New mixed-use development planned across from Westin Book Cadillac

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If you’ve been outside the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in the past year or so, you’ve likely noticed the building directly across the street and its colorful, distinctive artwork that wraps around its first floor.
You can expect to say goodbye to it soon, developer Richard Karp told me this morning. He plans to tear the building down to make way for a mixed-use development with a multifamily component. Formally known as the Gateway Center building, the exterior of its first floor is wrapped in black-and-white and color portraits, including some of women and lollipops — a piece of artwork Karp said he commissioned. [[He referred to it as the "lollipop girl" building during our conversation.)

“But it’s not historic. It’s not architecturally significant. So there’s no [[financing) incentives available for it from a historic standpoint. For us to spend the money rehabbing it, we are better off doing a larger structure encompassing the surface lots to the north,” he said.

Details on his planned development — including time frame for starting and concluding demolition and construction, how large it will be, etc. — are not yet being disclosed.

His other properties include a surface parking lot to the north, which he purchased from the Detroit Transportation Corp. a year ago for $650,000, according to CoStar; and a 20,000-square-foot retail building with two stories at 1242 Washington Blvd. that he purchased in March for an undisclosed price. The surface lot would become part of the mixed-use development

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This could very be a interesting project like he's talking about building a "larger structure". I just hope whatever they design really takes advantage of that intersection

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-book-cadillac

Neat! Bye bye parking lot, hello development!

Also, what used to be at 1242 Washington? That would be nice redevelopment as well.

Fantastic news and I am glad that it is not Gilbert doing this. Karp has been smart picking up Capitol Park buildings ahead of the boom and now this. With Dan fixing up the Book nextdoor now is the time to invest.

Well that is good news. Especially the fact that rather than rehabbing/adding on, it was more cost effective to demolish it and build a newer, larger structure.

is this a not so subtle offer to gilbert...hey buy my crappy bldg and surface lot for parking to aid with book tower redo

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Originally Posted by hybridy

is this a not so subtle offer to gilbert...hey buy my crappy bldg and surface lot for parking to aid with book tower redo

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How exactly would that aid with the Book Tower renovation? Karp isn't downtown flipping buildings, he's actually buying and investing.

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Originally Posted by hybridy

is this a not so subtle offer to gilbert...hey buy my crappy bldg and surface lot for parking to aid with book tower redo

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Not for the "Lollipop Girl" building and adjacent parking lot. Pretty clear he has real plans for those.

But I do think he might shop the smaller building north of State Street [[adjacent to the Book Tower) to Gilbert. My guess is that site will be the Book's dedicated parking garage when all is said and done.

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Originally Posted by Khorasaurus

But I do think he might shop the smaller building north of State Street [[adjacent to the Book Tower) to Gilbert. My guess is that site will be the Book's dedicated parking garage when all is said and done.

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I almost made the same mistake. There is another two story building on the east side of Washington Boulevard that Karp owns. Gilbert already has the small building adjacent to the Book Tower.

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Originally Posted by southen

I almost made the same mistake. There is another two story building on the east side of Washington Boulevard that Karp owns. Gilbert already has the small building adjacent to the Book Tower.

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Oh oops. Ok, that makes sense. 1242 is the one next to the Stevens Building, not the Book Building.

In that case, I don't think Karp is shopping anything. And I am very curious what his plan for 1242 will be. If he wants to tear it down and build something larger, he's going to have an interesting architectural challenge making it fit with its neighbors.

All in all, very exciting times for Washington Blvd.

I'll be very happy to see that horribly ugly building gone.

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Originally Posted by MSUguy

This could very be a interesting project like he's talking about building a "larger structure"

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I take "larger" to mean larger footprint with the development of the parking lots. I don't know if "larger" will mean "taller".

So far it sounds good. I'm more concerned about projects turning into reality at this point, than the specific details. The new Little Caesar's headquarters still looks a lot like a parking lot with cars on it.

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Originally Posted by Khorasaurus

Oh oops. Ok, that makes sense. 1242 is the one next to the Stevens Building, not the Book Building.

In that case, I don't think Karp is shopping anything. And I am very curious what his plan for 1242 will be. If he wants to tear it down and build something larger, he's going to have an interesting architectural challenge making it fit with its neighbors.

All in all, very exciting times for Washington Blvd.

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I would be more impressed if he could keep the building and build on top, incorporating it. The facade has some character to it. I'm not a developer, so I'm not sure the logistics of building something on property squeezed between two other buildings.

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Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

I would be more impressed if he could keep the building and build on top, incorporating it. The facade has some character to it. I'm not a developer, so I'm not sure the logistics of building something on property squeezed between to other buildings.

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That would be cool. Also a cool possibility - something that connects to the Farwell Building, which is right behind it.

How about the "Z-Deck 2.0" You could have a Joint Venture between both owners and share a parking deck. The deck could span State Street, with entrances and exits off of State. Keeping Washington Blvd as the required Ground Level Retail for new Decks.

I was just tellin some folks at the bus stop that someone will probably tear that building down and build something cool. If they open some retail space maybe I'll open a fortune teller business...:rolleyes:

the book tower project will never proceed without a large structured parking deck...if gibert doesn't build directly south of the book tower [[karp's lots) where would a parking structure go?

"Not historic". LOL.

I guess this means 1242 Washington St. is doomed too. Not that it's height is particularly appropriate, but this guy is sending signs that if it's not a Kahn or a Kamper or a Burnham gem, he does not view it as significant. What SHOULD happen w/ 1242 is a glassy, tallish add-on on top of that beautiful low facade.

The building slotted from demo is pre-1920, I believe. He's obviously just seizing on the fact that it looks like shit, as modified and stripped.

Whatever, it's not that significant, but I hate the demo w/o disclosed plan approach. We do not need another empty block. And he already has a giant parking lot to build on, too. Nor do we need more monolithic, block-spanning buildings. Bottom line: I'll be quite okay with the demo plan IF whatever we get is significantly taller and of meritorious design. But I hate this climate where you can STILL go around demo'ing without a disclosed plan.

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Originally Posted by hybridy

the book tower project will never proceed without a large structured parking deck...if gibert doesn't build directly south of the book tower [[karp's lots) where would a parking structure go?

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Didn't think about that. What about that surface lot at Times Square and Grand River? I don't think that would be portrayed as too far of a walk for dedicated parking. Granted, it's not attached to the BT, but pretty close.

Before everyone goes overboard with this. The building originally was the Finsterwald Building built in 1919 with additions in 1931 designed by Albert Kahn. While the alterations are bad, the building is historically significant and should be restored.

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Originally Posted by p69rrh51

Before everyone goes overboard with this. The building original was the Finsterwald Building built in 1919 with additions in 1931 designed by Albert Kahn. While the alterations are bad, the building is historically significant and should be restored.

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Any chance you have a historical photo or two of the original building? If there is one person to have it on this forum it is probably you.

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Originally Posted by southen

Any chance you have a historical photo or two of the original building? If there is one person to have it on this forum it is probably you.

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I do but I need to scan it in. I will try to scan it this evening.

Checked one source and found an image on the Library of Congress site.

Thanks! Looked like a simpler design compared to Kahn's other downtown buildings.

Is this building in the Detroit HDC's domain [[not that this stops demo recently...)

p69rrh51: thanks!

The calibre of reporting exhibited by Kirk Pinho's article, which does not question the assertion that this is "not historic," is incredibly poor.

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Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Is this building in the Detroit HDC's domain [[not that this stops demo recently...)

p69rrh51: thanks!

The calibre of reporting exhibited by Kirk Pinho's article, which does not question the assertion that this is "not historic," is incredibly poor.

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Unfortunately this is not a contributing building to the Washington Boulevard Historic District.