Parc Lafayette Condominiums

[DCSMITH]

I've been looking all over for info on Parc Lafayette. I'm interested in a property there. I just did a drive-by/walk-around yesterday. Looks pretty dilapidated. What's the story there?

Anyone live there or know anyone who has?

[animatedmartian]

This might shed some information. Apparently, there's high association fees.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...bling.php#more

[DCSMITH]

This might shed some information. Apparently, there's high association fees.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...bling.php#more

Thanks! I did see this article, actually. It's one of the few pieces of info I could get from a Google search. Doesn't sound promising - especially some of the info in the comments.


I'd love to hear from someone who lives there.

[poobert]

Typical throughout Detroit. Slumlord [[often from the suburbs or even other countries nowadays) buys properties in even the best neighborhoods, does no maintenance or upkeep, and attracts only shitbags. Shitbags scare away the decent residents, who sell to slumlords, and the neighborhood is ultimately destroyed.

What a gem this would be. How valued it would be in other cities in the country.

[DCSMITH]

That place has a TON of potential. If someone with the resources bought the whole thing and rehabbed it, people would pay a decent amount to live there. Could be the next coveted area of Lafayette Park.

Then again, it could be another Spaulding Court.

[DetroitPlanner]

This place looks as dreary as a Soviet housing complex. Minimalist architecture + disrepair + poor landscaping = yuck. Too bad it is not as well kept as some of the other condos in the area.

[Gistok]

This place looks as dreary as a Soviet housing complex. Minimalist architecture + disrepair + poor landscaping = yuck. Too bad it is not as well kept as some of the other condos in the area.

Hehehe... everytime I take a tour bus full of Germans on an all day tour of Detroit, we pass by Lafayette Park, and there is always zero interest from any of them in this "European" architecture. When I asked one group leader about this her reply was... "these same architects built colorless bland versions of this all over Europe, which we have to look at every day!"

[Gistok]

This place looks as dreary as a Soviet housing complex. Minimalist architecture + disrepair + poor landscaping = yuck. Too bad it is not as well kept as some of the other condos in the area.

Hehehe... everytime I take a tour bus full of Germans on an all day tour of Detroit, we pass by Lafayette Park, and there is always zero interest from any of them in this "Miesian" architecture. When I asked one group leader about this her reply was... "modern architects built colorless bland versions of this all over Europe, which we have to look at every day!"

[jaytheory]

Hehehe... everytime I take a tour bus full of Germans on an all day tour of Detroit, we pass by Lafayette Park, and there is always zero interest from any of them in this "Miesian" architecture. When I asked one group leader about this her reply was... "modern architects built colorless bland versions of this all over Europe, which we have to look at every day!"

its unique here becasue mmost of our stuff is 1920s or before, unless u get out to the neighborhoods were its 30's and 40's tract homes

[downtownguy]

I used to know folks that lived there years ago and they were quite pleased. Not too sure about recently. I think it was an older population, so it's possible that they are not getting the same brand of young folk moving in to replace them.

That said, give a call to Vasileff Realty. They handle a lot of properties in the Lafayette Park area. I think they would give you a fair assessment on Parc Lafayette as well as some alternatives.

http://www.vasileffrealtydetroit.com/

[Canthisbe]

Here are 5 units for sale - with pics and some links to Youtube tours.

http://www.movoto.com/detroit-mi/way...arc-lafayette/

[DCSMITH]

Here are 5 units for sale - with pics and some links to Youtube tours.

http://www.movoto.com/detroit-mi/way...arc-lafayette/

Meeting a realtor there to get the scoop tomorrow.

[7miledog]

I second your assessment. If not dreary Soviet, at best they are a Spartan Village knock off.

This place looks as dreary as a Soviet housing complex. Minimalist architecture + disrepair + poor landscaping = yuck. Too bad it is not as well kept as some of the other condos in the area.

[Neilr]

I don't live there; but I do have some familiarity with Parc Lafayette. When it was built, as Regency Square, [[1966, Green & Savin, Architects) it was a glamorous place to live. Among the early residents were Stevie Wonder [[back when he was Little Stevie Wonder) and several members of the Motown composing team, Holland, Dozier, and Holland. The midrise units were rather plain but the lowrise units were exciting - many with 3 bedrooms over two levels. Some with balconies overlooking a 2-story living room. Others had roof decks. All had either an enclosed patio on the lowest level or terraces or balconies on the upper levels.

There is no standard floor plan for the low rise units; but here's an example of a duplex unit.

That place has a TON of potential. If someone with the resources bought the whole thing and rehabbed it, people would pay a decent amount to live there. Could be the next coveted area of Lafayette Park. Notice that the lower level had direct access to it's own garage.

Then again, it could be another Spaulding Court.

I believe you've hit the nail on the head. Some severe structural problems and years of deferred maintenance have led to its present state. As conditions worsened many condo owners just left because they couldn't sell or they turned their places into rental units. The problems inside individual units can be dealt with by individual owners; but the complex-wide issues would require, IMO, a real commitment and more money than the current residents seem to have.

[Huggybear]

Hehehe... everytime I take a tour bus full of Germans on an all day tour of Detroit, we pass by Lafayette Park, and there is always zero interest from any of them in this "Miesian" architecture. When I asked one group leader about this her reply was... "modern architects built colorless bland versions of this all over Europe, which we have to look at every day!"

Tom Wolfe wrote a great book about how postwar Americans worshipped the "White Gods" of European modernism [[Mies, Le Corbusier, Gropius, etc.) for fear of looking silly. In Europe, bauhaus modern took off because it was cheap and easy to construct. The grass is always greener.

HB

[Huggybear]

A lot of people have been looking at Parc Lafayette - people for whom neither the buy-in nor the monthly would raise an eyebrow. And it doesn't have any structural problems that can't be solved with an assessment in the five digits.

The problem is really different. It wouldn't be hard to buy enough units to dominate the condo association board - but your next step would be to foreclose on and kick out the large proportion of the residents who aren't actually paying their association fees. Most aren't renters. They're poorer seniors. When you're ready to ignite that gentrification firestorm, pipe up.

I would not get my hopes up about any ownership or co-op housing in Lafayette Park being less than $1,500 a month out of pocket - whether it be mortgages, assessments and/or co-op fees. Cherboneau might be slightly cheaper, but it's a little slice of 1960s Southfield architecture and most people are looking for something a little more mid-century.

We keep seeing this "but the association fee is so high" on Dyes. It's hard not to read that as the reaction of an inexperienced home/condo/co-op owner.

The problem is that the costs of maintaining [[and utilities) for any 20th century residence are easily that high. Just a like a foreclosed home, the place could be worth virtually nothing - but that doesn't magically make it cheaper to maintain or heat. If you think a $600-700 fee is bad in Parc Lafayette, try a $1,000 winter heating bill in Indian Village. Attached condo fees generally include security, common area maintenance, some unit maintenance, and some utilities. Co-ops include a bit more, including pass-throgh-deductible property taxes and master mortgage interest. Co-ops also save you money on property taxes; thanks to the magic of Prop A, they have assessments that have not gone up in decades.

People's perceptions are skewed by new construction condos where they can charge $150 a month because every part of the building is still new. Believe you me, escalation happens in every complex [[I am going to look this up but am almost 100% sure that Brush Park's fees have at least doubled since construction). I can't remember whether it is Shoreline East or Detroit Towers, but one of those Gold Coast buildings has an association fee close to $2K a month.

HB

[Honky Tonk]

A lot of people have been looking at Parc Lafayette - people for whom neither the buy-in nor the monthly would raise an eyebrow. And it doesn't have any structural problems that can't be solved with an assessment in the five digits.

The problem is really different. It wouldn't be hard to buy enough units to dominate the condo association board - but your next step would be to foreclose on and kick out the large proportion of the residents who aren't actually paying their association fees. Most aren't renters. They're poorer seniors. When you're ready to ignite that gentrification firestorm, pipe up.

I would not get my hopes up about any ownership or co-op housing in Lafayette Park being less than $1,500 a month out of pocket - whether it be mortgages, assessments and/or co-op fees.

We keep seeing this "but the association fee is so high" on Dyes. It's hard not to read that as the reaction of an inexperienced home/condo/co-op owner.

The problem is that the costs of maintaining [[and utilities) for any 20th century residence are easily that high. Just a like a foreclosed home, the place could be worth virtually nothing - but that doesn't magically make it cheaper to maintain or heat. If you think a $600-700 fee is bad in Parc Lafayette, try a $1,000 winter heating bill in Indian Village. Attached condo fees generally include security, common area maintenance, some unit maintenance, and some utilities. Co-ops include a bit more, including pass-throgh-deductible property taxes and master mortgage interest. Co-ops also save you money on property taxes; thanks to the magic of Prop A, they have assessments that have not gone up in decades.

People's perceptions are skewed by new construction condos where they can charge $150 a month because every part of the building is still new. Believe you me, this happens in every complex [[I am going to look this up but am almost 100% sure that Brush Park's fees have at least doubled since construction). I can't remember whether it is Shoreline East or Detroit Towers, but one of those Gold Coast buildings has an association fee close to $2K a month.

HB

That would be Detroit Towers. However, to be fair, it's not every unit, and the ones that do charge that, you're getting almost the whole floor. However, your assessment of Parc Lafayette Condominiums, is totally correct. Those doorwalls & glass leak both cold air and hot air, so heating and cooling, especially with the past winter we've had, get pricey. When they were built in 1967, energy efficiency wasn't an issue. IF, and that's a BIG IF, you could get all the right people to occupy it, then it would be doable. However living in a place like that, is like taking 40 kids to Cedar Point, and asking "what do you want to do next?"

[DCSMITH]

I don't live there; but I do have some familiarity with Parc Lafayette. When it was built, as Regency Square, [[1966, Green & Savin, Architects) it was a glamorous place to live. Among the early residents were Stevie Wonder [[back when he was Little Stevie Wonder) and several members of the Motown composing team, Holland, Dozier, and Holland. The midrise units were rather plain but the lowrise units were exciting - many with 3 bedrooms over two levels. Some with balconies overlooking a 2-story living room. Others had roof decks. All had either an enclosed patio on the lowest level or terraces or balconies on the upper levels.

There is no standard floor plan for the low rise units; but here's an example of a duplex unit.




I believe you've hit the nail on the head. Some severe structural problems and years of deferred maintenance have led to its present state. As conditions worsened many condo owners just left because they couldn't sell or they turned their places into rental units. The problems inside individual units can be dealt with by individual owners; but the complex-wide issues would require, IMO, a real commitment and more money than the current residents seem to have.

Thanks for the insight. Where did you get those floor plan images?

[gthomas]

I use to live there, great potential. Slum landlords, poor maintenance and management has put on toll on this once beautiful place. Would move back once renovated "properly".

[poobert]

Can someone tell me why it has been continually acceptable for Detroit to be the older brother with a learning disability of American cities?

So as a hardworking American who lives in a modest 3-bedroom home I've been ticketed by the City of Detroit for front steps in disrepair. As a dutiful citizen, I repaired them. So what's going on with BSEE and whoever owns this rotting shithole? Where is the enforcement there? I can tell you my two front porch steps weren't nearly as bad as that fucking shitshow.

One could easily allow seniors and decent section 8'ers to have some sort of rent control, evict the shitbags, impose market rate rental rates and association fees on new tenants, and have rehabed the place with minimal capital. Should be simple, right? No.

Okay, so, instead, we're going to let some fuckhead slumlords run this place into the ground until the last senior moves out or dies, and then torch it ala everything else.

In any other functioning American city this would not happen. Sadly we have investors and politicians who are fucked in the head. After all, we're the state of Michissippi which is forgoing a comprehensive budgetary overhaul of road repairs because everything is just fine as it is...need I say more...

[Neilr]

Here's a 2 part scan of an article from the Free Press, March 1, 1980, written about the time when the development was converted from rental apartments to condominiums. The picture gives a nice view of some balconies, a roof deck, and a corner of the east end of the courtyard. The edge of the six story mid-rise building is on the right side of the picture.

Notice the deep planter boxes which edged the units all around the courtyard. They created a nice separation of the private space next to the windows and the public area around the courtyard. As the maintenance of Parc Lafayette declined, the planters started to bulge. Parc Lafayette's "fix' was to band them with thin metal straps which, not surprisingly, did not save them. They were then removed.

[Canthisbe]

Not a big fan of Modernism architecture but some Bauhaus / Gropius work is quite interesting - see Fagus Werk -https://www.google.com/search?q=Fagus+Shoe+Factory+bauhaus&espv=210&es_sm =93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ZQ8eU57NFui fyQGNloDACQ&ved=0CDMQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=813

[Canthisbe]

I am a construction and real estate attorney and real estate broker. I am going to gather additional information about Parc Lafayette Condos and will post it here. I think there are some interesting ideas posted here about turning the Parc Lafayette Condos around. Maybe we can collaborate to make something happen versus write about it.

[Honky Tonk]

I am a construction and real estate attorney and real estate broker. I am going to gather additional information about Parc Lafayette Condos and will post it here. I think there are some interesting ideas posted here about turning the Parc Lafayette Condos around. Maybe we can collaborate to make something happen versus write about it.

You must be a very good attorney. What a polite way to say "put your money where your mouth is".

[DCSMITH]

I am a construction and real estate attorney and real estate broker. I am going to gather additional information about Parc Lafayette Condos and will post it here. I think there are some interesting ideas posted here about turning the Parc Lafayette Condos around. Maybe we can collaborate to make something happen versus write about it.

I'm really looking forward to hearing about what you learn.

A realtor showed me one of the units last weekend. I loved the layout and the interior only needed minimal rehab. My only hesitation lies in the fact that the HOA fees are $600+, yet the place is crumbling - likely due to the fact that the place is only 60% occupied and some of those residents are not paying [[because the place is crumbling, etc).

The realtor told me that the former association manager was fired for mismanagement, and that the new manager they brought in almost immediately "got sick" and hasn't been around.

I'd be willing to move there and rehab a unit, since there's potential for improvement IF the place is in the right hands. However, there seems to be just as much a possibility that the place could continue to crumble into nothing.