Wayne State to restore Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium Pool

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January-14-23, 03:49 AM
Airforceguy

Wayne State to restore Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium Pool

After decades of dormancy, Wayne State set to restore gem by famed architect

The shallow pool surrounding the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium will be repaired and refilled with water as part of a $2 million restoration of the modernist-style building in Detroit. If things go as planned, the pool will be operational by the time Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson retires on July 31. Wilson is among many who advocated to restore the major design element of the building."It’s a masterpiece. It's a little tarnished, but we are bringing it back," said architect Ashley Flintoff, Wayne State's director of planning and space management.

Yamasaki created four buildings at Wayne State, including one that helped the Detroit-based architect achieve international acclaim: the McGregor Memorial Conference Center. The McGregor also has a reflecting pool. Like the DeRoy, McGregor's reflecting pool was drained and lay dormant for years because of leakage issues. McGregor's pool was restored in 2013 after a $1.8 million campaign after being empty for about 15 years.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...m/69774104007/
January-14-23, 09:12 AM
renf

This is a positive development. It is too bad that there is not a short
informative book about the architecturally significant buildings on Wayne's campus and in the nearby cultural district.
January-14-23, 09:13 AM
southen

Great news! I imagine there was some pressure since this part of campus is a part of the Cultural Center Planning Initiative. I hope it includes cleaning up the seating area right there as I think the spot could be a real draw for people to linger since it is more integrated into the campus than the sunken plaza at McGregor.
January-14-23, 09:44 AM
Danny

Good for them That L.DeRoy reflecting pool has not been fixed for over 30 years. All the cracks and patches and the constant leaks in the auditorium and classrooms. I was there for exams at the time.
January-14-23, 09:45 AM
Danny

Quote:

Originally Posted by renf

This is a positive development. It is too bad that there is not a short
informative book about the architecturally significant buildings on Wayne's campus and in the nearby cultural district.

Yes there is. Please contact WSU Urban Studies Dept. I did that many years ago when I took my Liberal Arts courses.