Love This - Creating a Midtown 'living room'

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Thinking outside the box can help us make great use of our existing assets. I hope this becomes a huge success. We have so many great buildings that can double as other things, or be repurposed entirely. Churches, schools, old theatre, ornate office building lobbies, etc.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120617/FREE/306179961/creating-a-midtown-living-room

[Gannon]

Thinking outside the box can help us make great use of our existing assets. I hope this becomes a huge success. We have so many great buildings that can double as other things, or be repurposed entirely. Churches, schools, old theatre, ornate office building lobbies, etc.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120617/FREE/306179961/creating-a-midtown-living-room

Too funny. We were doing this a little over twenty years ago, when I lived in corner unit 718 at the Park Shelton. Just high enough to be physically removed from the drama of the street, but close enough to hear clearly.

We joked that the DIA was our front lawn, and took our little Weber grille down for picnics often. Every once in a while, security would come over to make sure we weren't drinking...but they were cool.

I'd say our Living Room was the Main Library, which doubled as the Study and, well, Library. Depending where you sat. The DIA was more of a very cool Family or Sitting Room. Nobody visited without starting there first.

It was funny how there was a solid split between those who'd rather be in the Diego Garcia court, or the medieval one. I felt more comfortable in the solid serenity of the cloister than the cacophony of industry. Still do.


As for repurposing...I think it is a good thing for public buildings to remain public...but I'm not sure private ones will all have the resources and support to open more often.

But there is a church in North Corktown that makes a decent recording studio, and there is an already-growing family gathered in the garden and kitchen weekly. I could see a coffeehouse/restaurant spinning out of there. It is all about community, and where they are allowed to congregate.


Cheers to the DIA for encouraging this. From what I can tell, it is not much different than what they've always done, but they are making sure everyone knows it.

John