Originally Posted by
jsmyers
I lived in one of their residential properties for a month in 2006. One of their main commercial guys [[Eric Novak) used to live upstairs from me in a place in the North Cass Corridor. [[IMO Boydell--or whatever their called--is lucky to have him.)
While they aren't going to win any preservation awards or attract high-end tenets, the company serves an important niche in the city. Other property owners will sit on a building and hope that someday they can sell if for more than they bought it for. This group brings buildings to life, and they reinvest much of the proceeds into bringing more buildings to life.
Detroit would be in a worse position without the Russell Industrial Center and the countless cheap residential buildings they manage. You get what you pay for. With one of their places, you get a lot of space, but otherwise it is cheap.
Read what Jane Jacobs says about the need for old buildings. It is not about architectural character, but rather about a cheaper place to experiment and innovate. There is enough room in Detroit for the Book Caddy and the Coat Factory Lofts.