Tenants ordered to vacate Detroit's Russell Industrial Center

[Urban Pheasant]

We are all left scrambling to find out some truth and have been given until Friday to move out our lively hood. They say on Friday that they will lock the building and we will not be granted access to our studios. Some of us have hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in equipment that we cannot remove because the elevator is broken. This situation is messed up and we need a better resolution than being kicked out right NOW. Best of luck to my fellow Russell Tennants. This to shall pass in one way or another.

[ggores]

I always wonder about the ship-shod electrical wiring I see in some of these kinds of venues. A loading dock in an abandoned factory converted into a living space for four or five people. Loose outlets, live wires dangling from the ceilings, and a coffee pot brewing on an old work bench, straddled by a bunch of old industrial-era tools and gadgets - very cool. Stories told and re-imagined about how people used to get by, to be innovative. All great stuff. But the Russel Industrial Center was [[and for just a few more precious hours IS) a behemoth of that spirit.

Having been there at its beginnings, maybe around 2007 or so, as a visitor/shopper, and also as a guest in recent times, the extreme in-house security is what always worried me. For after all of the visitors have left and only the tenants remained, I would think it a hard place to escape should an industrial accident occur, not so much flooding, but of a massive fire.

Mostly of concrete and steel, I never gave much thought to a horrible fire to break out. And that is a mistake. If such an emergency ever did happen, oy, it would be absolutely tragic, because I would think it'd be harder to get out than to get in [[the DFD would have to text someone with the key to the gate, eh?).

There should be a very strong effort on the part of the City to make sure that everyone and all of their precious supplies and works are preserved and a proper relocation effected.

I will be completely befuddled if the Mayor cites this as one of his examples of how he is "taking care of things" in the State of the City address tonight.

And all this talk about the "cheap rent" there? Whoah. Maybe 1200 bucks a month is cheap to some... I guess the amenities could make up for that.

Eastern Market might be the better deal. Who knows?

[Richard]

We are all left scrambling to find out some truth and have been given until Friday to move out our lively hood. They say on Friday that they will lock the building and we will not be granted access to our studios. Some of us have hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in equipment that we cannot remove because the elevator is broken. This situation is messed up and we need a better resolution than being kicked out right NOW. Best of luck to my fellow Russell Tennants. This to shall pass in one way or another.

I mean no disrespect and feel your plight but with 100s of thousands of dollars in equipment and rents of $1200 an month it would seem as cheap as buildings are in the city is it not more feasible to have a co-op and buy a building?

It kinda blows the starving artist needs a cheap place to be able to express their creativity aspect,which would probably garner a bit more support,it sounds like the objective lines have been blurred.