Eason-Wood apartments in HP demo'd

**DetroitZack** · January-13-12, 04:57 PM

Check it out

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/01/...ng-demolished/

**surenowinlife** · January-13-12, 04:59 PM

Soon to be a parking lot!

**casscorridor** · January-13-12, 05:25 PM

Why exactly is sealing the building up impossible? I see no justification for demolition beyond it being a crime haven.

**Planner3357** · January-13-12, 05:30 PM

They need to demo that whole city. Some horrible developments have gone bad and have since been demolished, due to former mayoral corruption. Nevertheless, HP is probably one of the most horrible looking towns. I was happy when my internship with the city was over. What a mess!

**wolverine** · January-13-12, 07:49 PM

Despite that I'm big on preservation, even when buildings get to a pretty deplorable state, this structure was a total loss. Aside from load bearing walls bending inward and outward and detached floor joists, you couldn't even save the details if you tried. Many of them were so severely delaminated and chipped. There's plenty of other nice old brick structures worth saving around the area, but definitely run away from this one.

**Lowell** · January-14-12, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Planner3357

They need to demo that whole city. Some horrible developments have gone bad and have since been demolished, due to former mayoral corruption. Nevertheless, HP is probably one of the most horrible looking towns. I was happy when my internship with the city was over. What a mess!

You must have had blinders on during your internship. Highland Park has numerous fantastic arts and crafts house including some of the best on Eason and the National Registry of Historic homes district in which they reside which are well-maintained. Another larger historic home district exists in the Southeast of the city including the one I once owned on Colorado.

Woodward Avenue is lined with architectural gems such McGregor Library, the YMCA, YWCA, and the Model T Plant, the most important industrial structure in history. And you want to demo all that?

**softailrider** · January-14-12, 08:43 AM

I know somebody who lives on Colorado, his house is really cool - actually has secret compartments that swing down from the dining room walls.

I was over there a couple of months ago, that block did not look good. Many of the houses were vacant or very much in disrepair.

**Eric_c** · January-14-12, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

You must have had blinders on during your internship. Highland Park has numerous fantastic arts and crafts house including some of the best on Eason and the National Registry of Historic homes district in which they reside which are well-maintained. Another larger historic home district exists in the Southeast of the city including the one I once owned on Colorado.

Woodward Avenue is lined with architectural gems such McGregor Library, the YMCA, YWCA, and the Model T Plant, the most important industrial structure in history. And you want to demo all that?

Not to mention some fantastic churches and Chrysler's oldest dealership. It's rough, but small enough to have a great chance at renewal.

**Danny** · January-14-12, 12:25 PM

The Eason Wood Apts is not the only one being torn down. There are still more apts and retail near Woodward Ave in Highland Park that are in the demo list.

**DetroitZack** · January-14-12, 01:09 PM

Which list are you referring to? I remember last summer [[?) that huge demo list for Detroit came out, if that's the one you are talking about I didn't know it included Highland Park.

**Zaiko** · January-14-12, 03:08 PM

Lowell,

Thanks for standing up to the pro demo people. I want a radio show or newspaper column called "Do you want to have a city?" If the answer is yes then you fight to preserve, board up and police abandoned buildings. You fight to get the chance to tax yourself to have full blown trains criss crossing the city. You fight for tax credits for brownfields and PR bonanzas like Detroit 1-8-7.

I stepped into that building 3-4 years ago, just in the hair braiding place. Guys like us who lived in Africa have no problem visiting such places. The rest of the structure wasn't all destroyed yet. It was all savable.

**Danny** · January-14-12, 03:52 PM

Crackheads, dope fiends, marijuana smokes killed Highland Park!

end of story.

**softailrider** · January-14-12, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Zaiko

Lowell,

Thanks for standing up to the pro demo people. I want a radio show or newspaper column called "Do you want to have a city?" If the answer is yes then you fight to preserve, board up and police abandoned buildings. You fight to get the chance to tax yourself to have full blown trains criss crossing the city. You fight for tax credits for brownfields and PR bonanzas like Detroit 1-8-7.

I stepped into that building 3-4 years ago, just in the hair braiding place. Guys like us who lived in Africa have no problem visiting such places. The rest of the structure wasn't all destroyed yet. It was all savable.

That's the problem when you have cities with no police response, you can have a beautiful 1920's building that's in good shape one day, go back there a week later and it's a lost cause. Sadly, once buildings around here go vacant, it's usually all over.

**douglasm** · January-14-12, 09:47 PM

Lowell.....
.....he'd probably want to take the church next to the Y, too.

I haven't been back in the area since '93, and it's probably longer than that since I went to Highland Park. So I just took a Google street view walk. There's very little left that I remember on Woodward. At this point, I'd think the powers that be have demoed enough and maybe it's time [[or past time) to consider rebuilding what's left.

**Whitehouse** · January-14-12, 11:08 PM

Wow. An actual apartment that was not firebombed before razing. I just went and look via Google streetview and by the looks of it, it still was a solid building. More that 80% of the windows still hade panes.

**prokopowicz** · January-14-12, 11:17 PM

Http://prokopowicz.org/pete/hp/highlandpark.htm

There are a couple of pix of the eason-wood bldg from 2004 in the link above. My grandmother lived there in the early 70's. I grew up a few houses down the street.

**rjlj** · January-14-12, 11:27 PM

Suburban Pros:
Good Schools
Low crime
Reasonable taxes

Suburb Cons:
Boring tickey tackey homes and buildings

Highland Park Pros:
Historic Architecture and Character

Highland Park cons:
High Crime Rate
Poor Schools.
High Taxes

Why would you destroy the only good thing you have going for you?

**mcsdetroitfriend** · January-14-12, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by prokopowicz

Http://prokopowicz.org/pete/hp/highlandpark.htm

There are a couple of pix of the eason-wood bldg from 2004 in the link above. My grandmother lived there in the early 70's. I grew up a few houses down the street.

Amazing how quickly things can go downhill for a building

**kathy2trips** · January-16-12, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

Despite that I'm big on preservation, even when buildings get to a pretty deplorable state, this structure was a total loss. Aside from load bearing walls bending inward and outward and detached floor joists, you couldn't even save the details if you tried. Many of them were so severely delaminated and chipped. There's plenty of other nice old brick structures worth saving around the area, but definitely run away from this one.

Here is the link to some excellent photos and commentary about this neighborhood by a former resident, Pete Prokopowicz. Toward the bottom is a photo of the Eason-Wood in much better condition. http://prokopowicz.org/pete/hp/highlandpark.htm

If you love cars, there's something extra special sickening about what is happening to Highland Park. It was hallowed ground, you know? Used to have lots of great boutiques and antique shops, I hear, too. Now I know how people felt in post-war Europe, looking at their cities. At least, they saved what they could and rebuilt the rest ASAP. What can we do about HP?

GUSHI · January-17-12, 08:32 PM

Highland parks demise is sad, just like detroits demise, at least hamtramck is still going strong, detroit needs to be re-populated one area at a time, and so does highland park, close out areas of the east side to start. St cryril hood for start, maybe try to get government grants or something to knock down houses. Or get jail birds to demolish these houses, something gotta be done, and soon.