Lafayette Building Demolition

[EastSider]

Based on your arcane, needlessly complicated posts, you have just about as much experience at this sort of thing as a doorknob- and are about as intelligent. Why should anyone buy it?

You may as well be describing yourself, since you take delight in mischaracterizing my points with erroneous "facts" as you call them, layering on nonsense so as to hide your lack of knowing what the hell you're talking about.

And as for your "position of knowledge" refer to your "GFY" to figure out what that position should be.

Yes, PQZ, how dare you supply those facts and figures and specific examples in your posts! They simply complicate things and make Lorax feel like he doesn't really know what he's trying to talk about. Do you know how hard it is just to try and appear like he has some kind of knowledge about Detroit when he's WRITING FROM A THOUSAND MILES AWAY?! And then you want him to talk about facts?!

That is unfair and just MEAN!!!!! Mean, mean, mean! Meanie!

Lorax, you should just stop now. You are making Retard Murray on the school board look like a member of Mensa. Maybe his posts are "needlessly complicated" because Detroit is a fucked up, mismanaged, corrupt city from top to bottom, and trying to do anything here is complicated beyond belief.

[Bearinabox]

Yes, PQZ, how dare you supply those facts and figures and specific examples in your posts! They simply complicate things and make Lorax feel like he doesn't really know what he's trying to talk about. Do you know how hard it is just to try and appear like he has some kind of knowledge about Detroit when he's WRITING FROM A THOUSAND MILES AWAY?! And then you want him to talk about facts?!

That is unfair and just MEAN!!!!! Mean, mean, mean! Meanie!

Lorax, you should just stop now. You are making Retard Murray on the school board look like a member of Mensa. Maybe his posts are "needlessly complicated" because Detroit is a fucked up, mismanaged, corrupt city from top to bottom, and trying to do anything here is complicated beyond belief.

Sometimes these threads need a healthy infusion of truth. This post fits the bill quite nicely.

[ndavies]

What is so amazing about this post is the number of apologists for the City of Detroit, and it's failure to do it's part in preserving buildings on the city's dead buildings list.

What they should be doing is quickly reselling them to get them off the rolls, and failing that, mothballing them when they are still in decent condition.

Enforcing laws on the books would be a start. Hauling building owners into court for allowing buildings that present a public safety hazard, and writing citations. How difficult is this? Every city in America does it, why is Detroit the only city whose downtown is allowed to fester like this?

Enough with the excuses.

No, it's apathy on the part of the city, and a desire to get theses buildings under their control, so cronyism can take over, first the stripping, then the demolition contract kickbacks to either the DEGC or other officials who only see these buildlings as having value as it relates to their eventual demolition.

This is why Detroit looks the way it does, and until the politics change, and the city inspectors are coerced into doing their jobs, as they do in every other city in America, nothing will change.

It's so easy for the rest of you to quote chapter and verse on "how things are", well, it's not woking so well, is it? Why not direct some of your energies into changing the reasons why the system is allowed to operate in this fashion rather than telling me "how things are". I know how things are, and I know how they got that way. And I have been constructive in mentioning how things can be improved.

I, too, have had experience in dealing with large scale renovation, and have never seen so many obstacles both real and imagined set up to encumber the process.

Most of all, the negativity and fatalism is truly breathtaking.

Finally, all of this is really irrelevant until the city presents itself as a place safe enough to do business. With the number of petty crimes a constant irritant to businesses and their employees, lack of mass transportation that works, basic services neglected- until this reality of Detroit changes, nothing more will.

Yes, enough with the excuses. All the issues of Detroit are just excuses. They have nothing to do with econmic and social realities.

Lorax, what you fail to realize is many of your so called "appoligists" are people who have substantial time, money and resources tied up in the city of Detroit. We appologists are tired of people only offering their uneducated view of what we should be doing. They come in with all this wonderful advice that isn't feasible, possible or cost effective. They come with these grand plans that cost huge amounts of money. But they don't bring any money, time or resources to help.

When it's pointed out to you that your plans aren't feasible, possible or cost effective you blow us off telling us we're making excuses. If you believe they are just excuses why don't you move your ass here, pony up some real cash, and spend some real time trying to fix the issues.

[Lorax]

You obviously haven't been reading my posts, or you'd realize I do own property in Detroit, and here in Florida. I guess being born and raised there, and living here most of the time somehow disqualifies me from knowing what is going on in Detroit. Give it a rest.

Resorting to snarkiness, and calling me retarded is indicative of you having given up on solutions, when hand-wringing suits your personalities so well.

Some people just love to be miserable, I guess.

Without getting into it again, I have made all the arguments I'm going to in favor of Detroit learning to act like a city of grown-ups, giving up on the cronyism, and systematic rape of city resources over the years, since it's not going to change anytime soon with the current mind set, both urban, and suburban.

You call me uninformed, and worse- yet you're the ones who continue to preside over the most racially polarized city in America, accept as normal the political workings of the region, and have dug your heels in, refusing to see options or realize the answers are all around you, but still refuse to do anything constructive about it.

The definition of insanity is repeating the same behaviors over and over again and expecting different results. Congratulations- you've arrived.

[detmich]

You obviously haven't been reading my posts, or you'd realize I do own property in Detroit, and here in Florida. I guess being born and raised there, and living here most of the time somehow disqualifies me from knowing what is going on in Detroit. Give it a rest.

Resorting to snarkiness, and calling me retarded is indicative of you having given up on solutions, when hand-wringing suits your personalities so well.

Some people just love to be miserable, I guess.

Without getting into it again, I have made all the arguments I'm going to in favor of Detroit learning to act like a city of grown-ups, giving up on the cronyism, and systematic rape of city resources over the years, since it's not going to change anytime soon with the current mind set, both urban, and suburban.

You call me uninformed, and worse- yet you're the ones who continue to preside over the most racially polarized city in America, accept as normal the political workings of the region, and have dug your heels in, refusing to see options or realize the answers are all around you, but still refuse to do anything constructive about it.

The definition of insanity is repeating the same behaviors over and over again and expecting different results. Congratulations- you've arrived.

Is that why you keep posting here?

[Lorax]

No, and your feeble attempt to use my words against me, is indicative of the problem- you can stop the snarkiness anytime and get to some solutions, but that would take more effort than a drive-by one line post.

[detmich]

No, and your feeble attempt to use my words against me, is indicative of the problem- you can stop the snarkiness anytime and get to some solutions, but that would take more effort than a drive-by one line post.

Okay, sorry. From now on I will use baby talk when addressing you. Is that oket dokey little pokey? You are so cuuuute, you're just such an adorable wittle baby waby.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Since the other thread on here has devolved into a nasty attack-filled mess, I thought I'd start another to focus on just the demo, not the politics.

Just got back from taking pictures. They're erected a weird scaffolding like contraption on each side of the Lafayette on the edge abutting the old Arcade Bar. Not sure if they're elevators or what, but that's what they look like.
I'll post pictures later tonight over on the Lafayette Building page on BuildingsofDetroit.com. Sad. Hope that the DEGC and/or Detroit Historical Society is able to salvage some of the nicer pieces from her. The fleur-di-lis and building directory, especially.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Photos of the demolition from today are up at http://buildingsofdetroit.com/places/lafayette. Just click on "demolition photos" on the left. You can see the weird scaffolding-like apparatuses erected on the northeast and southeast corners of the building.

[tetsua]

Looks like it's really happening, the ole girl is coming down. Thanks for the pictures

[Gistok]

What really gets me is that that Detroit's semi-public development agencies understands the use of a back-hoe and demolition equipment... but they somehow never quite grasped the usefullness of using a hand saw or pruning shears.

Had they been so inclined, they might have gone to the top of some of the city owned buildings [[Lafayette, Metropolitan and Fort-Shelby), and long ago sawed off some of the trees growing up there.

That way the city would have been spared a few very embarassing articles in some of the newspapers around the country about trees growing out of Detroit skyscrapers.

But I guess hornicultural activities are not part of their job descriptions... unless you include asphalt fields and girder farms...

[DetroitDad]

Sigh......

[Gsgeorge]

What a bunch of crap. Thanks for the update, buildings.

[GRALR]

glad to see another piece of detroit gone never to come back. The parking lot will add greatly to the urban fabric. Maybe we should place a picture of it where it once stood, along with the other missing buildings for all to admire and wonder what kind of leadership the city had.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Maybe we should place a picture of it where it once stood, along with the other missing buildings for all to admire and wonder what kind of leadership the city had.

That's a really good idea. I'll buy the wheat paste.

[Mackinaw]

Thanks for the link. So sad to see.

[Doma]

Good thing it is an ugly building.

[Gistok]

Hope that the DEGC and/or Detroit Historical Society is able to salvage some of the nicer pieces from her. The fleur-di-lis and building directory, especially.

I wouldn't count on it.... I remember when a request was made for salvaging the ornate arch of the Madison-Lenox Hotel as it was coming down? That request was immediately met with a spiteful back-hoe smashing of the arch.

I believe Fnemecek knows the details behind this story.

[GRALR]

If I did not know better it seems like some want to totally destroy the history of this area, eliminate the knowledge that true European craftsman did exist, and destroy all memories of one of the greatest innovative, industrial, architectural, well planned cities in the world. Long live the urban prairie! Funny how the best factories in the world were destroyed not with a bom b but by de-industrialization , and now the only smoke to arise from them is from the arsonist of homeless camps! Sad statement on the policies and actions of "leadership"

[Kathleen]

I stopped by a couple weeks ago for some photos and again this morning. Read through the history of the Lafayette Building [[great job, BuildingsofDetroit!) and remembered a retail arts supply or office supply shop whose name I can't recall;
it was on the Michigan Ave. side near Shelby.

Any other businesses that should be noted for their Lafayette Bldg. location?

[Fnemecek]

I wouldn't count on it.... I remember when a request was made for salvaging the ornate arch of the Madison-Lenox Hotel as it was coming down? That request was immediately met with a spiteful back-hoe smashing of the arch.

I believe Fnemecek knows the details behind this story.

Indeed. The late Doug McIntosh negotiated a deal with the Ilitch family for them to donate that arch to Preservation Wayne. He showed on the site with a copy of the signed deal in hand, handed to the foreman of that demolition crew and explained that he would make arrangements to have it removed in 1 piece.

The demo guys then took a grappling arm, pulled the arch away from the building and onto the street where it cracked into several pieces. They then smashed is several more times before announcing to Mr. McIntosh that the pieces were all his.

There was a similar attempt to preserve some of the ornate pieces from the Statler Hilton Hotel. It met with a similar fate as well.

So, yeah - I wouldn't count on any of the Lafayette Building's pieces being saved.

It would make a lot of sense to do so, not just from a historic preservation standpoint but from a financial one as well. Those ornate pieces can be sold for a respectable amount of cash.

[Fnemecek]

Any other businesses that should be noted for their Lafayette Bldg. location?

This is going back to the building's heyday in the early 1900s, but William Hannan had his office in the Lafayette Building. He is the guy who founded what eventually became the National Association of Realtors.

[rjlj]

Great information fnemecek. It looks like the same demo company for the Madison Lenox is demolishing the Lafayette. Expect more lip service from the DEGC crew during the Lafayette demo, they are trying to improve upon past PR and demolitions and quiet down the people who actually care. People outside Michigan and around the world are in shock that we would tear down our city and past and replace it with wasteland that is never going to be rebuilt.

[PQZ]

If I did not know better it seems like some want to totally destroy the history of this area, eliminate the knowledge that true European craftsman did exist, and destroy all memories of one of the greatest innovative, industrial, architectural, well planned cities in the world. Long live the urban prairie! Funny how the best factories in the world were destroyed not with a bom b but by de-industrialization , and now the only smoke to arise from them is from the arsonist of homeless camps! Sad statement on the policies and actions of "leadership"

As evidenced by the tragic and heart rendering restoration of the Book Cadillac and Opera House....

[detourdetroit]

As evidenced by the tragic and heart rendering restoration of the Book Cadillac and Opera House....

Now now, that's not the point. As great as they are and as much as the Opera House and BC restorations mean to the city, the earlier point is valid...BTW BC's took more significant liberty with some of the public spaces in terms of recreating plasterwork and detail. The interpretations at BC are ok, but they weren't done like the Opera House. Unfortunately, not cost effective.

What's more, it's not so much that the the craftsmanship is gone here completely--on a per capita basis, it's more a specialty segment of the construction trade--it's that as a society we've come to undervalue quality construction generally, and especially in SE Michigan.

Brownstoners, skilled masons, and old school plastermen are a much more significant part of the trades landscape in other places like NYC and Chi-town, even though they're specialty services in those markets too.

What's more, new construction, [[for example in some parts of Queens) also utilize crappy cinderbock and the evil drivet just as much as any new construction here. Difference is that we also don't push urban principles and are left with crap construction AND suburban typology whereas other markets just have to deal with crap construction.

Believe me, renderings don't make it any better--it is truly rending!