Detroit Executive Plaza rumor mongering

**hybridy** · August-07-18, 11:12 AM

"I posted this on another board, but I'll post it here too.
Not to give any false hope to rumors, but I've been hearing a lot of rumblings about the purchase and redevelopment of Executive Plaza. Apparently, Holy Trinity Church shares a parking lot with Executive Plaza and the details are being worked out to move forward with a sale/redevelopment. Like I said, this could all just be rumored, but I have no reason to not trust my source."

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...02019&page=251

**dtowncitylover** · August-07-18, 11:16 AM

Interesting. But it could be torn down for all I care, I don't think much of it.

**1953** · August-08-18, 03:29 PM

The building isn't much architecturally, but its nice that it carries downtown's height across the lodge. I hope whatever happens there, the building height and zero setback are maintained.

**NSortzi** · August-08-18, 10:23 PM

It was recently listed for sale with four nearby surface parking lots. I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes filled with Ford-related office space. It would be great if they redeveloped one of the lots as a parking garage and filled the other ones with residential midrises with ground floor retail.

Depending on who buys it and their plans, it could get reclad in a new, more modern, better looking facade so both Executive Plaza buildings have the same exterior.

**archfan** · August-09-18, 12:57 AM

Originally Posted by NSortzi

...
Depending on who buys it and their plans, it could get reclad in a new, more modern, better looking facade so both Executive Plaza buildings have the same exterior.

I hope they don't reclad them. They honestly reflect the architectural trends when they were built. They could improve them, relatively cheaply, by removing the awful stick-on window tint. That must have been installed by the lowest bidder.

**K-slice** · August-09-18, 05:26 PM

I imagine the views from those buildings are great! Set back far enough from the core of downtown that you can see almost the entire skyline.

Can't believe that they wouldn't be worth saving as office space, or even residential in the way the ol' Hammer and Nail was.

**NSortzi** · February-24-19, 06:13 PM

Executive Plaza was recently listed as no longer available on Loopnet. Hopefully it sold and we'll be hearing about plans soon.

**DansTheMan** · February-24-19, 06:34 PM

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1200...it-MI/3796772/

**Dexlin** · February-24-19, 06:40 PM

NSortzi,

Did you see this?

http://www.1200sixthstreet.com/

They have a little mock-up on what it could look like:

http://www.1200sixthstreet.com/images/1200swview.gif

Not sure how recent this website is, and it appears to show the name of the same guy who has owned it for years. And Dan posted the other link I found, too, still showing it as recently as the 9th of this month for sale.

BTW, the same owner owns the three large surface lots on the other side of 6th, which they are marketing for mixed use development. With Ford moving in a few blocks west, we'll probably finally be seeing serious proposals for this area that will helpt to link downtown and the southern end of Corktown, again.

**NSortzi** · February-24-19, 08:00 PM

I stand corrected. My apologies. And yes, I've seen the 1200sixthstreet.com website. Its been up for years.

**Gistok** · February-24-19, 08:01 PM

Thanks Dexlin... I so hated the FBI plan of a few years back making it a 1-2 story suburban style corporate campus. Glad that fell thru. These buildings remind me of the Hammer & Nail building on Woodward in Midtown. Why tear it down if it can be rehabbed... since whatever would replace it would never have the height or views of what was there before.

Even though this incomplete website is probably a no-go... I hope the buildings stay!

**Meddle** · February-25-19, 02:47 AM

OK, so I'm behind the times, but where did all the State offices go?

**Meddle** · February-25-19, 02:58 AM

OK, so I'm behind the times, but nevermind:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Place

**LongGone06** · February-25-19, 02:42 PM

"I imagine the views from those buildings are great!"

K-slice, the views were indeed great. I was in the building regularly when the State offices were there. I can recall being on the top floor only once. It would be good to see the building back in service.

**NSortzi** · February-25-19, 04:16 PM

K-slice, the views were indeed great. I was in the building regularly when the State offices were there. I can recall being on the top floor only once. It would be good to see the building back in service.[/QUOTE]

The upper floors would make great apartments with those views and large windows.

**BMoo** · February-26-19, 12:56 PM

"The upper floors would make great apartments with those views and large windows."

I've been thinking the exact same thing for the last few years. I worked on the renovation of the Tower on the Maumee in Toledo that recently wrapped up and that building was very similar to the taller tower at Detroit Executive Plaza.

https://www.apartments.com/tower-on-...do-oh/j85fpw7/

**Dexlin** · February-26-19, 05:48 PM

I'd have to know the exact floorplates, but the taller Executive Tower dimensions, just eyeballing them, look like they may just bump up on the dimensions where it might not make a great residential reconstruction. The thing that makes for great office floor plates in this tower [[the elevator core moved to the exterior) actually makes for more difficult apartments. Looking at the floorplans for Tower on the Maumee, the elevator core even though offset looks to be well within the envelope of the tower.

That said, like I said, it might just bump up against the dimensions, in which case it'd make for some all-right apartments. Personally, I'd like to see it reused for quality offices. The shorter building could be used for more multi-tenant stuff like small tech companies, maybe a floor or two built out for research space, etc...

**BMoo** · February-27-19, 03:05 PM

Quite the opposite actually. The core being in the tower makes it more difficult for apartments because the spaces between the core and exterior become difficult to utilize without great cost or unusual layouts [[as seen in some of the weirder floor plans in Toledo). With the core outside the footprint, the DEP could have a single corridor with apartments double-loaded on either side very efficiently. Granted, it would obviously work well for offices again too.

**Dexlin** · February-27-19, 10:56 PM

Apartment towers typically aren't built with the cores along the edge or outside the main envelope, unless you want that weird hotel-type set-up. You want the front doors as close to the elevator lobbies as you can get them in a good apartment tower.

**BMoo** · February-28-19, 12:48 PM

You might be confusing the efficiency of a building footprint with the efficiency of a residential layout. The two variations on core location would not have any significant effect on the use of the building. This being an existing building, the footprint is already established. It is very common to have the building core located at the ends of corridors, placing it outside of the main envelope, as a result of modern building codes.

Although it seems this is starting to get on a tangent that distracts from the thread topic.

**Meddle** · February-28-19, 03:55 PM

I'm not sure I was ever in there above the ground floor and have never seen a floor plan. Is the core [[HVAC, plumbing, electrical) at the end or it is just the elevator shafts?

That can make a big difference for residential as far as bathrooms and kitchens. Office space usually has common bathrooms off hallways and no 'wet' kitchens.

**NSortzi** · February-28-19, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

I'm not sure I was ever in there above the ground floor and have never seen a floor plan. Is the core [[HVAC, plumbing, electrical) at the end or it is just the elevator shafts?

That can make a big difference for residential as far as bathrooms and kitchens. Office space usually has common bathrooms off hallways and no 'wet' kitchens.

I believe all the cores are between both towers and are shared until the top of the shorter southern tower.

**rb336** · March-02-19, 09:08 AM

Executive Plaza represents the absolute worst of 60s/70s architecture, especially the shorter, uninspired brutalist eyesore.

**Gistok** · March-02-19, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by rb336

Executive Plaza represents the absolute worst of 60s/70s architecture, especially the shorter, uninspired brutalist eyesore.

And that's why a remodeling would likely include an exterior makeover!

**Jason** · March-06-19, 06:16 PM

The website for the building looks like it was made in 1998, is still "under construction", has a horrendously tacky conceptual image, claims convenient access to JLA [[because of the People Mover it's less accessible than anywhere else downtown, and why does being by JLA even matter?).

If the owners aren't competent enough to spend two hours on squarespace it suggests that they're not competent enough to do other things.

They're nice buildings [[good floor plans, good views) with architectural character. I could see them appealing to suburban minded companies who want to have some of the positives of downtown [[they can walk to familiar Corktown for lunch), but still want direct freeway access and parking. But I could also see it appealing to small young companies who want space downtown, and who are willing to walk [[15 minutes to Campus Martius, 10 to the People Mover), but need something more affordable.

If the buildings were still available they'd be full.