"City Slicker" Parking Garage Sold

[EastsideAl]

That News story was terribly written. According to the Crain's story, Gilbert already had deals in the works to buy the Bates parking garage and the National Theater, and has now bought the Sachs Waldman buildings through a proxy, which seems to give him every standing building on the block.

[downtownguy]

I can't open this subscriber link. Who owns it?

Also on the block is the National Theater, a historic structure owned by Phoenix Group LLC, a company controlled by developer Melvin Washington.

............

[Eber Brock Ward]

Not to derail, but is Phoenix group/Washington still located in the old cop shop at Rosa Parks and Grand River?

They are the owner of record for a property that I'm interested in and that is subject to tax foreclosure this upcoming year. Maybe he/his team would make a deal with me.

[EastsideAl]

I wonder how much Melvin had to pay Monica to get a hold of the National?

I also wonder how that Whittier thing is going...

[kenp]

Also on the block is the National Theater, a historic structure owned by Phoenix Group LLC, a company controlled by developer Melvin Washington.
-crains

Intersting

[Gistok]

If Dan Gilbert bought the National... I could see several scenarios for the theatre... which has much of the interior plastwork gone from years of rain getting in thru the roof [[in worse shape than the United Artists)...

1) complete theatre restoration, very expensive due to the re-creating of plaster molds from scratch from historic images.
2) theatre restoration using casts of other theatres ornate plasterwork... also expensive.
3) theatre renovation with a much tamer modernized interior.
4) razing the auditorium and only keeping the facade, towers and Pewabic Pottery storm lobby... using this as the centerpiece entranceway of a new complex, that would perhaps taking up the whole block.

[detroitbob]

If Dan Gilbert bought the National... I could see several scenarios for the theatre... using this as the centerpiece entranceway of a new complex, that would perhaps taking up the whole block.

Although I would love to see the auditorium restored, would a refitted theatre venue be viable...the balcony rise would have to be reconstructed to allow for wider and deeper seating and this would be prohibitively expensive but with the addition of new buildings the access to the balcony could be accomplished like Orchestra Hall---would it be possible to entice another film theater concept or small stage productions, recitals, etc? It will be interresting. Seeing a restored illuminated facade would be wonderful...the whole package would be nice but...