Are these buildings open for exploration.

**Django** · December-01-11, 08:05 PM

Ive been hired to give an underbelly tour of Detroit and am not familiar with a couple of the buildings requested.

Anyone know of the states of these buildings? Are they wide open?

Bagley Clifford office Bank of Detroit

American Hotel

St. Christopher House Library.

Any info would be helpful.

**mcsdetroitfriend** · December-01-11, 09:17 PM

That's up to you to find out by yourself, the people here will not help you with that task. We don't condone it, any foot traffic contributes to a building's demise, because it gives scrappers and those who don't mean well the means to get in as well

**ismoakrack** · December-01-11, 09:27 PM

The American Hotel is welled sealed.

**Django** · December-02-11, 07:12 AM

Sorry mcsfriend but I disagree. I find the constant changing and ruin of the ruins the most interesting part of exploring. Watching nature take back what was built upon it is fascinating to me, be it scrappers, wind, rain, fire, or even footprints made by a photographer.

http://www2.metrotimes.com/arts/story.asp?id=11500 TOOT TOOT <thats my own horn.

**surenowinlife** · December-02-11, 07:15 AM

Nice article you attached to your post,about the tour any openings?

**Goose** · December-02-11, 09:23 AM

people PAY you to take them? do you offer protection, CCW or something?

**mikefmich** · December-02-11, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by mcsdetroitfriend

That's up to you to find out by yourself, the people here will not help you with that task. We don't condone it, any foot traffic contributes to a building's demise, because it gives scrappers and those who don't mean well the means to get in as well

Whatchu mean "we", Willis?

**Jared9903** · December-02-11, 12:34 PM

I completely agree. I have been known to 'explore', but I do not think this question should be answered on a website like this. Ask your friends, they probably know, or just take a trip over there and look around yourself.

**Islandman** · December-02-11, 12:41 PM

That blog title should changed to Ode to Ruin Porn.

**Gistok** · December-02-11, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Ive been hired to give an underbelly tour of Detroit and am not familiar with a couple of the buildings requested.

Anyone know of the states of these buildings? Are they wide open?

Bagley Clifford office Bank of Detroit

American Hotel

St. Christopher House Library.

Any info would be helpful.

Well I happen to agree with mscdetroitfriend, but that's another story.... the Bagley Clifford NBD branch?? Isn't that in the United Artists Building.... AKA... Currency Exchange Building??

My view is that if it's sealed... don't try to "unseal" it... if it's already open to the elements... it's probably passed the scrapper stage anyway... but still considered trespassing.

Lowell said that "there can be no planning of illegal activities on this forum".... and although that's not exactly what you're doing.... you're asking for advice/information about doing just that.

But whatever.... stay safe Django....

**Django** · December-03-11, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by Goose

people PAY you to take them? do you offer protection, CCW or something?

Ive had several ppl from mainly other countries hire me to show them around. The BBC is doing a segment on the American Economy and they want me to give a tour. Barbara Nadel hired me this past spring, shes the one who started the thread Letters From Europe in Detroit Connections.

I sometimes carry a baseball bat in my backpack, sometimes I just bring Gannon w me.Ive never had a problem though. Im a big guy so I dont get fucked with too much [[knocking on wood)

Occurrence · December-03-11, 04:23 PM

I've never had much of a problem myself either. You just have to use you're brain and be aware of your surroundings.

I don't know if a CCW is a good idea while exploring. Trespassing with the weapon on you might be a problem if you get busted. Not really sure what the law says regarding that situation.

Occurrence · December-03-11, 04:31 PM

Also I'd be weary of discussing exploring on these boards. Some folks here are very anti-exploring and will over-react to the mention of doing it. If you're really that interested it, browse flickr, I'm sure you can find all the information you need on there.

Actually, if you really are an explorer, you wouldn't need to ask what's open on message boards, you would go check out the buildings in person and find out yourself. Isn't that the whole point and half the fun anyways?

**EastsideAl** · December-04-11, 02:39 AM

Here's an idea: stay the hell out of buildings that don't belong to you. And stop contributing to the destruction of my city with your overgrown adolescent "exploring."

I swear, the sheer gall of coming on here and asking right in public which buildings have been vandalized enough by other creeps so that you can engage in your little cheap thrill play time really marks you as an entitled asshole. I hope you, and the creeps you rip off to pay you to commit criminal acts for their entertainment on your idiotic "tour" get arrested.

**Django** · December-04-11, 05:50 AM

I dont think I could ever carry a gun, in the city anyway. I may hire one though.

Get a grip Al, No way in hell am I gonna stop exploring what man has made and left behind for ruin. If its open its fair game as far as Im concerned, Im gonna take some pics too, may even leave a tag behind.

I know I should probably go myself and find out the current state of the buildings I asked about but right now its kinda cold out, Im on a bike and I figure I might be able to find out by simply asking you all. If someone says "Hey Django this building your interested in is completely boarded up" then I know I dont have to bike downtown.

Now I know Im gonna have to go check out all the buildings.

Thanks fuckers [[jus kiddin)

It was a simple question, are the buildings listed open or not. No one seems to know but do have plenty to say, thats cool, I love a debate.

**EastsideAl** · December-04-11, 11:47 AM

There are words for what you do Django: trespassing, illegal entry, vandalism, destruction of property. What all those words have in common is that they are all CRIMES. Your lack of shame for openly flaunting your criminality is appalling, and would be more so except that there seem to be a lot of others around here who share your lack of values or shame and feel somehow entitled to treat our city as their personal adventure playground..

I call the cops on creeps like you all the time. Whether scrapper or "explorer," I don't care, both of you are criminals and both of you are destructive to the fabric of MY community and the community of my neighbors. In this troubled city, of course, the police sometimes don't show up, but sometimes they do, and when they have, I've been very happy to see idiots like you arrested right in front of my eyes. At least the scrappers are generally smart enough to know that they're doing something wrong, the suburban explorer "dudes" usually seem to act defiant, like they did nothing wrong at all and truly don't understand why the man is hassling them for invading and adding to the destruction of someone else's property and community..

Of course your case is even more shocking because you're on here openly asking people about buildings you can criminally trespass in and treat as your personal playground, AND try to make a profit off of that by getting other fools to pay you for your stupid tour of the "underbelly" of the city and to see you act like some sort of goofy cool urban rebel dude for their cameras, etc. All of which adds a whole other layer of criminality to your destructive activities, by essentially running a criminal enterprise.

I won't "get a grip" if that means turning a blind eye to people helping to further destroy the world around me, and using dumb-ass 'but they did it too" rationalizations to excuse committing crimes in my community. I'd be extremely happy to see you, and all of the others like you, arrested, charged, and convicted for your heedless breaking and entering and destruction excused as "exploring". You don't get to treat this place like nobody lives here, because I fucking live here asshole.

Occurrence · December-04-11, 02:25 PM

^ See, I told you some people on here will overreact.

I explore buildings too Eastside, it's not that big of a deal. I've had some great times exploring, and seen some amazing things.

Django, I'm not sure if any of these buildings are wide open. They have actually done a pretty decent job keeping the American sealed. I remember for most of last year it was open like Swiss cheese.

**Gsgeorge** · December-04-11, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Ive had several ppl from mainly other countries hire me to show them around. The BBC is doing a segment on the American Economy and they want me to give a tour. Barbara Nadel hired me this past spring, shes the one who started the thread Letters From Europe in Detroit Connections.

I sometimes carry a baseball bat in my backpack, sometimes I just bring Gannon w me.Ive never had a problem though. Im a big guy so I dont get fucked with too much [[knocking on wood)

I wouldnt be blabbing about who hired you or this and that about your work. Revealing those kinds of specifics on the internet might bite you in the ass later.

Anyway if the BBC is hiring you to show them around and you have to ask on DetroitYes what to do and where to take them, then maybe they hired the wrong guy.

Finally if it's the bloody BBC then just call up the building owners and get legitimate access. No reason to tiptoe around properties illegally with a well-funded and well-connected international news crew.

**Django** · December-04-11, 05:40 PM

I wont deny bein an asshole Al but I still think your overreacting about explorers walking through whats already wide open and unrepairable. Im a longtime Detroiter too, I live here, and I dont have a problem with it.

As I remember this site was started with a lot of explorers. This site used to be so much more fun, a bit more underground without all the snobbery.

GsG, I only asked about 3-4 of many buildings that may be of interest, the rest Im familiar with. The BBC has made it clear that they will not be entering any buildings illegally, you can often get some good shots of the inside from an open doorway or window but you cannot if the place is boarded up.