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With the great things happening at the Broderick,possibly the David Whitney, and who knows what at the UA, you never seem to hear much about the Park Avenue Building. Hopefully the forum with its wealth of knowledge can shed a little light on this often forgotten building. Whats the history? Who owns it? Any future plans?
For the building's history, check out this link:
http://www.detroit1701.org/Park%20Av...0Building.html
I've walked past this building so many times and never really gave it a thought. It's quite a surprise nobody has stepped up to renovate this given its excellent location.
Note: the dark buiilding to the left of the Park Ave. Building is a residence building run by the Milner Hotel people over on Centre near Harmony Park. That dark colored building used to be the theatre entrance to the former 2,950 seat Oriental [[1927-30)/Downtown RKO [[1930-50) Theatre. The auditorium was to the left along W. Adams and was destroyed in the early 1950s [[just a parking lot today). The Chandeliers of the lobby [[which still partly survives as a huge storage space on the left side of the extant building) are now found in the Redford Theatre.
As long as we're in this neighborhood what is the status of the Detroit Life Building? One site "1701" says it's in condominium status and was rehabbed by Ilitch in 2009. Buildings of Detroit speaks differently. Anybody know?
Quote:
Originally Posted by szla
http://www.detroitlifebuilding.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Building
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellek23d/5932498276/
Jury's out
there was a movie written by sam raimi & the coen bros., it has bruce campbell in it too, called "crimewave", it has shot of the inside of the restaurant called the "rialto" that was in the park ave. bldg. it's showing on the encore channel this month http://www.locatetv.com/movie/crimewave#05-Sep-2011 it also has inside shot of the tuller hotel called the watchtower at the time
Wasn't this an enormous hazard to enter or was that the immediate neighbour to the north, opposite Cliff Bells?
And what' the blue box in the board?
http://i52.tinypic.com/2w57zfc.gif
Payphone?? Stange place if it is.
Some pictures without the green boarding.
After looking at these pictures, it almost sickens me to think how incredible it would have been to have had the Statler redeveloped along with the Whitney and Broderick. Thank the Lord we have that gravel lot......
And please don't forget Tuller.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeg19
Does anyone know the address of the Park Avenue Building? It would be nice to know who the owner is and if they are paying taxes. Speaking of, someone really needs to report the owner of the Hotel Charlevoix next door at 2029 Park. If you do a Wayne County property tax search, they only pay $860.00 per year in property taxes. This enables them to keep slumming forever. See for yourself and search the property. Reminds me of the brilliant city council person JoAnn Watson tax cheat we all know and love who use to pay $68 in property taxes per year.
http://www.waynecounty.com/treasurer_payonline.htm
Some bad news being reported by The Detroit News...
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...ing-demolition
Good collection of photos or various buildings of the D. Looks like the site was done in the program Front Page though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitehouse
Speak up here:
https://www.change.org/p/city-of-det...venue-building
Mackinaw, thanks for the link.
In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the comments section following the article. There is a broad consensus on the importance of preserving quality architecture of this scale in Detroit. This kind of wholesale destruction is careless and leads to more abandonment because history is erased here, not just a pile of stone.
You look at the variety of industry and commerce when the city was kicking its heels early in the 20th C, and it is hard not to be in awe of the character of those who built this land of opportunity. Don't let it go to waste. Sign up!
the Royal Palms [[Park Avenue Hotel) looked like it was/is a pretty nice looking facade...
any info on it?
never mind... i see its a residential hotel now....
The historic character of Grand Circus Park and Park Avenue will take another hit. Is there anyway that a campaign can be mounted to get a developer to re-develop the building? It doesn't seem far gone.
Yeah, the petition I linked to should probably be directed to City Counsel and DDA, too. DEGC might as well take a look at it, too, though I realize their role is changing. I noticed that the Detroit Historic District Commission and Preservation Detroit both promoted the petition on their facebook pages, the former being kind of more intriguing since those are, I believe, mayoral appointees. I hope they are all speaking up.
I feel this needs a bit more publicity BEFORE the upcoming hearing [[later in September). I am disappointed that the Free Press or Crains has not analyzed the City Law Department's options [[as I've written elsewhere, I think they can seize the property as blighted and then RFP just as easily as obtaining the order of demolition....both are seizures/takings that are lawful under the blight laws and constitutional limitations in this jurisdiction-- they are simply different policy approaches). If more people were aware that there was this third way between demo'ing and being stuck with the slumlord, I think a pretty strong consensus would build. Oh and what I wouldn't give for an editorial on this! While we're focused on just one building at the moment, this feels like a bit of a crossroads for ensuring that the central city has that continuity with the past which makes it so distinctive, particularly as it becomes repopulated and vital again.
Anyone want to drop a mere $16,500,000? Adjacent parking included, since that pesky Hotel Charlevoix bit the dust.
http://www.realestateone.com/homes/2...troit-MI-48226
$162 per square foot. What? Dan Gilbert spent only $160 per square foot to buy the Compuware Building. Must be some pretty good gold somewhere inside Park Avenue. :)
Ha. Lets consider who the owner of the property is. I'm surprised he didn't price it to match Compuware or One Detroit Center.Quote:
Originally Posted by animatedmartian
Other than that, this building absolutely has to be rehabbed, not demoed. GCP already looks like a meth head's smile. Losing the Park Ave building will just further decimate the area, no matter how much "investment" Illitch puts into his sea of parking behind it.
What a joke. I feel like he would be lucky to get half of that considering the work it needs to undergo.
The best possible outcome is an actual developer buys it. Ralph Sachs is a slumlord leech real estate speculator of the worst kind. This Albert Kahn tarnished gem doesn't belong in Ralph Sachs' filthy hands.
The city is probably on his case to do something with it which he is by listing it for sale,all he needs to do is put some unrealistic number on it to make sure it does not sell while he buys time.
Not sure about the location location part based on the arena and development other then the arena itself everything else would be on speculation,that's a chunk of change on speculation.
Sachs has also tried marketing the Park Ave as a triple net lease - whereby the renter would be responsible for bringing the building fully up to current building codes, while paying rent to the landlord in the amount of $8 per sq. ft.
I don't necessarily think that the arena and new district will determine whether the building gets rehabbed or not. GCP is already a desirable area with Comerica, the Broderick, Whitney, restaurants, renovated Park Apts, and the soon to be developed Statler site all right there. Will massive development behind it help it become more attractive? Yea, but I don't think it hinges on it.
Bumping this thread as it seems the Park Ave. Building is on the market after Sachs' death earlier this year.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...r-owners-death
I just wish the Charlevoix could have held out a little longer for his death.
How sad that he held this building for decades and did nothing with it. With the diminished pool of big vacant properties downtown, maybe this one will finally have a future.
Several of the Loft's of Merchant's Row buildings on Woodward had back hallways built to connect the buildings to save on elevator costs. Could something like that be done with the Park Ave, and adjacent Briggs Houze apartment building?http://www.houzeliving.com/view-our-...ggs-houze.html
Finally the last building fronting GCP can be revitalized [[not counting the Fine Arts facade). It truly is maddening though to look at GCP and realize that had the Statler been able to hold on for another 5 or so years, that hulk would also have been/in process of redevelopment. Throw in the Tuller and, gasp, it would look incredible.
This building will no doubt be gobbled up by a hungry real estate developer. I wonder how much it will go for. Will be prime for apartment rentals like the next door briggz houze, and down the block from the Kales and other residential developments! Hope some nice retail will fill in the ground floor
This combined with the groundbreaking today of the statler is great news for the park frontage [[although i know we all have reservations about the building design, hopefully they've updated it so theres some more height fronting GCP)
Wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert bought it to extend his footprint over to the north side of Grand Circus.
Park Ave. Building has applied for Brownfield and hearing has been scheduled.
http://www.degc.org/wp-content/uploa...uBemgao5KZCgD4
Additionally, based on the plans, ground-floor retail and apartments above.
http://www.degc.org/wp-content/uploa...F_t9deENIA9zO8
A mix of 78 units of studio, 1-2-and-3 bedroom apartments
Briggs, Broderick, Whitney, Kales, City Club now Park Ave...Grand Circus Park has the potential to boom very soon. Connectivity of the Capital Park and Grand Corcus Park districts would be a big lift for the West side of downtown.
Speaking of Briggs Building [[just west of Park Ave. Bldg.)... has a restaurant opened yet in the surviving lobby of the original Oriental Theatre [[built 1927, auditorium razed 1953)?
Yes, PAO is open. I was just in there yesterday in fact. While I didn't partake in any food or beverage, the lobby has been nicely restored and the restaurant did a great job integrating modern touches with the ornamental design of the lobby. In other words, it's a pretty cool space.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gistok
Last I saw [[about 15 years ago) there was still a fair bit of the original interior, if I remember correctly. Did they restore some of it? Photos, anyone?
If only there wasn't a gaping hole in the streetwall where the Fine Arts facade is. And the Statler was still there. And the Tuller was still there. And the UA wasn't a hulking POS that Illitch won't do anything with. But hey, better then nothing, right?
That missing gap between the Fine Arts [[facade) and Kales Building was the Shurley Hospital... and eye, ear, nose and throat hospital of 7 stories... demolished when Dr. Shurley died in the 1950s, and the hospital closed.Attachment 38861Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeg19
... another image of the now "gap"....