New development on Cass south of Warren?

[Joseph C. Krause]

Fuck ornamental grasses.

[Zacha341]

I try to avoid all Radio Shacks due to the over inflated pricing and horrible employment practices. I do recall going to that one back in the 80 hen I did not have a car. I recall the Tandy Leather store next door back in 76 -- I was a teen ager and used to love to go in their to get craft kits or look at them.

There was a Radio Shack down there? Has anyone shopped at Radio Shack since 1988?

[Gsgeorge]

Demolition continues at Warren & Woodward. My first impression is that it will be remarkably odd for this little Subway shop to be standing all alone in a sea of grass. That alone ruins the "gateway" effect to me, whatever they are going for. How did this happen so quickly, and what is the University's reasons for demoing almost an entire block besides the ones listed? I am thinking there must be something else behind all of this. The demos seem very selective. Why knock down a whole row of three- and four-story commercial & institutional buildings and leave a dinky little Subway all alone?

[1953]

Wayne State's destruction of the street wall for an open space is an abomination. I'd write a letter, if I thought anyone on their campus would care.

[English]

I'll reserve judgment until I see what they actually put there. I'm ambivalent about some of the new developments, but excited about the Midtown greenway.

[ptero]

Is there any news regarding the 4 story apartment bldg on the North side of Hancock, between Cass and Woodward? It's across from 95 Hancock - the WSU Theatre shops. Back when, I spent months working on the rehab [[by Ed Black) from a single room tenement/flophouse to it's current config as apartments. Just wondering if it's at risk.

[Gistok]

Preservation Wayne should mobilize... oh, never mind...

Sounds like someone should join....

The National Trust For Historic Preservation states this.... "not every old building can nor should be saved... preservation groups should pick their battles wisely".

As for "onamental grasses"... when the wind blows... they make a nice catch basin for "ornamental trash"!!

[Gsgeorge]

Just found this on the Wayne State Master Plan website:

http://www.facilities.wayne.edu/projects/park.php

[East Detroit]

There are death fences around 51 W. Warren and the Psyschology buildings, which are each lovely and don't appear to be in poor condition. The demolition of these seems senseless, and if there is good reason for it after all, the University could do a much better job of letting the public know. Otherwise, where is the UCCA or Preservation Wayne on this one?

The Psychology building was/is non-descript, not much in the way of architecture... full of cockroaches, rats and water lines that we were told not to drink from. Good riddance.

I thought the Psych and English buildings were going to be replaced by a parking structure?

[Russix]

They've proven that if they put their mind to it they can produce decent mixed use development that seems to hide the parking from the streetwall[[Studio One). What happened here?

[1953]

Seriously, who is doing the planning in this town? Why do we keep demolishing the great old buildings that shape our communities? Its one thing to demolish a dilapidated building, but another to intentionally empty out and render useless the wonderful buildings that shape our principle commercial districts. This has to stop. Detroit has plenty of vacant land for those who desire green space. Woodward Avenue, if anywhere, should be a thriving commercial hub, with dense, mixed-use developments along its sides for as many miles as it stretches. It is our main street and abuts so much green space its ridiculous! Stop ruining Detroit you thoughtless developers!

[Danny]

You said it 1953, I see the SW corner of Woodward ave and Warren to be a desolute brownfield with little or no streetscape and predstrian life. I see it and a white folk's way to make Midtown, a pre-suburban liking. WE WANT NEW STORES AND HOUSING, NOW!

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET!

As Midtown develops into NOTHINGLESS!

Neda, I miss you so.

[French777]

I went to WSU today, to buy my textbooks and they seem to be clearing the land at a relatively good pace.

[lo_to_d]

A park at the most important development corner to the University? Completely assanine! Buildings make street corners what they are, corners to urban fabric. Now this corner will look like the SW corner of Mack and Woodward with some landscaping. Further deconstruction and suburbanization of our city. I was starting to be encouraged with WSU planning. Please tell me this is just a place holder for a future project.

[canuck]

Seriously, who is doing the planning in this town? Why do we keep demolishing the great old buildings that shape our communities? Its one thing to demolish a dilapidated building, but another to intentionally empty out and render useless the wonderful buildings that shape our principle commercial districts. This has to stop. Detroit has plenty of vacant land for those who desire green space. Woodward Avenue, if anywhere, should be a thriving commercial hub, with dense, mixed-use developments along its sides for as many miles as it stretches. It is our main street and abuts so much green space its ridiculous! Stop ruining Detroit you thoughtless developers!

You hit the nail on the head. I like the idea of integrated green spaces, but this demolition of a really nice stretch of shops in a city appallingly lacking street level activity sucks. The fact a nondescript Subway is left in the scheme is all the more depressing and insulting. Wayne University should lead by example but is instead erasing interesting architecture. Rehab would cost less and
landscaping one of their huge parking lots on another part of campus would surely do more to enhance the area. This nice stretch on Woodward should be helped out, augmented by helping small businesses locate in these buildings instead of being rooted out. Students would be better served, and so would the university. Why cant Wayne state fund that kind of initiative. Why put up bulwarks against the city? There should be sidewalk cafes all around the campus streets. If Burlington Vermont can do it, so can Detroit. Burlington is a gem, it even feels like a rich city because it is filled with people on its major street which was turned into a pedestrian mall. There will always be ample parking anyway, that is never a problem.

[kryptonite]

Wayne State campus is vastly improved in comparison to the early 1980's. Then the campus was ugly - many gravel parking lots, the islands on Warren were dirt, no grass, trees were not plentiful, the campus had the appearance of a drab urban hosptial complex. It was not at all attractive.

Adamany and succeeding presidents have admirably addressed the issue of the hideous urban campus syndrome.

Nowadays WSU is much more appealing in terms of the physical campus than 30 years ago. Give them credit for beautifying their properties and for being an asset to the area.

[JJD]

From what I heard from a relative working at WSU, they want to tear down subway too, but they have a lease that WSU could not break. Once that lease is up, I am sure Subway will be gone as well. I would actually bet that you won't see any progress on that "Park" until subway is removed as well.
I believe the park is a short term plan while funding and planning for the site's future use are obtained.

[Danny]

So they are tearing down 5 buildings for a proposed 'greenfield'! What a waste almost good Warren and Woodward Block. We will get predestrian life but a lack of housing and stores.

[Fury13]

Here's what belongs in that block: