State Savings Bank Neglect [UPDATE: Gilbert buys State Savings Bank]

[MSUguy]

UPDATE: Gilbert buys State Savings Bank building; Detroit Car Museum a possibility

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You may remember the owner of the Penobscot Building sought to have the building demolished for parking and was denied. Well, it looks he's trying to take a back handed route to get rid of it by treating it like the Silverdome which he also owns

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

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

[stinkytofu]

Arapoopalus or whatever his name is is such trash. Guy is just a disaster.

Is there anything the city gov't can do on this front?

[animatedmartian]

Arapoopalus or whatever his name is is such trash. Guy is just a disaster.

Is there anything the city gov't can do on this front?

The city can do the same thing it does with every other landowner and sue them. It's probably going to be a while before the city can actually seize it.

[cosine]

Where is Dan Gilbert when we need him. This building needs to be saved!

[SpartanDawg]

Where is Dan Gilbert when we need him. This building needs to be saved!

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...t-car-museum-a

There's Dan Gilbert!

HUGE NEWS.

"Gilbert buys State Savings Bank building; Detroit Car Museum a possibility"


Highlights of the article:

"But Stan Finsilver, executive vice president of Farmington Hills-based Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions LLC, told me Saturday afternoon that Bedrock purchased the vacant building with the intent for him to open the Detroit Car Museum there."

"If a fenced, guarded parking solution for 200-400 vehicles can’t be found, Finsilver will look elsewhere in the city – perhaps in Midtown along Woodward Avenue – for the museum."

If the museum doesn't go in the state savings building it'll go in midtown!! this is amazing news.

[Gistok]

Wow Wow Wow....

Great news indeed!! For whatever purpose they find for it....

[animatedmartian]

I'm not so much happy Gilbert bought another building [[I mean he's pretty much a collector at this point), but thank the loooord he bought this one.

I like the idea of a car museum. Ironic considering the building's apparent fate before this sale. I hope at least Apop's site for a parking garage is already a parking lot.

[ismoakrack]

I know it's too far off the beaten path, but it would be perfect for an Apple Store!

[Gistok]

I know it's too far off the beaten path, but it would be perfect for an Apple Store!

No it wouldn't.... there's enough room in that 3 story building for about 6-8 Apple Stores...

[iheartthed]

No it wouldn't.... there's enough room in that 3 story building for about 6-8 Apple Stores...

How big is it? Apple's urban stores tend to have pretty large footprints. I think the one in NYC's SoHo was converted from either a bank or church.

[WPitonya]

How big is it? Apple's urban stores tend to have pretty large footprints. I think the one in NYC's SoHo was converted from either a bank or church.

The one in SoHo was an old Post Office; still, it's not that big...I would say it's about a quarter the size of the State Savings Bank. I believe an Apple store should be on Woodward with more visibility; the ground floor of 1001 Woodward would be perfect IMHO.

[MAcc]

I know it's too far off the beaten path, but it would be perfect for an Apple Store!

Yes, a city with a 15% unemployment rate [[probably closer to 30%), 67% poverty rate and 80% on EBT calls for an Apply store. Why not Hermes, too. People are so obsessed with bullshit window dressing in Detroit. Try actually improving the city instead of being seized with pretending.

[Danny]

Yay Gilbert!

[Danny]

Yes, a city with a 15% unemployment rate [[probably closer to 30%), 67% poverty rate and 80% on EBT calls for an Apply store. Why not Hermes, too. People are so obsessed with bullshit window dressing in Detroit. Try actually improving the city instead of being seized with pretending.

Well corporate folks like Dan Gilbert is seizing Giberttown [[ Downtown) Detroit buildings for prime development opportunities. I'm glad Mr. Gilbert purchase the Historic State Savings Bank Building. It will not be the demolition list but became a museum attraction.

[stinkytofu]

Yes, a city with a 15% unemployment rate [[probably closer to 30%), 67% poverty rate and 80% on EBT calls for an Apply store. Why not Hermes, too. People are so obsessed with bullshit window dressing in Detroit. Try actually improving the city instead of being seized with pretending.

So this is bad news to you...OK....what? Rehabbing this building is good for the city and doesn't lessen the potential to improve other parts. If anything, it improves the image and therefore might lead to more positive benefits long term for everyone. It's also all private money most likely so it isn't drawing from public resources.

As the great philosopher Taylor Swift once stated...haters gonna hate, hate, hate...

[bailey]

Yes, a city with a 15% unemployment rate [[probably closer to 30%), 67% poverty rate and 80% on EBT calls for an Apply store. Why not Hermes, too. People are so obsessed with bullshit window dressing in Detroit. Try actually improving the city instead of being seized with pretending.

Well, if you'd open your eyes and look around downtown any given afternoon you'd see an insane amount of apple tech attached to those walking around. And if you spend any time at an Apple store in the burbs, you're going to see an awful lot of Detroit customers. Seems to me opening up a retail establishment that sells that insanely expensive and popular stuff AND doing it in a building that the city has allowed to become a blighted building AND capturing the tax revenue from that store's operation AND having to hire a ton of people to work in the place AND benefiting from increased chances of more retail to locate nearby [[and hire more people) would have the potential to ACTUALLY improve the city.

[Gistok]

Yes, a city with a 15% unemployment rate [[probably closer to 30%), 67% poverty rate and 80% on EBT calls for an Apply store. Why not Hermes, too. People are so obsessed with bullshit window dressing in Detroit. Try actually improving the city instead of being seized with pretending.

Huh??

Are you sure you're on the right thread?? We're talking new uses for an old architectural treasures... not what ails the city and how to fix it....

[401don]

What type of car museum is he looking to open and rough guess how many cars the building could hold?

[Gistok]

This is a very rough guess... I hadn't been there in many years... but my guess is that the main floor and lower level [[accessed from the back lower entrance) could probably hold 20-25 cars each?? The smaller upper [[mezzanine) level may not be suitable for exhibition space, and would likely hold offices.

[Gistok]

This image doesn't do justice to the sumptuous interior of the former main banking floor of the building....

[tkelly1986]

I may be in the minority here, but I think an auto museum should be tied in with the new arena development on Woodward. The State Bank site would be an awesome call center, but seems a bit too far off the beaten path.

Something by the arena that looks like an Albert Kahn designed structure would be cool.

[stinkytofu]

I may be in the minority here, but I think an auto museum should be tied in with the new arena development on Woodward. The State Bank site would be an awesome call center, but seems a bit too far off the beaten path.

Something by the arena that looks like an Albert Kahn designed structure would be cool.

Eh, if it is a car museum it seems like having it in an actual historic building would be a lot better than in a new building meant to look old. Maybe if they geared the museum to be more cutting edge than that would make sense.

I don't actually think that's a great place for a museum. It's kind of small not sure of the location. Gilbert spoke a few years ago of some super cool museum/experience downtown that shows off not just our auto heritage, but also how we lead the industry today. Think a new building would be best for that.

Nonetheless, I am incredibly pleased this building is in Gilbert's hands. This made my weekend we I heard the news.

[Spartan]

Eh, if it is a car museum it seems like having it in an actual historic building would be a lot better than in a new building meant to look old. Maybe if they geared the museum to be more cutting edge than that would make sense.

I don't actually think that's a great place for a museum. It's kind of small not sure of the location. Gilbert spoke a few years ago of some super cool museum/experience downtown that shows off not just our auto heritage, but also how we lead the industry today. Think a new building would be best for that.

Nonetheless, I am incredibly pleased this building is in Gilbert's hands. This made my weekend we I heard the news.

I think it's a great location. It's fairly close to Campus Martius, to the people mover, Cobo and a good amount of hotels, but in a bit of a "dead zone" for foot traffic. This is something that could help draw people to the area and help extend some of the activity to the west. Not sure about the size, but I think the location is good. The new building comment is an interesting point, however. We don't want to build up the narrative that Detroit is a has-been in the auto industry. It is a good building for a "heritage" museum, but I wonder if that's ideal.

[buckster1986]

I parked near the building this past weekend for the Lions game. This area needs more to increase the foot traffic. After the Wings move this part of downtown will be much more quiet besides for events at Cobo.

If only the Free Press Building renovations were under way...

[stinkytofu]

I parked near the building this past weekend for the Lions game. This area needs more to increase the foot traffic. After the Wings move this part of downtown will be much more quiet besides for events at Cobo.

If only the Free Press Building renovations were under way...

Might as well throw this in here...

I think we should have a museum dedicated to Detroit's awesome musical heritage. The Motown Museum is great, but how do visitors know that greats such as The White Stripes, Eminem, Madonna, Kid Rock, Techno, Rodriguez, Alice Cooper, etc. came from our area?