What are the most important buildings in order that need to be redeveloped?

**Newdetroit** · August-23-13, 12:46 PM

Granted, we would all love to see every building in Detroit redeveloped. I am wondering what are people's thoughts as to which of the following buldings are the most important. Also, I was wondering if there are other building not mentioned that are more important and/or in need of being redevelped than the following:

1)David Stott [[I know that a few floors are occupied but the majority are not)
2)Book Building
3)Metropolitan
4)United Artist
5)Free Press
6)Werlitzer
7)Grand Central

**Detroitnerd** · August-23-13, 01:05 PM

I take it by Grand Central you mean Michigan Central Station?

Not a bad list. I'd add the Statler to that list, but George Jackson already had his way with that thing. Thanks, George!

**313WX** · August-23-13, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Newdetroit

Granted, we would all love to see every building in Detroit redeveloped. I am wondering what are people's thoughts as to which of the following buldings are the most important. Also, I was wondering if there are other building not mentioned that are more important and/or in need of being redevelped than the following:

1)David Stott [[I know that a few floors are occupied but the majority are not)
2)Book Building
3)Metropolitan
4)United Artist
5)Free Press
6)Werlitzer
7)Grand Central

I like your list, except to switch around the Book Tower and the David stott building.

And also, getting the Lee Plaza redeveloped would be nice.

**drjeff** · August-23-13, 01:14 PM

There are several long vacant hotels on Cass [[Eddystone, etc.) I'd add to the list. They're really an eyesore in an area with a lot of traffic from out of towners.

**Detroitnerd** · August-23-13, 01:20 PM

Re: Eddystone and Harbor Light: The public is paying Ilitch hundreds of millions of dollars for his new stadium. Ilitch, in turn, will be knocking them down, not redeveloping them.

**gnome** · August-23-13, 01:21 PM

Capitol Park.

If we are talking about doing five buildings, I would submit that concentrating monies in a single area will be the most effective use of monies. That area could become a concentrated area for galleries, cafes and residential. It has a the bones to not just be ok, but a hive of grooviness.

spreading development around has been done to death here since New Center was built in the 1920s.

**drjeff** · August-23-13, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

Capitol Park.

If we are talking about doing five buildings, I would submit that concentrating monies in a single area will be the most effective use of monies. That area could become a concentrated area for galleries, cafes and residential. It has a the bones to not just be ok, but a hive of grooviness.

spreading development around has been done to death here since New Center was built in the 1920s.

There was a plan announced earlier this year to rehab several buildings in Capitol Park. What's happening with that?

**Bucket** · August-23-13, 02:06 PM

Maybe these aren't the most important, but I submit two buildings where YOU can actually take action...

Ford Highland Park Plant - Woodward Avenue Action Association is crowdsourcing funds to purchase and redevelop the birthplace of the modern moving assembly line. Unlike most other projects, the public, including YOU, can actually contribute to historic preservation and revitalization of the Woodward corridor in Highland Park.
Solomon Sibley House - Among the oldest structures in Detroit, the home of Detroit's first mayor houses the offices of Christ Church and is in need of significant repairs. This project is also being crowdsourced here. The home was listed on the national register in 1971.

**Jason** · August-23-13, 02:17 PM

In no particular order:

Book Tower - Has a wide street frontage in a prominent area. It's currently flithly and ghetto looking and it's prominent in the skyline. It would add a lot of residents to downtown.

The building at Park and Adams - If it and the building next door were demolished, enclosing GCP with appropriately scaled buildings would be even more of a longshot than it already is.

Metropolitan Building - If it were demolished, the remaining site would be so unattractive that I don't think it would ever be developed. The area surrounding the intersection of john r and farmer would be a cluster of parking lots for the foreseeable future.

Hotel Eddsytone & harborlight - One [[two i guess, i'm counting them together) of only a few buildings in that area that aren't burnt out victorian shells, cinder block boxes, or empty fields. I think they're essential for a successful urban arena district.

United Artists - tbh the facade is in such bad shape that even if it were renovated I don't think it would look very good, but because of its size and location, if it were demolished it would leave a big hole that would be hard to fill back up.

I didn't include David Stott because it has such a small street frontage and such a small floor area that renovating it wouldn't have as much of an impact or be as strategic as the others. I didn't include MCS because of its isolated location and because the building isn't actually very big and wouldn't add many residents.

**DetroitPlanner** · August-23-13, 02:40 PM

You can argue that all of these buildings are unimportant. They are not being used. There is demand to use any of them right now.

Instead of looking at just the building, look at the market forces that keep them from being used. You won't get anyone to redevelop any of these until you can prove there is a market for them.

**Detroitnerd** · August-23-13, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

You can argue that all of these buildings are unimportant. They are not being used. There is demand to use any of them right now.

Instead of looking at just the building, look at the market forces that keep them from being used. You won't get anyone to redevelop any of these until you can prove there is a market for them.

Intellectual exercise? Meet buzzkill.

**mwilbert** · August-23-13, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

You can argue that all of these buildings are unimportant. They are not being used. There is demand to use any of them right now.

Instead of looking at just the building, look at the market forces that keep them from being used. You won't get anyone to redevelop any of these until you can prove there is a market for them.

I'm pretty sure the idea of importance is broader than that. The Washington Monument doesn't do anything useful, but it is architecturally important to Washington D.C. The Eiffel Tower is pretty useless too.

Perhaps the question should be rephrased: Given that we know that all development in downtown has to be subsidized in one way or another, which buildings would be the best candidates for subsidized redevelopment and why? Personally, I would choose redevelopment of the Book Tower into residences because of the visibility of the Tower and because it is such an unusual building, but the argument for doing the buildings around Capitol Park is pretty strong too.

**DetroitPlanner** · August-23-13, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by mwilbert

I'm pretty sure the idea of importance is broader than that. The Washington Monument doesn't do anything useful, but it is architecturally important to Washington D.C. The Eiffel Tower is pretty useless too.

The Washington Monument and Eiffel Tower do exactly what they were built to do. To say they are useless is not to understand why they were built.

It could be argued that both of these buildings are attractions in cities full of attractions. They are both iconic and people come from all over the world to go up into them. Now it could be argued that they do not do much for the local economy, but it gives tourists an extra couple of hours of activity which will lead to either a another meal or a night stay in a hotel [[which in turns employs people). Now they may not do much but could you imagine Paris or Washington without them?

**Richard** · August-23-13, 05:21 PM

Packard Plant
Fisher body 21

Already plenty of housing,city needs jobs and influx of new residents.

**mwilbert** · August-23-13, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

The Washington Monument and Eiffel Tower do exactly what they were built to do. To say they are useless is not to understand why they were built.

It could be argued that both of these buildings are attractions in cities full of attractions. They are both iconic and people come from all over the world to go up into them. Now it could be argued that they do not do much for the local economy, but it gives tourists an extra couple of hours of activity which will lead to either a another meal or a night stay in a hotel [[which in turns employs people). Now they may not do much but could you imagine Paris or Washington without them?

I really don't agree that either was built nor is maintained on the basis of utility, but our interpretation of that term may differ. Perhaps a question you would like better is which buildings can you not imagine Detroit without?

**rb336** · August-23-13, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by Jason

United Artists - tbh the facade is in such bad shape that even if it were renovated I don't think it would look very good, but because of its size and location, if it were demolished it would leave a big hole that would be hard to fill back up.

The importance of the United Artists theater is not its facade, it's the acoustics. Were it to be restored, Detroit would have three of the most acoustically excellent venues in the country

**p69rrh51** · August-24-13, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

The Washington Monument and Eiffel Tower do exactly what they were built to do. To say they are useless is not to understand why they were built.

It could be argued that both of these buildings are attractions in cities full of attractions. They are both iconic and people come from all over the world to go up into them. Now it could be argued that they do not do much for the local economy, but it gives tourists an extra couple of hours of activity which will lead to either a another meal or a night stay in a hotel [[which in turns employs people). Now they may not do much but could you imagine Paris or Washington without them?

mwilbert is partially correct. The Eiffel Tower when built for 1889 Exposition Universelle only had a permit to stand 20 years. In fact as part of the design the tower was to be easy to disassemble. In 1909 when the tower was to be razed radio saved the day, and of course over time the tower became the symbol of Paris.

**wolverine** · August-24-13, 01:48 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

You can argue that all of these buildings are unimportant. They are not being used. There is demand to use any of them right now.

Instead of looking at just the building, look at the market forces that keep them from being used. You won't get anyone to redevelop any of these until you can prove there is a market for them.

Actually renovations have pretty much been the only type of construction going on in Detroit. The Broderick, Fort Shelby, and Book Cadillac were some flagship renovations that converted...not vacant... but Abandoned properties into something quite magnificent.

A recent report showing highrise construction [[anything over 18 floors) showed many cities in North America constructing buildings in the past 10 years. Detroit built nothing. But a footnote did note that Detroit had done quite a bit of work rehabbing taller structures. That's really a big deal and proves that getting empty buildings back in service is a much better development decision than building from scratch.....probably because there is so much government grants and public assistance for doing so.

**Gistok** · August-24-13, 03:19 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

The importance of the United Artists theater is not its facade, it's the acoustics. Were it to be restored, Detroit would have three of the most acoustically excellent venues in the country

Agreed. The building outer shell is such a hodgepodge of many factors... the first 5 floors were modernized in the late 1950s, removing the terra cotta ornament, the SW side [[receives the most sun) has weathered very poorly from the thaw/freeze cycle that showered the streets with bricks back in 1980s... and the NE side was a blank wall until windows were installed in the 1930s or 1940s. And that side doesn't match the others either. So this building exterior is really a blank canvas for future development.

Another important building is the Fine Arts Building facade [[entry building to former Adams Theatre). Something needs to be built behind that facade as part of Ilitch's arena plans.

**313WX** · August-24-13, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by wolverine

A recent report showing highrise construction [[anything over 18 floors) showed many cities in North America constructing buildings in the past 10 years. Detroit built nothing.

Not even Greektown Casino Hotel [[30 floors and 21st tallest building in the city) counts?

Motor City Casino Hotel fell JUST below your threshold at 17 stories.

**wolverine** · August-24-13, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Not even Greektown Casino Hotel [[30 floors and 21st tallest building in the city) counts?

Motor City Casino Hotel fell JUST below your threshold at 17 stories.

It was just office and residential constructions only.

**313WX** · August-24-13, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by wolverine

It was just office and residential constructions only.

Yeah, that's not really a fair measure then.

A highrise is still a highrise for all practical intents and purposes. It's capital being injected into the city and it does have an effect, even if only a marginal one, on the skyline.

**daveyarm** · August-24-13, 12:56 PM

There have been several comments along the lines of "no demand", and "plenty of housing". Obviously, the writers of those comments haven't been shopping recently for downtown housing – – – because essentially there is none! As fast as a building rehabs, it fills up immediately. The estimate is that downtown residential occupancy is around 95%. So, obviously, there is a need and a demand. Personally, I favor the Book Building.

**Spartan** · August-24-13, 01:53 PM

Book Building has to be #1, due to its presence in the skyline and huge amount of street frontage. I'd put MCS near the top as well, because it's one of the first things you see coming downtown. Its location is still a bit remote, but it is close to Corktown and Mexicantown, so I think the plausibility test passes. Along the same note, although it is not redevelopment necessarily, the Brewster-Douglas needs to be fixed. There are only a few truly prominent structures that are still empty, and I think those 3 are right up there.