"...God Did It"? - East Grand Blvd. Methodist Church

**Lowell** · August-08-09, 06:28 PM

Announcing the latest DetroitYES Webisode...
East Grand Blvd. Methodist Church
>>> Click Here to Tour. <<<

With the new message board system running and largely debugged, I am happy to get back to more enjoyable activities. Enjoy.

Retroit · August-08-09, 06:46 PM

It's sad that this beautiful building sits rotting while new churches are being built on the outer edges of suburbia.

If only the devil hadn't undone what God Did.

**stasu1213** · August-08-09, 07:19 PM

It is greed and selfishness that causes Pastors to want to build a multimillion dollar church in the suburbs.

**mwilbert** · August-08-09, 07:34 PM

Does someone here know who owns this building?

crawford · August-08-09, 08:44 PM

Why don't one of those rip-off reverends on the fringes of the city and in the burbs renovate these churches?

Probably too far from their holy crash pads in Bloomfield, and no room for the blessed Escalades to park.

**jbd441** · August-08-09, 09:57 PM

Sheech, whole lot of judging going on here. I don't think God cares if a person worships in a huge church or someone's basement. Big beautiful church buildings are for a congregation's benefit not God's.

**Lowell** · August-08-09, 11:04 PM

**1KielsonDrive** · August-08-09, 11:58 PM

The one photo showing the entire balcony surrounding the altar and floor looks like it would be a fabulous concert venue. Much like the old Chances Are in A2. It's not quite as tall as 'Chances' but about the same area. At 'Chances' you'd look right down on top of the performers, ie; Luther Allison. Buildings like this one make you want to cry. As much as I love Lowell's photo postings, I think I've seen my fill of this shit during my life.

**reddog289** · August-09-09, 12:52 AM

It is sad to see buildings rot like that, especially churches not that I attend regularly But having grown up in a church going household with my parents being active inthe church I can say that it must be sad for the former members of that church to see it in such a state.I myself do not know what would be a better situation a rotting chuch/building/stadium or a vacant field?

**RickBeall** · August-09-09, 01:09 AM

It is sad to see such a majestic building left to rot. So beautiful on the outside still.

detroitjim · August-09-09, 09:20 AM

add it to the list!

Here's some more.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=479_1249774626

**jerrytimes** · August-09-09, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

It is greed and selfishness that causes Pastors to want to build a multimillion dollar church in the suburbs.

Typical foolish statment. The reason beautiful churches like this rot is because people don't live in the city anymore, not because greedy pastors build churches is the suburbs. Why are you making comments about the suburbs anyway. The fact that this church is in disarray has nothing to do with that. People have moved our of the city and less people practice their faith. Simple as that.

**Ray1936** · August-09-09, 11:28 AM

Add to that, "follow the money", and you've nailed it, Jerrytimes.

Blarf · August-09-09, 01:09 PM

It's a good thing I realize what a joke organized religion is, otherwise I might see this as more than any other rotting building in the city.

**RickBeall** · August-09-09, 08:51 PM

jerrytimes wrote:
>>People have moved our of the city and less people practice their faith. Simple as that.

And it's not "follow the money", it's follow the people. :Preachers go to where there are people.

**Chub** · August-10-09, 01:05 PM

and people go where there is money.

**missn** · August-10-09, 02:30 PM

Like many Mainline Protestant Churches, the neighborhood changed, but the church did not. At first, people probably came back
from the suburbs, but eventually they would find churches closer to home.

Many churches followed their parishioners out to the suburbs. Those that didn't, and that did not reach out to their new neighbors for members, sold out, or sit decaying.

**jerrytimes** · August-11-09, 02:50 AM

Originally Posted by Chub

and people go where there is money.

We get it. Obviously they go where there is more money. Without money the church would fail because there wouldn't be money to pay the bills. Churches have tons of bill too.

**Alfie1a** · August-11-09, 10:19 AM

The pic inside the gym shows what quite possibly could be the very last remaining basketball hoop in the city that still has a net attached. Sure hope no one finds out.

Great pics, Lowell, of yet another glorious bit of Detroit history.

**jt1** · August-11-09, 12:58 PM

I'm curious who owns the many vacant large churches in the city. My guess is that the church walked away from them but nobody criticizes the church for allowing their buildings to rot. Had Higgins or Ilitch owned this place people would be up in arms [[rightfully so). So why does the church [[collectively speaking of all denominations) get a pass when they chose to walk away from their properties.

**missn** · August-11-09, 01:22 PM

United Methodist Churches are owned by the Annual Conference in which the church is located, in this case, the Detroit Annual Conference, a geographic unit encompassing the eastern part of theLower Peninsula. Annual Conferences, named for the historical conferences from which Circuit Riders received their assignments, are under the administration of a Bishop and are similar to a diocese.

stinkbug · August-11-09, 07:57 PM

The problem isn't so much the church itself, or it being a church, or even the white flight. The problem is our loss as a society for aesthetically pleasing surroundings.
Detroit church:
http://www.detroit1701.org/Graphics/SweetestHeart.JPG

suburban church:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2545/...a9ebe5.jpg?v=0

suburban office
http://www.thelawshow.com/about/pix/...e_building.jpg

Detroit office:
http://www.detroitoffice.org/images/buhl_main_2.jpg

At some point, with the rise of the automobile, we started flying by so fast and never walking that we started to stop giving a shit about our built environment. We let architectural and cultural marvels fall to ruin and threw up drywall and green glass and threw down sod.
Thriving civilizations have always strove to build the grandest, most innovative structures. We don't.

**n7hn** · August-13-09, 10:53 AM

buy and save your own......there are several real estate site dedicated to churches. Heres one.

http://www.churchrealestatesales.com/index.html

Most in nice shape....... best are $300,000 or more, but seen some nice ones go for $170,000. Most can easily be rezoned .