Free Press/News to move from 615 Lafayette W.

The Detroit Media Partnership, which oversees business functions of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, announced today that the DMP and both news organizations will move their headquarters into more modern office space in the city that will better serve publishing needs in a digital age.

The current building, a 1917 Albert Kahn-designed structure at 615 W. Lafayette Blvd., plus its parking garage and adjacent lots, will be put up for sale. Even if a buyer is not immediately found, the companies plan to move ahead with relocating.

The DMP intends to sign a long-term lease and relocate in the next 12 to 18 months. Downtown Detroit is the “preferred location,” but buildings in adjacent areas, such as Midtown, are also possibilities, Joyce Jenereaux, president of the partnership, said in a news release.

“We see great things happening in Detroit, and fully intend to be a part of that,” she said.

The DMP, Free Press and News employ about 1,500, including 600 downtown, and that number would not change as part of the move.

Newspaper companies across the country have been making similar moves as the industry has changed from a print-centered business to one focused increasingly on digital products, such as freep.com. The Free Press has seen rapid digital growth as it delivers information to desk tops, mobile sites, iPhone and IPad apps, social media, newsletters and news alerts, and the e-Edition as well as publishing newspapers every day.

“This is a great opportunity to find efficient, up-to-date space in Detroit’s core – which more than ever is the heartbeat of our region and state,” said Free Press Editor and Publisher Paul Anger. “Our new offices will reflect current and future needs – something designed for a newsroom that publishes on so many digital platforms.”

The West Lafayette building was constructed primarily as a newspaper printing plant, but that function was moved to a Sterling Heights facility more than 40 years ago. The building has periodically been retrofitted as publishing needs changed.

The building’s original occupant was The Detroit News. The DMP moved there in 1989 and the Free Press in 1998. The Free Press is owned by Gannett Co., Inc.

The sale of the current building and the search for a new facility is being handled by the Southfield office of CBRE, a commercial real estate specialist.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013012...|img|FRONTPAGE

The Detroit News' version of the story includes some cool photos from the early era of newsprint paper printing in Detroit, from the News' fantastic photo archives.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

January 23, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Detroit News, Free Press to move out of historic downtown building

• By Louis Aguilar
• The Detroit News

The Detroit Media Partnership, business agent for The Detroit News and Free Press, said today the agency and the newspapers plan to move in the next 12 to 18 months to a space more suitable to the digital age.

The media companies' nearly century-old building at 615 W. Lafayette Blvd., as well as its garage and parking lot, will be put up for sale. The companies plan to remain in Detroit - preferably downtown, but Midtown and other areas are not being ruled out, officials said.

"Our current building is historic, but it's been obsolete for decades," Joyce Jenereaux, president of the Detroit Media Partnership, said in an email statement.

"We haven't printed newspapers in this building for more than 40 years, but we're still operating in offices that were, in many cases, converted from pressroom and newsprint storage areas."
The move reflects the transformation of the companies into the digital era, she said. "The goal is to put us in more comfortable, attractive and functional offices," she wrote in the email.

The newspapers are printed in Sterling Heights, but news operations, including their online publications, are downtown.
The News and Free Press and the partnership, which handles their business functions, have about 600 workers. The move, the partnership said, won't result in layoffs.

It is just beginning to look for new quarters, and plans to sign a long-term lease. The papers and the agency will move even if the building is not sold.

"You should know that our commitment to Detroit is unchanged," Jenereaux said. "We see great things happening in Detroit, and fully intend to be part of that."

The Detroit News has been in the Lafayette building, near the Lodge Freeway, since 1917, when the Albert Kahn-designed facility first opened. The Free Press left its old quarters, several blocks away, in 1998 and moved into separate space in the News building.

The two newspapers and partnership employ about 1,500 people in southeast Michigan.
laguilar@detroitnews.com

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz2IpytOWO0

The Flint Journal did the same thing up here in Flint. They vacated their Albert Kahn designed Flint Journal Building a couple of months ago for a storefront space around the corner. Some excuse like the more modern officespace and being closer to their clients [[which made no sense considering they moved literaly only 2 blocks away). Thankfully there is strong talk of MSU turning the historic building into a medical school.

GOOD NEWS! Now the reporting will get better.

Am I the only one who thinks they're going to let it sit and rot and get scrapped all to hell?

This news even made it at Jalopnik.

Nice photo collage of Albert Kahn designed buildings in that link.

Its funny Albert Kahn designed commercial buildings tend to be quite adaptable to change.
A few images from a couple architectural journals of the Detroit News Building I have found over time.

A link to my Albert Kahn album on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6515382&type=3

Wow. What a completely unnecessary move that is rooted in very shallow reasons. They are already downtown, unless they want to build on top of Campus Martius, I don't see why they need to move "closer" [[ie 2/3 blocks!) to the "action". I've never been inside their current place, but why don't they modernize the outside/inside of that instead of moving. I would think that would be a whole lot cheaper than finding an entirely new place.

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Originally Posted by poobert

Am I the only one who thinks they're going to let it sit and rot and get scrapped all to hell?

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It doesn't pass the smell test for me. But what do I care? I get more real news about what's happening in the city on this forum.

Maybe WC3 can take over the building and expand?

The Partnership already responsible for one vacant building downtown - now they will have walked away from two. It costs a fortune to move by the way and much that is irreplaceable is usually lost or tossed by uninvested and young staff. But Detroit is already burning down every night. What's one more building lost?

The way I see it, if you subscribe to their product, you can complain about the move; if you don't subscribe you are part of the reason behind their downsizing.

as a subscriber, I think it sucks turkeyturds.

However, laptops have made newsrooms obsolete, no need for layouts, pasteups or darkrooms anymore. All that stuff can happen anywhere. It doesn't have to happen inside anywhere because it can happen anywhere. Street corner, coffee shop, home office, or even a van down by the river.

but it still sucks.

As is usual, they are papering over the real reason for the move, which is probably simply that the paper has been cut so much - like most papers in the country - that they can't afford to maintain their building [[heating, etc.) any longer. So, they are going to move into some tiny [[in comparison), non-descript space a few blocks away and pay rent.

This isn't a move of strength but necessity, and they get to make a few bucks in the process for one fiscal year by selling the building. This is going to end up just like their other building sitting and rotting on Lafayette.

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Originally Posted by SWMAP

...and much that is irreplaceable is usually lost or tossed by uninvested and young staff.

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This right here is the nail on the head and quite honestly the saddest aspect of this news. Reasons for moving aside, a building can manage to survive a whole lot better than papers, documents, and other ephemera. When MichCon left the Guardian after being absorbed by DTE, a friend who worked maintenance there found 6 boxes of photos from MichCon's archives IN THE TRASH!!!! All the boxes were clearly labeled photos so there was no mix up. My friend had the presence of mind to retrieve them and asked the last few MichCon people there if it was a mistake and was told, "No, we threw a lot of old junk out. Why move it?" So now I have a amazing resource for research and information that I have shared several times on this forum and elsewhere. There are photos dating from the 19th century Detroit Gas Co. days up through the 1970's. I have a set of about 50 images covering the Guardian's construction both interior and exterior. Really amazing stuff. But as SWMAP points out, some staffer or manager didn't think them useful and so they were dumped. How much of this type of thing do you suppose is tucked away in the attics and basements and out of the way corners in a building that has housed a major newspaper for 96 years?

so what can the building be used for now? Residential? An alternative press newspaper?

Often for a commercial enterprise, owning an old building does not make economic sense. You can no longer depreciate the building for tax purposes. Leasing provides for more flexibility and you can generally negotiate leasing terms and payment schedules which are helpful tax-wise or cash flow wise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Wow. What a completely unnecessary move that is rooted in very shallow reasons. They are already downtown, unless they want to build on top of Campus Martius, I don't see why they need to move "closer" [[ie 2/3 blocks!) to the "action". I've never been inside their current place, but why don't they modernize the outside/inside of that instead of moving. I would think that would be a whole lot cheaper than finding an entirely new place.

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I was thinking sort of the same thing, as for being directly in the Campus Martius Area. My dream was to have a news media studio looking over CMP, sort of like Good Morning America. That will be cool on the Monroe Block, have huge tv monitors and news marquees around the whole building. Like this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...er_2003_II.jpg

Gilbert will probably buy it and its parking.
Its to bad UM or MSU didnt have some interest in a campus in Detroit as they do in FLint as Gumby mentioned.

Moving into Federal Reserve Building on Fort right downtown...owned by Gilbert. Will be great to get even more employees concentrated around Campus Martius, but still concerned about the future of their current building.

http://www.freep.com/article/2014021...ederal-reserve

Stinkytofu, I would have a hunch that part of their deal with Gilbert would include Gilbert getting the old building. Too good an opportunity to let go. It could be turned into either glorious condos/apartments, or updated into modern office space. But I bet as well that such a reno would not be announced for a while yet, seeing as how a renovation couldn't even start until late this year. Gilbert plays chess well; he doesn't look at just the piece he's moving, he sees the whole board. That is the skill that other developers have missed over the years. Now, if he could just get the broadcasters to move!

The downtown area is more desirable because so much more is within walking distance. Downtown is dense now. Empty storefronts are turning into businesses.

It's their business, and I think to whine about them moving it is illogical. Heck, they're moving it to be more downtown than before.

If you folks love the building they're currently in so much then band together and buy it.

They shouldn't be forced to stay somewhere because some people like the building.

A more dense downtown core benefits downtown and the people that work\live there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p69rrh51

Its funny Albert Kahn designed commercial buildings tend to be quite adaptable to change.
A few images from a couple architectural journals of the Detroit News Building I have found over time.

A link to my Albert Kahn album on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6515382&type=3

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Do you have examples that actually show how companies have adapted the space? These are all from when it was built. The FB all show exteriors.

I see this move as being necessitated only because media is becoming less important and more diluted. This is resulting in less staff. Quite a sad but realistic announcement/day.

Someone gave an example of the Flint Journal earlier. This is being replicated by all of the M-live papers.

The only certainty we have is that things will change. This change is an needed adaption.

Wow I just realized how old this thread was/is!

Obviously this move is being brought about because of the changing nature of the media biz. They have less money for staff, and they need to maximize tech capabilities of their remaining operation. Ten years from now [[well, probably less), there will be no print paper whatsoever. Not just here, but in most places. And sadly, there will be less original reporting than there is even now. News websites will be mostly news aggregators with a small amount of original content, and locally focused advertising. The more successful operations will retain key reporters & columnists, and will gear their newslinks to local interest. Downsizing into more tech-friendly space is logical and necessary for the future news business model.

Long ago I worked at WWJ, there was a tunnel under Lafayette that we used to go into the News bldg, ate at their cafeteria. Later I worked for the Free Press until that awful strike in 1967. Things change, just something else to remember fondly and before long, forget altogether. Where is Mr. Perry? Clark Kent? Lois Lane? all sitting around with smart phones plagerizing.

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Originally Posted by preserve

Long ago I worked at WWJ, there was a tunnel under Lafayette that we used to go into the News bldg, ate at their cafeteria. Later I worked for the Free Press until that awful strike in 1967. Things change, just something else to remember fondly and before long, forget altogether. Where is Mr. Perry? Clark Kent? Lois Lane? all sitting around with smart phones plagerizing.

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Don't forget Jimmy Olson. He actually TOOK pictures.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kenp

Gilbert will probably buy it and its parking.
Its to bad UM or MSU didnt have some interest in a campus in Detroit as they do in FLint as Gumby mentioned.

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they both have campuses in detroit. both in midtown on woodward, and about 1 minute apart. it's funny seeing the UM flags on the street lights, then suddenly the MSU ones across the street.

I do wish they would both expand their presence a little more though

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Originally Posted by SpartanDawg

I do wish they would both expand their presence a little more though

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Agreed, especially now that there is a decent-sized pool of people in town who might take graduate courses.