Roosevelt Park planting aims to reflect Michigan Central's stature

DetroitDad · June-09-09, 07:54 PM

http://modeldmedia.com/developmentne...velt19509.aspx

Funding from Daimler Financial in the amount of $35,000 will enable a group of Corktowners to plant the semi-circle section of Roosevelt Park immediately facing the Michigan Central Station. The total project cost is estimated at $75,000 including donated time and equipment from Classic Landscape Ltd., Urban Detail, Greater Corktown Development Corporation, Michigan Forklift and Los Pistoleros.

This planting is phase two of planned improvements to Roosevelt Park....

Blarf · June-10-09, 12:02 AM

Sounds like a waste a money.

MIRepublic · June-10-09, 12:08 AM

I guess all flower plantings are a waste of money then, too.

Blarf · June-10-09, 12:25 AM

Not all, just ones that cost $35,000.

**reddog289** · June-10-09, 01:29 AM

If I am correct there is going to be a car show there this summer.Hope the cars don't mess up the garden.

MIRepublic · June-10-09, 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by Blarf

Not all, just ones that cost $35,000.

So, what's the acceptable upper limit of cost for a flower planting?

Anyway, the rather poor rendering of the plan and the rest of the story:

This planting is phase two of planned improvements to Roosevelt Park; last year the group planted the triangle of land at Fourteenth and Michigan. The long-term goal is to build an amphitheater and some type of activity center such as tennis or basketball courts or a skate park. "We see the city as lacking in green space," says Phillip Cooley, one of the involved residents and a partner at neighboring Slow's Bar-B-Q. "We feel this park has potential -- it used to be a grand space."

The planting will begin on June 12 and wrap up on June 19. The landscaping design takes the geometry of the facade of the train station as its inspiration.

**Gistok** · June-10-09, 03:09 AM

Interestingly enough the entire Roosevelt Park and MCS footprint were built in a grand style befitting of Paris or Washington DC. After Detroit limited the extent of the Woodward Plan of radiating streets to just downtown, the MCS/Roosevelt Park area was another part of Detroit built to a grand plan... sadly not extended. Few train stations in the country had a more magnificent setting.

**Chub** · June-10-09, 03:19 AM

I think an amphitheater in the park is the best idea I've heard yet. Damn, I wish I would have thought that!

**Johnlodge** · June-10-09, 04:04 PM

Have you ever noticed that renderings of projects in Detroit, a city that is 80%+ black, are always filled with white people?

**Lonyo exit** · June-10-09, 04:09 PM

That's because these projects are dreamed up by white yuppies and hipsters oblivious to the 90 percent of the city that's black, who live in the neighborhoods and who don't give a shit about flowerbeds near the train station or silly architectural renderings for buildings in the downtown area.

**Fnemecek** · June-10-09, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by Johnlodge

Have you ever noticed that renderings of projects in Detroit, a city that is 80%+ black, are always filled with white people?

That's because all of those images come from standard software packages that almost all architects use.

**gnome** · June-10-09, 03:58 AM

Gistok, I thought the L'fant's plan was trashed almost as soon as it was Grand Circus was platted. Are there any other remnents of the old hub and spoke plan? There is sort of a quarter wheel at Gratiot and Randolph ....

anyway, the MCS was built a hundred years after L'fant, are you saying that he planned where the station was to be built?

MIRepublic · June-10-09, 04:09 AM

How did you read that from what he said? He simply said the Woodward Plan was inspired by the plan of DC, not that L'Enfant personally mapped out early Detroit.

**gnome** · June-10-09, 04:21 AM

go pick a fight with someone else LMichigan, my question is to Gistok and whether he has info I don't know about. I asked him to clarify, that's all.

**PSewick** · June-10-09, 10:45 AM

Ah, no one knocked on my neighbors' doors and asked if it was okay to build an *amphitheater* around the block from us. I really value peace and quiet, and I'll be really bummed if outdoor concerts ever start being held a block away.

[[Why not use the one on Belle Isle? I suspect it is not used to its full potential.)

**urbanoutdoors** · June-17-09, 12:14 AM

Originally Posted by PSewick

Ah, no one knocked on my neighbors' doors and asked if it was okay to build an *amphitheater* around the block from us. I really value peace and quiet, and I'll be really bummed if outdoor concerts ever start being held a block away.

[[Why not use the one on Belle Isle? I suspect it is not used to its full potential.)

PSewick,
I just wanted to let you know it was on last month residents council agenda where Phil presented this and there was an opportunity for questions... Secondly I talked with other residents council members and we agreed that this is an issue that deserves proper community input before things really take shape. I personally think redevelopment of Roosevelt Park could be a very positive thing for the neighborhood and think as long as the community is engaged and is part of the planning process. Although the first phase of the process is under way, the phase that may include the amphitheater won't even begin till next year so your voice will be heard... I will let you know when the date is officially set for a public meeting on this issue... I believe the tentative date is June 30th...

**Irvine Laird** · June-22-09, 08:39 AM

I'm sure that Roosevelt Park will look as good as it ever has and the Daimler volunteers will feel good about their community service. However, who will maintain the park after the party is over?

**cman710** · June-22-09, 03:28 PM

Click here and scroll through the shots for some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36438162@N08/3634936506/

Note: These are NOT my pictures, which is why I am providing a link and not posting the picture straight to the Forum.

**urbanoutdoors** · June-22-09, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Irvine Laird

I'm sure that Roosevelt Park will look as good as it ever has and the Daimler volunteers will feel good about their community service. However, who will maintain the park after the party is over?

The idea as I have heard it is to have roosevelt function as rosedale and clark park both do. Maintained by the community... I believe the community is given time for input and this will give them a sense of ownership over the project and thus a willingness to help maintain....

**raptor56** · June-10-09, 11:14 AM

The picture rendering is missing all of the homeless tents that typically dot Roosevelt Park during the summer flower season

crawford · June-10-09, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by raptor56

The picture rendering is missing all of the homeless tents that typically dot Roosevelt Park during the summer flower season

There were tents out there all winter too.

gravitymachine · June-10-09, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by crawford

There were tents out there all winter too.

really? i didn't see them in my twice daily drive through the park. probably because they've moved out back under the bagley overpass

**Lonyo exit** · June-10-09, 11:29 AM

Great plan. The bums will love using the flowers as pillows as they sleep off their buzzes.

**Gistok** · June-10-09, 11:36 AM

Gnome, no there's no connection between the downtown remnants of the Woodward Plan and the MCS/Roosevelt Park. I was just rambling about "vistas" and monumental settings.

I was only suggesting that the fact that the City Beautiful/Belle Epoch style of grand placement of structures around boulevards and parks [[common from the 1850s to the beginning of the 20th century) was used in both places.