E. Larned demolition downtown

[Richard]

It is in the name of a llc that is no longer valid,there would have been a transfer to a private person,it was under a corporate veil so one cannot make the demolition decision.

With the given information, I am thinking either the city did this or somebody else is or could be in some serious legal do do.

[JoeGeds]

Do any of you know exactly when these were demolished? There is some documentation that shows the demo of 541 E Larned on July 11-22, 2016, and the demo of 535 E Larned on April 14 - 28.

[kathy2trips]

They are building like those in downtown Tampa also,3 million for a penthouse in a building that looks like a pastel colored cardboard box with some winders stuck in the side.

Precisely what I thought of when I saw what they were doing at the "Orleans Landing" location.

21st Century Conformist, all right. What city is this? LA? They have a building that looks like Ren Cen. Could be anywhere in the world. No distinction, no character, no soul.

BTW: The photo I posted was of what they replaced a snazzy mid-century modern apt. complex with in Houston. See? They're building this crap EVERYWHERE.

On a different note, but same song, here's E. Larned from Beaubien to St. Antoine from the 1928-29 R.L. Polk Directory. I'm finding it difficult to pinpoint the building in question:

[MSUguy]

Don't know why I forget to check the city's permit site, the demo permit was issued on April 8. The owner is listed as an Octo 3 llc at 547 E. Jefferson.

[JoeGeds]

FTR, if you want to see when demolitions will be happening, here is the MDEQ page that lists them. Per the Clean Air Act, demolition contractors must give 10 working day notices before they can demolish these buildings. FTR, under "Project Type", a renovation means an asbestos abatement. Type in "Larned" in the address field, and all of the demolitions/renovations should show up.
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/asbestos_.../AbSearch.aspx

[belleislerunner]

According to the State of Mi website above, the remains of the building are peacefully resting at the Sauk Hill Trail Landill in Canton. There was no public service. Survivors include the building's owner, OCTO 3 LLC, which can be found in the law office of Benjamin Whitfield & Associates 547 E. Jefferson, Detroit. May she rest in peace.

[Mackinaw]

Curbed is putting the spotlight on this. Glad to see this. http://detroit.curbed.com/2016/9/14/...ished-downtown

[Detroitdave]

This is pretty sad, I've just recently visited New Orleans for the first time , over labor day, and was really impressed with the architecture .
That building reminded me a lot of the french quarter.
Both cities are rich in history. Both being founded by the french , Detroit 1701 and New Orleans 1718.
It's sad that Detroit has very little of it's original architectural history, and in some cases doesn't appreciate some of the older architecture it has left.
We've been fortunate with some great building , ie the Guardian , booth book buildings , the David Whitney, the Dime , ect and I know we can't save it all however Detroit is in a unique position to salvage some great buildings that people are still coming to see.
This just seems like a cool old building that got away and the owner didn't really care about architecture.

[casscorridor]

It's less about this specific building, and more about a general indifference toward small structures and non-landmark [[even though this small building was a landmark for some). Think about the Monroe block. A row of small buildings from the antebellum era, obliterated in the 1990s for surface parking that still has yet to be built on. Downtown has great landmark buildings, but very few small building -- structures that would do a great job of filling much of the empty space.

[ABetterDetroit]

This was a shame.

Without a a city ordnance that is enforced that stops all creation of surface parking lots that do not directly support new construction unfortunately this will continue. They are demolishing taxable value and creating a revenue stream for the property at the same time. Mike Ilitch has built a massive collection of Detroit real estate doing exactly this. It would seem foolish to expect a tiny nonprofit to be able to stop others from doing a lot more of it in the future.

It is very surprising that pro public transportation people are not all over this kind of activity. If you want more transport options you need to create the demand, a endless supply of new parking lots doesn't help achieve that goal.

[canuck]

This was a shame.

Without a a city ordnance that is enforced that stops all creation of surface parking lots that do not directly support new construction unfortunately this will continue. They are demolishing taxable value and creating a revenue stream for the property at the same time. Mike Ilitch has built a massive collection of Detroit real estate doing exactly this. It would seem foolish to expect a tiny nonprofit to be able to stop others from doing a lot more of it in the future.

It is very surprising that pro public transportation people are not all over this kind of activity. If you want more transport options you need to create the demand, a endless supply of new parking lots doesn't help achieve that goal.

That's it. It's a multifaceted problem that doesn't seem to be addressed adequately on either facet. It needs attention on all sides. I mean, how is it that in 2016, it took months for someone to stop and reckon a demo had happened on that block. A significant building with nice features that would have found investors to keep it going, no doubt. A polished building that had been well kept. Why contemplate the demo of such a building because a bully investor says it is worth more ask landfill than what replaces it. Why put everything down to the dollar value in purely speculative terms when the very history of downtown Detroit proves it has been disastrous for urbanity and property values? What constitutes a lively street is forsaken for standards inimical to pedestrian traffic because, as several have mentioned, the sacrosanct parking spot supersedes all other considerations. Detroit's urban planners seem to be the last bulwark against Walk Score awards. There were plenty of empty depressing vugging lots all around, but no one stops this nonsense from happening. Look at a Shorpy pic of the same neighborhood in 1910 and be amazed at the urban feel of even the most humble city block. Anyhow, we'll figure it out one of these days.

[ABetterDetroit]

FTR, if you want to see when demolitions will be happening, here is the MDEQ page that lists them. Per the Clean Air Act, demolition contractors must give 10 working day notices before they can demolish these buildings. FTR, under "Project Type", a renovation means an asbestos abatement. Type in "Larned" in the address field, and all of the demolitions/renovations should show up.
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/asbestos_.../AbSearch.aspx

Not the easiest search to use to find out what's coming down but its better than nothing. Thanks for the link.