http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...firehouse-site
This sounds close to a done deal!
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...firehouse-site
This sounds close to a done deal!
Sweet!!
....oh wait...hold on. It still needs City Clowncil approval..smh. Well keep hope alive..
just for those who don't know, it is a beautiful building, and just right for a boutique hotel
We can have another debate about whether there's enough demand but what's important is that it preserves the building from decay. If the hotel fails it could always be converted to residential, etc. down the line.
Isn't $1.25 million a little low for this beauty?
It is probably filled with asbestos, will need to have the interior gutted and have all HVAC/Electrical/Plumbing/Communication totally replaced.
Basically what you're paying for is the land under the property. The whole it's a little low is the reason why there is so much land around Detroit, everyone thinks they have a gold mine and will just wait. Sell it -- get it redeveloped and move on. What they need to do -- along with the Pontchartrain is put in an undergorund walkway over to Cobo.
Why? It's directly across the street. It's not like they have to cross 5 lanes of Jefferson.It is probably filled with asbestos, will need to have the interior gutted and have all HVAC/Electrical/Plumbing/Communication totally replaced.
Basically what you're paying for is the land under the property. The whole it's a little low is the reason why there is so much land around Detroit, everyone thinks they have a gold mine and will just wait. Sell it -- get it redeveloped and move on. What they need to do -- along with the Pontchartrain is put in an undergorund walkway over to Cobo.
When you go to conventions it is annoying to go outside when you're going to work - you need to take a coat, an umbrella or get hot, walk in the snow. It becomes a hassle to deal with - check coat, carry stuff, get salt and slush all over your pants and shoes. It's little things like that make a bigger difference than most people realize. Washington is also 5 lanes there but that's not the issue - 5 lanes or 2 lanes it's all the same conventioneers in bad climates don't want to go outside.
When you go to conventions it is annoying to go outside when you're going to work - you need to take a coat, an umbrella or get hot, walk in the snow. It becomes a hassle to deal with - check coat, carry stuff, get salt and slush all over your pants and shoes. It's little things like that make a bigger difference than most people realize. Washington is also 5 lanes there but that's not the issue - 5 lanes or 2 lanes it's all the same conventioneers in bad climates don't want to go outside.
For the few days of inclement weather the exorbitant cost hardly seems worth it. Besides. Most advocates frown on separating pedestrian traffic as it takes people off of the street.
I would suggest reading the works of William H Whyte or the crank James H Kunstler [[despite being a crank, he does have some good points).
It's beautiful building on the outside, but this is going to be a major renovation project for the inside. It does have its own underground parking, so that's a plus.
a combination of hotel and residential?
I think it should be the HQ for the Ghostbusters.
Back in the late 1980's after Denver developer John Madden built 150 W. Jefferson, he had another proposal to buy the Fire Station from the city, tear out the interior down to the bedrock [[leaving only the 4 walls), and build a 40 story office tower rising out of the 5 story shell of the building... to be known as Firehouse Square.
This project never made it past the idea stage... and eventually Madden lost 150 W. Jefferson to the banks.
Also, a little footnote... 150 W. Jefferson had the base of the building built with reinforcement to build a smaller 2nd tower [[along Griswold) that was also never built. When one looks at the site, you almost scratch your head questioning whether or not there's even room behind the Roney [[Scientologists) Building for a second tower... but I remember the newspaper article where Madded had a mini model of the 2nd tower in hand [[newspaper clipping image) and where it would fit next to the main 150 W. Jefferson Building.
Good Lord. I thought that 150 W. Jefferson was pushing the boundaries of taste [[it actually has a near clone in Bangkok...). Building a high-rise out of the shell of a firehouse is possibly the only thing more bizarre than making a parking garage out of a movie theater.Back in the late 1980's after Denver developer John Madden built 150 W. Jefferson, he had another proposal to buy the Fire Station from the city, tear out the interior down to the bedrock [[leaving only the 4 walls), and build a 40 story office tower rising out of the 5 story shell of the building... to be known as Firehouse Square.
HB
OK... a question... some of the links to the Firestation renovation [[such as Huffington Post)... mention Beth DunCombe as "head of the Detroit Building Authority"...
Is Ms DunCombe [[sister of Trudy DunCombe Archer, former mayor's wife)... and the head of the DEGC before George Jackson... back in town as a public servant?
Her major claims to fame were a plus and a minus.... 1) the idea to move the Gem/Century from its' demolition location to a city owned site next to the DAC... and 2) the demo of Hudson's.
EDIT:
Answered my own question....
http://www.detroitmi.gov/Departments...9/Default.aspx
Last edited by Gistok; March-04-13 at 12:42 PM.
since cobo hall is being renovated and getting more conferences, this will work. auto show alone will fill it. there has been a wonderful increase in conventions booking cobo hall.
This is old news, council has been talking about this for almost a year. Don't any of you go to city council meetings?
This is fantastic news, but I was wondering what is going to become of the more spacious Old Hotel Pontchartrain??? Any pending developments?????
Which "Old Pontchartrain"? The one off Campus Martius closed in 1920? Or the one constructed in 1965 and currently undergoing renovation and expected to open soon as a Crowne Plaza Hotel?
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...+Pontchartrain
That would be the one construcyed in 1965.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE
Does anyone else think 250 million is just a tad steep for 80-100 rooms?
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