Demo Permit issued for Corktown CPA Building

**Atticus** · November-16-16, 01:32 PM

Sad to see this one go. Apparently it sounds like there may have been some shenanigans in the issuance of the demo permit.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-be-demolished

**Zads07** · November-16-16, 01:38 PM

This is absurd.

Where were the complaints? Cooley apparently has none or has heard nothing of the sort.

Buy the building, 'ask the community' for ideas on the best use of the property in 2014 and nearly 3 years later, have nothing and then tear it down.

Losing a piece of history, shouldn't be allowed to be torn down.

I'd love to hear a reason why it's being torn down, what's wrong with the structure?

**belleislerunner** · November-16-16, 01:46 PM

Well a bummer it won't be redeveloped - hopefully at least now the owners have a vested interest in getting some speedy development [[a la Ellington style there). For all the "perceived hype" about Corktown - it is truly lagging in residential development.

Would seem odd to pay 900K for a block and convert it to parking - the NOI's don't justify the purchase price.

**mikefmich** · November-16-16, 01:57 PM

Utter BS.

**hybridy** · November-16-16, 02:50 PM

11,000 SF across 6 stories, per crains. is that accurate?

**Dan** · November-16-16, 02:54 PM

This building needs to be saved.

**Funaho** · November-16-16, 03:07 PM

Man I love that building, every time I pass by it I wish I could buy it. It doesn't even seem like it's in bad condition!

**p69rrh51** · November-16-16, 03:20 PM

There is a possibility of a vote for an interim historic designation Thursday or Friday. I will post the time if the vote goes ahead.

Designed by Alvin E. Harley. Conductor’s Protective Association Building-Protective Assurance Society 2238 Michigan Avenue built 1923-1924 Detroit, MI. Includes an article featuring the building from a 1924 edition of the Detroit Free Press.

**belleislerunner** · November-16-16, 03:25 PM

Passing a historic designation after a demo permit has been granted?

Man I'd love to take that case pro bono as the NYC landowners lawyer.

**p69rrh51** · November-16-16, 06:40 PM

A request for all on Detroityes.com to e-mail these three council members and urge them to approve the historic designation for the C-P-A building tomorrow.

Scott Benson-BensonS@detroitmi.gov
Mary Sheffield-CouncilMemberSheffield@detroitmi.gov
Gabe Leland-LelandG@detroitmi.gov

Thank you

**Atticus** · November-16-16, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by p69rrh51

A request for all on Detroityes.com to e-mail these three council members and urge them to approve the historic designation for the C-P-A building tomorrow.

Scott Benson-BensonS@detroitmi.gov
Mary Sheffield-CouncilMemberSheffield@detroitmi.gov
Gabe Leland-LelandG@detroitmi.gov

Thank you

Done. And even if it is too late to change anything, at least it may put some pressure on whoever approves these permits that the demolitions of beautiful historic properties needs to stop.

Time to stop being an armchair poster, and actually take action. I hope others send emails as well.

**Lowell** · November-16-16, 09:30 PM

Scary but I don't think it is going anywhere too soon. From further down in the Crain's article...

Ari Heckman, CEO of ASH NYC, which is redeveloping the Wurlitzer Building downtown into a new boutique hotel, said in an email to Crain’s shortly after this story was published that he would buy the building to spare it from demolition.

“It would be terrible if that building was demolished," he said. "If there are no environmental or structural issues, we would buy it from them at a fair market value immediately and redevelop it.”

David Di Rita, principal of Detroit-based developer The Roxbury Group, echoed that his company would also be willing to buy the building to prevent demolition.

Razing it is "entirely unnecessary," he said.

Maybe a squeeze play to get a better price?

BTW it has a lovely little lobby with a spectacular ceiling. I have a pic somewhere.

**archfan** · November-17-16, 02:20 AM

Sequoia seems to have bought the property speculating on rising RE prices, but they have only done maintenance when forced. It sounds like there have been two recent actions:
- The city said fix it or else
- Sequoia called the city's bluff and pulled the permits.
If neither budges, we could lose another building. If a white knight steps forward, and is willing to give Sequoia enough profit, a sale could get made, and we might get a rehabbed CPA Building.

**Atticus** · November-17-16, 01:02 PM

Any update on how the 10am meeting went?

**p69rrh51** · November-17-16, 01:15 PM

The committee Ok'd sending the approval for the C-P-A designation to the full council. There should be a vote by the council on Tuesday [[hopefully).

**Atticus** · November-17-16, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by p69rrh51

The committee Ok'd sending the approval for the C-P-A designation to the full council. There should be a vote by the council on Tuesday [[hopefully).

Thank you. Hopefully the building can be saved.

As an aside, has there been any effort to identify and historically designate other buildings that [[like the CPA building) may not be of national significance, but are definitely architecturally significant and historical to the neighborhood? It would seem that designation of buildings like this in advance could help to ensure these situations don't happen in the future.

**softailrider** · November-17-16, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by p69rrh51

The committee Ok'd sending the approval for the C-P-A designation to the full council. There should be a vote by the council on Tuesday [[hopefully).

If it's not a unanimous yes by the council, I'd be interested to see who gave it a no vote.

**night-timer** · November-17-16, 07:13 PM

For a while, I lived over the road from the CPA building in an apartment above the Mercury Bar on Michigan Avenue. I used to photograph it from out of my window. That entire area around Roosevelt Park and the MCS has a good future and I would hate to see the CPA building torn down.

**One Shot** · November-18-16, 04:12 PM

Shame if it happens. I always thought that was a cool building and now in a good spot!

**Shai_Hulud** · November-21-16, 10:26 AM

Speculators are the worst. I'm sure even a cheap renovation to make the place habitable would be enough to get the building leased.

**masterblaster** · November-22-16, 12:06 PM

Yikes, they've already put fencing up in preparation for the demolition, and a sign for the demolition company has been affixed to the fence. Is this really happening? Or can the building be saved?

**southen** · November-22-16, 12:10 PM

That was put up before the council stepped in. I think there is a good chance that it gets saved.

**drjeff** · November-22-16, 01:17 PM

The bottom line is that the two options for historic buildings should not be 1) rehab or 2) tear down. They should be 1) rehab within a certain amount of time or 2) sell it within a certain amount of time or the city takes it over for nothing. No more of this sitting on vacant buildings while they rot away or get destroyed by scrappers/vandals, hoping that they increase in value at some undetermined point in the future.