Hotel tear-down in Hazel Park

**wolverine** · May-14-10, 12:44 AM

Do Detroit demolition companies think this work is a game? I don't know. I've lived in plenty of places and witnessed many demolitions. But Detroit seems sloppy.....and it's sad because they should be experts by now. Hudsons fell and made a mess. The Statler caused the building next door to burn. The Lafayette was an accident waiting to happen with the "fall as it may" scenario and then sending plumes of nasty dust everywhere.

And now we have what appears to be a fascia precariously supported by a slender steel column. I also see a gate standing open. You don't leave gates standing open on demolition sites.....EVER. Hence why workers open and close gates for vehicles entering and exiting at the moment they arrive.

**Whitehouse** · May-14-10, 08:06 AM

Let's see how much hotel you can scrape away before the roof collapses.

**MikeM** · May-14-10, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by detroitsgwenivere

" A harrowing experience for Detroiters today when a jumbo jet was flown into a local Hazel Park hotel in what can only be described as a terrorist attack..."

Reminds me of the El Al 747 crash in Amsterdam:

Attachment 6088

**JBMcB** · May-14-10, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by Stosh

But that hotel wasn't the greatest building on earth either, and no architectural gem.

I thought it was a decent mid-century modern style building. The brickwork on the balconies was nice, at least. All it needed was some maintenance and cleaning up, and it would have looked cool again.

At least, cooler than most of the glass curtain buildings going up nowadays.

**Onthe405** · May-14-10, 12:42 PM

. . .speaking of glass curtains. Itâ€™s interesting that this half-demolished hotel in Hazel Park oddly resembles a parcel of some of the priciest real estate in the country-----this monstrosity in Century City. There is a substantial grade from Avenue of the Stars [[fountain in the median) down to the twin towers. Yamasakiâ€™s original design [[which stood until 2002) featured an open, multi-level pedestrian shopping plaza, flanked by the Shubert Theatre and the ABC Entertainment Center on either side.

The vista from both sides of the street was incredible---a sweeping view of the towers against the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills.

All of this was torn out, and this harsh wall of steel and glass was slapped up, obliterating the view. The insulting arrogance of this design is that the hole in the middle is supposed to represent some type of aesthetic compromise. Indeed.

9mile&seneca · May-14-10, 04:39 PM

405, go on the Yamasaki site and look at the Reynolds Aluminum Bldg in Southfield. Built in '59. It's a tragedy of epic proportions ,the Agravated Hybotchery that has been perpetrated upon this building. Dude where's my flying car? How could things look more modern 50 years ago than now?

Stosh · May-14-10, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

I thought it was a decent mid-century modern style building. The brickwork on the balconies was nice, at least. All it needed was some maintenance and cleaning up, and it would have looked cool again.

At least, cooler than most of the glass curtain buildings going up nowadays.

Mid century modern? Don't make me laugh.

**Whitehouse** · May-14-10, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by 9mile&seneca

405, go on the Yamasaki site and look at the Reynolds Aluminum Bldg in Southfield. Built in '59. It's a tragedy of epic proportions ,the Agravated Hybotchery that has been perpetrated upon this building. Dude where's my flying car? How could things look more modern 50 years ago than now?

Wow. This building is still around, is it?

The building lost it's connection to the commisioners. Reynold's is defunct since 2000. [[Now incorporated in Alcoa.)

**RickBeall** · May-15-10, 01:46 AM

Caption this please....

One last blowout party for the old "Days Inn" hotel.

**kathy2trips** · May-15-10, 02:57 AM

CVS's look exactly the same all over the country. EXACTLY. Walk into one and you wouldn't know Dallas from Detroit, they all look the same. They're a pox on the cityscape and I mean that sincerely. Ewww Architecture personified.

**Hermod** · May-15-10, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by kathy2trips

CVS's look exactly the same all over the country. EXACTLY. Walk into one and you wouldn't know Dallas from Detroit, they all look the same. They're a pox on the cityscape and I mean that sincerely. Ewww Architecture personified.

Be that as it may, CVS and Walgreen are both economically successful while other stores are closing.

**motorfamilymotorcity** · May-15-10, 06:58 AM

I got a call yesterday evening that it was on the way out - missed the hole, but got a fair few snaps. I remember when it used to be a Holiday Inn.
Here's the pix....
http://motorfamilymotorcity.blogspot...-michigan.html

**Zacha341** · May-15-10, 07:16 AM

Hmm, let's see, here are few captions for ya:

"Cheap and seedy 'hole in the wall' hotel"

"FREE Air Conditioning"

"High rise amenities including lots of open spaces"

"Flight 398 please respond!"

"Hey! I left my luggage in that room!!"

"We told Nana she should have stopped driving years ago!"

Originally Posted by Stosh

Caption this please....

**Zacha341** · May-15-10, 07:18 AM

Um, er-ah, we must not use de' word "terrorist"!! LOL!

Originally Posted by detroitsgwenivere

" A harrowing experience for Detroiters today when a jumbo jet was flown into a local Hazel Park hotel in what can only be described as a terrorist attack..."

**Zacha341** · May-15-10, 07:21 AM

Agreed. What a mess. I'd not drive near there until that mess is all ground level. It could fall in the middle of the night. I've never see a demo like this. Incredible!

Originally Posted by wolverine

Do Detroit demolition companies think this work is a game? I don't know. I've lived in plenty of places and witnessed many demolitions. But Detroit seems sloppy.....and it's sad because they should be experts by now. Hudsons fell and made a mess. The Statler caused the building next door to burn. The Lafayette was an accident waiting to happen with the "fall as it may" scenario and then sending plumes of nasty dust everywhere.

And now we have what appears to be a fascia precariously supported by a slender steel column. I also see a gate standing open. You don't leave gates standing open on demolition sites.....EVER. Hence why workers open and close gates for vehicles entering and exiting at the moment they arrive.

**Zacha341** · May-15-10, 07:23 AM

Cool shots. Thanks!

Originally Posted by motorfamilymotorcity

I got a call yesterday evening that it was on the way out - missed the hole, but got a fair few snaps. I remember when it used to be a Holiday Inn.
Here's the pix....
http://motorfamilymotorcity.blogspot...-michigan.html

**Zacha341** · May-15-10, 07:32 AM

PS. Yeah, that gate open is crazy. I should have walked by there and "slipped and fell"... [[just joking)

Originally Posted by wolverine

...I also see a gate standing open. You don't leave gates standing open on demolition sites.....EVER. Hence why workers open and close gates for vehicles entering and exiting at the moment they arrive.

**factoryrat** · May-15-10, 07:37 AM

My Dad and I would go to the restaurant they had there back in the early 70's, because he was fascinated that they used a Radar range [[ Microwave oven ).

**motorfamilymotorcity** · May-15-10, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

PS. Yeah, that gate open is crazy. I should have walked by there and "slipped and fell"... [[just joking)

I was there with 3 kids yesterday. Gates were open as big lumps of concrete were falling from the sky. When the jaws stopped, all 3 kids got a souvenir brick!

There was a construction worker at the gate, I guess to stop people going in.

**Zacha341** · May-15-10, 09:33 AM

Good he was standing there... until he got clocked in the head from one of the falling jewels [[just joking). I am glad no one was hurt and that your kiddies got a souvenir.

Originally Posted by motorfamilymotorcity

I was there with 3 kids yesterday. Gates were open as big lumps of concrete were falling from the sky. When the jaws stopped, all 3 kids got a souvenir brick!

There was a construction worker at the gate, I guess to stop people going in.

**Whitehouse** · May-15-10, 11:26 AM

I don't know how up to date the bing aereal shots are but as we've shown earlier, they must be at least two years old or less. But it seems that until recently there still was a lot of business going on. The whole parking lit was full of cars when this pic was taken.

Seems there's also contructionwork going on at the freeway.

**jcole** · May-15-10, 11:29 AM

Might have been car-pooling. There's an entrance to I75 right there.
Or people paying the hourly rate, if you know what I mean.
The place has been kind of a dump for years.

Stosh · May-15-10, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Whitehouse

I don't know how up to date the bing aereal shots are but as we've shown earlier, they must be at least two years old or less. But it seems that until recently there still was a lot of business going on. The whole parking lit was full of cars when this pic was taken.

Seems there's also contructionwork going on at the freeway.

That's quite an old picture, at least a few years old if LaCasa was still in buisness.
Now depending on when it was taken, could have been one of the family reunions that stayed there, or maybe a church service in their meeting room.

A more typical picture would be any of the other ones that you didn't include in your post. A couple of cars.

**Whitehouse** · May-15-10, 02:45 PM

Google streetview must be VERY up to date! There's even yellow tape surrounding the building with West 9 mile closed off. Must be the early stages of demolition. The windows haven't been knocked out yet.

And in keeping up a tradition, no one respects those tapes...

**RickBeall** · May-15-10, 02:53 PM

I live in Hamtramck, and once when my Mom and sister came in from Traverse City to visit me, I recommended they stay there. Man, they got an eyeful. Hookers were everywhere. I had no idea. Sorry Mom.