS,it’s a big hulking building out away from everybody and nobody will ever find a use for it,demolish it.

Scorch and burn did not work in the 70s and still does not work.

The back part where the tree is ,somebody has removed the steel tie beams that hold the walls together,there is one left,so it was not scrappers,somebody intentionally wanted that building to fall in on itself,common trick to make it a danger to the public for an emergency demolition order.

That walkway that went from Packard to the Administration building did not just fall across the street,it was severing the tie between a private owned property from a city owned property.

Its people playing the long game at the expense of the city.

I cannot remember where I read it,but thinking it was in Canada where somebody tore down a historical building or house on the sly and they made them re-build it authentic new out of pocket.

It’s like everything else though,when there is no accountability people do not care.

Name one city in the country where you can buy a building and let it sit for 20 years rotting away while doing nothing to it,historical or not,it just does not happen.

So in this case the historical position of the building is irrelevant,it’s the actions behind it that are being repeated all across the city.

Its quick and easy to destroy the fabric of a city,it suits todays itch but takes decades and more costly to recover from.

Now they demolish the building,next they will be asking the city taxpayers to kick in order to build a new one,city residents get screwed twice.