Downtown Walk Around...

Took a walk around downtown yesterday and took some shots and thought of just how much construction activity seems to be going on lately beginning with the project on St Antoine. I know it has something to so with the courts but the size of it seems massive. Does anyone have a clear idea of just what it is and what it may ultimately look like?

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Here are some of the ongoing construction of greektown parking structure and habitrail tube going into the casino.

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Detroit Cheesecake Bistro

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BW3's @ the Temple of Oddfellows Bldg...

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RIP Greektown.

It would be nice to have a new residential highrise downtown to go along with the exciting new jail, parking structure and fake Cheesecake Factory.

The new Wayne County jailhouse is being built at Gratiot and St. Antoine.

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Originally Posted by 401don

It would be nice to have a new residential highrise downtown to go along with the exciting new jail, parking structure and fake Cheesecake Factory.

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More high-rises would be nice, but first I'd like to see any old buildings reused that can be! BTW, I don't think Greektown is dead. It's everyone's favorite place if they aren't from Detroit. There are plenty of Greek food options there even in non-greek diners. [[Of course it's more americanized since no Greek people shop or eat here anymore, what would you expect to happen?).

I think Greektown will be fine, they just need to hold more greek themed street festivals ect and if the market dictates, it will attract more Greek themed shops. This part of Detroit is one of the most successful if not the most successful..

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Originally Posted by 313WX

The new Wayne County jailhouse is being built at Gratiot and St. Antoine.

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That's unfortunate. Why would they put a jailhouse in a location like that?

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Originally Posted by jpbollma

That's unfortunate. Why would they put a jailhouse in a location like that?

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So the inmates in the old Wayne County Jail will have a short walk over to the new one.

Looking good in the city!

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Originally Posted by iheartthed

RIP Greektown.

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I agree.... looks awful. Its amazing how someone with some money can really screw up a city.

Eh, disagreed, but only because, netted out, the increase in foot traffic/activity and the movement toward having a "destination area" in the city [[e.g., "Wrigleyville", Sixth Street) outweighs the marginal loss of "Greekness." Better to keep those dollars here than out in Royal Oak or Pontiac.

Side note: DP, are you the same DP from cyburbia?

I was checking out the Odd Fellows building yesterday and was curious about a couple things. The old barber shop building between the Well and the Odd Fellows building looked liked it also was being worked on, anyone know anytghing about this? Also the side of the Odd fellows building facing the barber shop looked like it needed a lot of work. Are there any plans of building something between the two buildings?

Hey kenp, I was looking on Buildings of Detroit's Facebook page, and they have a color picture of what that building used to look like.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

It's pretty cool

Thanks Zads, that is cool. I kind of remember that building and I do recall when they tore it down.
All the renderings of BWW I have seen only deal with the Odd Fellows. Curious if they also have plans for the Barber shop.

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Doing some research, I found this from Mlive
The about 20,000-square-foot restaurant is planned for the former Odd Fellows Building, 1211 Randolph St. — on the border between Campus Martius Park and Greektown. Officials say a 2,400-square-foot building addition [[not pictured) will be erected next to the current structure.

Does anyone know anything about the addition, and does BWW plan on incorporating the barber shop into this project.

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Originally Posted by kenp

I was checking out the Odd Fellows building yesterday and was curious about a couple things. The old barber shop building between the Well and the Odd Fellows building looked liked it also was being worked on, anyone know anytghing about this? Also the side of the Odd fellows building facing the barber shop looked like it needed a lot of work. Are there any plans of building something between the two buildings?

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I stopped this morning and spoke to a construction worker on the site. He was aware of work being done to the barber shop building but did not know if it was a part of the Buffalo Wild Wings project or not. The Wild Wings restaurant will be on the first two floors of the Odd Fellows building and their corporate offices will be on the third and fourth floors. Buffalo Wild Wings is filling the space between the two existing buildings with a new structure to expand the restaurant. It will be one story in front and two story in the rear.

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Originally Posted by Zads07

Hey kenp, I was looking on Buildings of Detroit's Facebook page, and they have a color picture of what that building used to look like.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

It's pretty cool

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I remember shopping at Cancellations!

Thanks Neilr.
I always thought the barber shop was cool.
I suspect the new addition will be used as the kitchen area, just a thought.

Good news about the corporate offices moving in. I hadn't heard that in the original announcements about the restaurant.

A few months ago I called the corporate folks to see if anybody had information on how accurate the first renderings were. Hopefully, they were going to incorporate more of the historic look of the building as they have with other locations. Never got a call back.

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Originally Posted by downtownguy

A few months ago I called the corporate folks to see if anybody had information on how accurate the first renderings were. Hopefully, they were going to incorporate more of the historic look of the building as they have with other locations. Never got a call back.

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The exterior has had a lot of detail work done on it. Look at Detroit Stylins pic above. I think the renderings are close and the exterior seems about finished. Maybe Detroit Stylin has another pic of the front to share or I could go over and take a few.

I remember cancellation shoes. Todds clothier was in the building where buffalo wild wings is going to be. Does anyone remember how long Todds been gone from that spot? I am glad that the facade of each building had been restored to it's original brick color. I think that the buildings in Downtown Detroit look much cleaner than that did in the late 60's to late 90s. Downtown during that period had more retail but the buildings were beginning to show their decay.

What concerns me is the rendering that came out with the original announcement.

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It's ugly. I haven't been over that way in a while, so if anybody's got a pic of the ground floor work, that would be great.

What I'm referring to is the link Gistok posted on the previous BWW thread of the Grand Rapids location:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jv8QHDI4T2...00/buffalo.jpg

That looks a hellava lot better than the artist's rendering.

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Originally Posted by stasu1213

I am glad that the facade of each building had been restored to it's original brick color. I think that the buildings in Downtown Detroit look much cleaner than that did in the late 60's to late 90s.

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Actually, many of the buildings at the Broadway-Randolph-Gratiot intersection had facade restorations in the 80s thanks to some grant money that was available then. Just goes to show, now about a quarter century later, how the classics are always timeless.