Developer wants to save Lafayette

[kraig]

Welcome to reality.

A physician can do his job properly every day for years and save hundred of lives in the process. However, he botches one operation and kills a patient then that's all anyone will ever remember.

A pilot can land a plane a thousand times and safely deliver millions of passengers in the process. However, if shows up to work drunk one day and crashes then that's all anyone will ever remember.

This is reality. George Jackson has to learn to do his job every single day. Not just when it's easy. Not just when it's convenient. Not just when people are praising him for it.

Every. Single. Day.

The fact that he got the job done a couple of years ago doesn't mean that you get to slack off for the rest of your career. The instant anyone thinks that the case, it's time to retire.

This is reality.

Comparing the demolition of the Lafayette Building to killing a patient or crashing a plane? You jumped the shark on that one.

[Khartoum]

Welcome to reality.

A physician can do his job properly every day for years and save hundred of lives in the process. However, he botches one operation and kills a patient then that's all anyone will ever remember.

A pilot can land a plane a thousand times and safely deliver millions of passengers in the process. However, if shows up to work drunk one day and crashes then that's all anyone will ever remember.

This is reality. George Jackson has to learn to do his job every single day. Not just when it's easy. Not just when it's convenient. Not just when people are praising him for it.

Every. Single. Day.

The fact that he got the job done a couple of years ago doesn't mean that you get to slack off for the rest of your career. The instant anyone thinks that the case, it's time to retire.

This is reality.

Real talk.

[PQZ]

You missed the point as usual Frank. No - one will loan aginst your inflated advertising income stream. The figure you cite for income is well over inflayed, the cost for stabilizing and securing the builidng is woefully underestimated, and the asset would be worthless to a bank.

"...The FoBC was mobilized after then Mayor Dennis Archer announced his intention to demolish the building in 1999. They met privately with the Archer Administration, the City Council and others. After a variety of lobby efforts, they eventually backed away from demolition...."

As an Archer Adminsitration veteran and the person directly assigned to lead the structural and architectural investigation, I find your claim laughable. Within 48 hours of taking control of the building, the DEGC began implementing a phased approach to accurately assess the building's potential for redevelopment and, yes, also detail what was necessary to demo the building should it not be found to be viable. I can unequivocally say that FOBC played no role in any of the decision making about whether to demo or rehab the building by either the Archer or Kilpatrick administrations. It was strictly numbers and good planning decision.

In terms of making sure it stayed standing, how can you simultaneously claim to be responsible and yet you "stayed out of the way" and admit you did not particpate in meetings? Which is it? You laid low and were not an obstacle? Or you were a driving and critical actor? If you did not attend meetings how could you be a crucial actor in the process? Seems you are talking out both sides of your mouth.

Gimme a break. The only time FOBC approached the DEGC was through the contracted architect for a meeting to share information about the building.

In that meeting FOBCs appointed representative, Blair McGowan made claims that he had personally entered the building illegally, took plaster samples that showed the building was contaminated with asbestos in the plaster [[which it was not) and that FOBC would sue to stop the planned demolition. [[At that point no decision had been made one way or the other because thefacts were not in). He also intimated that there could be criminal charges filed for negligent homicide / attempted murder if the building was demoed and asbestos released into the atmosphere. "Wild-eyed" would be an accurate description of the demeanor of Blair and his companions.

The other outcome of the meeting was the FOBCs attempt to sell information about the building to the DDA. Having anonymously attended several FOBC meetings prior to the FOBC meeting with DEGC, I was aware that FOBC wanted the money from the sale of data to seed a fund to sue the DEGC in case the building were to be demoed. I was also aware that the FOBC has made a concious decision to not engage the DEGC as they did not want the DEGC to know what their plans and strategy were. Because of that FOBC position and the relatively uselessness of the information on offer, I refused to authorize the purchase of the information, which FOBC eventually donated. The information turned out to be nothing more than what we had already found on the internet and through our own archioval research.

So, from Day One, FOBC set itself up to fight, not help the DEGC, did not attend any of the publicly advertised meetings, and now would like to claim that they had an integral role in the restoartion of the building.

I point all this out so the general public and other posters can understand why certain elements of the preservation community in Detroit do not get respect from the powers that be. If this is their strategy and capability, why should anyone take them seriously?

There are many people doing great work in preservation efforts that work quite nicely with DEGC and have no problems with their approach.

To me it is very telling that the conspiracy theorists and armchairs wannabes are the only ones that seem to have a problem with DEGC.

The point of all this is that while the DEGC may be stumbling on the Lafayette, there is a strong and undeniable track record of hundreds of millions of dollars invested through the DEGC in historic preservation across the downtown that is not recognized by posters on this forum. Failure to recognize those successes and to put the failures in to context marginalizes the voices of all preservationists - inlcuding the one who are doing something besides making t-shirts and ranting on public boards. You know, the ones doing their job.

[PQZ]

Welcome to reality.

A physician can do his job properly every day for years and save hundred of lives in the process. However, he botches one operation and kills a patient then that's all anyone will ever remember.

A pilot can land a plane a thousand times and safely deliver millions of passengers in the process. However, if shows up to work drunk one day and crashes then that's all anyone will ever remember.

This is reality. George Jackson has to learn to do his job every single day. Not just when it's easy. Not just when it's convenient. Not just when people are praising him for it.

Every. Single. Day.

The fact that he got the job done a couple of years ago doesn't mean that you get to slack off for the rest of your career. The instant anyone thinks that the case, it's time to retire.

This is reality.

False analogy.

Some patients are terminal and can't be saved despite best efforts of the doctor. Planes fail mecahnically. You seem unable to understand that and would fault a doctor for ever losing a patient. Neither people nor buildings are immortal. Yet you want to draw a false analogy that if the plane crashes or the patient dies, it simply must be the fault of a drunkard coasting to retirement.

The reality is Jackson is still doing his job and is working to move other projects forward. You and many other seem unable to recognize that. You have all allowed your obsession with one building blind you to the reality of everything else around you.

[ghettopalmetto]

The point of all this is that while the DEGC may be stumbling on the Lafayette, there is a strong and undeniable track record of hundreds of millions of dollars invested through the DEGC in historic preservation across the downtown that is not recognized by posters on this forum. Failure to recognize those successes and to put the failures in to context marginalizes the voices of all preservationists - inlcuding the one who are doing something besides making t-shirts and ranting on public boards. You know, the ones doing their job.

I don't think anyone is discounting or trivializing the successful projects in which DEGC has been engaged. The question raised is the prudence of spending millions of public dollars during a time of fiscal crisis to eliminate a potentially lucrative property. There does not seem to be any semblance of objective rationale for the decision to demolish the Lafayette.

To continue your analogy, George Jackson is about to kill an ill patient not knowing whether the illness is terminal, or just a bad infection. Why? Because he can, that's why.

[Novack]

So serious. You know all this conjecture would be mute if we just had a structural analysis of the Lafayette Building. Then we would know. And then the DEGC could have another great development victory and another 100 million [[Cadillac or "Detroit" dollars) spent in the city of Detroit. Or the building will be demoed and we can move on. Right?

Now how about those TIGERS!!!!

[Fnemecek]

You missed the point as usual Frank. No - one will loan against your inflated advertising income stream. The figure you cite for income is well over inflated, the cost for stabilizing and securing the building is woefully underestimated, and the asset would be worthless to a bank.

The numbers that I cited previously came directly from people who do outdoor advertising for a living. The numbers for what kind of loan that revenue steam would support come from people who do that for a living.

In terms of making sure it stayed standing, how can you simultaneously claim to be responsible and yet you "stayed out of the way" and admit you did not participate in meetings? Which is it?

Both are true because they refer to two different time periods.

[Fnemecek]

So serious. You know all this conjecture would be mute if we just had a structural analysis of the Lafayette Building. Then we would know. And then the DEGC could have another great development victory and another 100 million [[Cadillac or "Detroit" dollars) spent in the city of Detroit. Or the building will be demoed and we can move on. Right?

Now how about those TIGERS!!!!

Amen, brother. Amen.

[Novine]

"The reality is that DEGC does not have an overall strategy for historic preservation within the downtown area. And neither do the preservationists. BOTH are at fault."

DEGC staff is being paid to have a strategy. DEGC is wasting taxpayer dollars through the lack of a strategy. That's the difference. You're obviously well-informed enough to know the difference.

[royce]

It's been more than two weeks. Any updates, anyone?