Wind blowing Steel Panels off Wayne County Building at 415 Clifford

[Lowell]

Beware if you are in the area. A large steel cladding panel has just been blown off the 10th story facade of the vacant Wayne County Building at 415 Clifford [Corner of Bagley and Clifford] and crashed to the sidewalk below. Fortunately no one was there.

Two other panels are dangling and swinging loose in the gusty winds. Police have been informed at 4:30 but no one has yet arrived.

[Lowell]

Bang! 3 more panels hit the sidewalk just as police arrive.



Interesting brickwork revealed...

[DetroitPlanner]

Wayne County DPS used to be in there.

[Gistok]

Thanks Lowell... so there may be some historic beauty under that hideous skin...

[EastsideAl]

Interesting brickwork revealed...

It was a pretty nice looking building back when it was the hq of Michigan Consolidated Gas. Before Wayne County got a hold of it and "modernized" it by covering it in cheap [[and apparently dangerous) crap.


Built 1918 as Detroit City Gas Co. Building.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Damn scrappers! They're enlisting the wind to help them!

[Gistok]

Something tells me that the wonderful cornice atop the building was removed long before the "modernized" skin was added...

[EastsideAl]

Something tells me that the wonderful cornice atop the building was removed long before the "modernized" skin was added...

Yes. like so many Detroit buildings, it seems to have been removed some time in the late '50s.

[animatedmartian]

Oh wow, never knew that was a historical building. Maybe the wind is trying to tell us something, hmm...

[Hypestyles]

yeesh.. Ficano needs to make a public statement. Is this building up for sale yet? No buyers? could this be turned into apartments?

[Gistok]

Hehehe... I just found out it went on the market 3 weeks ago...

The inside at least is in good condition... asking price... $3 million. Although it was built in 1918... not 1939 as stated in the sellers listing.

http://www.costar.com/costarconnect/...kSum=696216474

[wolverine]

I had heard there was an older facade beneath that building. Would be nice if that ugly cladding was taken off. Appears it just wasn't meant to be if it's falling off!

[Lowell]

I'm doing my math on the pictures above. It appears that there was a panel that fell previously. In the detail showing the brick work, five pieces are missing.

The top picture was taken after we heard one crash to the sidewalk. 2 pieces are dangling. When they fell they pulled a 3rd piece with them. 1+3=4. Where is the 5th?

[Gistok]

Here's a write-up on the history of the building, as well as images of the original building, the 1958 removal of the cornice, and the 1965 addition of the modern facade.... [[scroll down 1 page)...

http://detroithistorical.wordpress.com/page/4/

[Lowell]

Good write up. Thanks Gistok. Too bad they didn't keep the exterior but I don't mind the lobby renovation that occurred with the steel cladding. Nice and open with mirrors on columns diminishing their interference.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

A recent Crains article on that includes the listing of 415 Clifford for sale:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...mps-be-strong#

[rooms222]

Hehehe... I just found out it went on the market 3 weeks ago... The inside at least is in good condition... asking price... $3 million. Although it was built in 1918... not 1939 as stated in the sellers listing.http://www.costar.com/costarconnect/...kSum=696216474

Thanks for the link. It was more disturbing to see on there that Stanley's Other Place is up for sale for $600,000, principally as a tear-down.....