Lee Plaza Update: Renovation Announcement

[Lowell]

Lee Plaza, one of the most gorgeous fabulous ruins of Detroit appears to be on the path to recovery. But it seems odd.

Driving by I noticed the windows had been installed yet its once famous copper roof, long since stripped and stolen, remains wide open to the elements.


click or tap images to enlarge



The door was open and I saw a couple of people entering with hard hats, but no large crew was there. The guard said the City of Detroit was fixing it up.

[401don]

I have to agree. That's bizarre.

[mikeg19]

Why is it bizarre? If the city is doing it, it makes perfect sense it would be ass backward....

[Richard]

Why do the roof first while leaving the rest of the building unsecured,which is what caused to roof to be stolen in the first place?

At this point not much more damage can occur with no roof.

Now they can have workers working in the interior at the same time as the roof,this had to been in the works for awhile if windows needed to be ordered.

[JonWylie]

Why do the roof first while leaving the rest of the building unsecured,which is what caused to roof to be stolen in the first place?

At this point not much more damage can occur with no roof.

Now they can have workers working in the interior at the same time as the roof,this had to been in the works for awhile if windows needed to be ordered.

There is still a roof, the copper from the peak has just been taken. There is still a brick roof under the copper peak.

[Ray1936]

Within five years it will be but a pile of red bricks. I has spoken.

[Metro25]

Within five years it will be but a pile of red bricks. I has spoken.

Um no, it's now owned by a credible developer who renovated the Whitney Building so no chance of that.

Anyway thought this got windows a long time ago? Did I dream this?

[Metro25]

The door was open and I saw a couple of people entering with hard hats, but no large crew was there. The guard said the City of Detroit was fixing it up.

The city?? huh?? Was this not sold to roxbury in 2019?
https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/02/a...-restored.html

[Lowell]

The city?? huh?? Was this not sold to roxbury in 2019?
https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/02/a...-restored.html

Yes, that is what I thought too. In fairness, and as mentioned, it was young guard in an unmarked car.

My first impression was that it was a stall job, like the Moroun's did with the Michigan Central windows, to satisfy the city while they continued to speculate and hope for another buyer. I hope not.

[Zacha341]

They put in those plastic sheeting sections a couple of years ago I think. Not the final windows. At least the plastic stopped the wind from blowing straight thru.

Um no, it's now owned by a credible developer who renovated the Whitney Building so no chance of that.

Anyway thought this got windows a long time ago? Did I dream this?

[Lowell]

They put in those plastic sheeting sections a couple of years ago I think. Not the final windows. At least the plastic stopped the wind from blowing straight thru.

If you look closely you will notice that there are now new windows behind those plastic-sheeted windows. [Click or tap images to blow them up.\

[Zacha341]

^^^ Oh! I thought the new windows replaced the sheeting. I was only arguing that the sheeting went up first.

[ABetterDetroit]

I couldn’t find evidence that Roxbury closed this deal. Anyone else know that they have?

[ABetterDetroit]

Maybe still pending?

https://summitcommercialllc.catylist...word,Location:

[Lowell]

Encouraging news for this architectural beauty from today's Free Press...

Long-vacant Lee Plaza scheduled for makeover
$60M project could start construction work next summer

JC Reindl
Detroit Free Press

A project to redevelop one of Detroit's last vacant high-rises, the 17-story Lee Plaza on West Grand Boulevard, is moving forward and construction work could start next summer.

The initial phase of the roughly $60 million project would rehab nine floors of the historic and long-empty building and create 117 apartments for income-eligible seniors on housing vouchers. A later phase would redo seven more floors for additional housing, with the specific type of housing still to be determined.

The redevelopment is a joint effort by Detroit-based Roxbury Group and Ethos Development Partners and received a key approval this week for $1.5 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The credits have a $15 million value to the project over 10 years.

https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com?publ...0347c1_134603a

[mikeg19]

I'm no developer, but isn't it way more cost effective to complete the entire project as 1 rather than breaking this into 2? We don't know specifics but if phase 1 is complete, people are moved in, and then 18 months later you start on phase 2, isn't that a huge risk financially plus a major disruption to the people already living there? Seems kinda weird but hey, great to see this potentially moving forward.

[Johnnny5]

It would be amazing to see the building restored and a large portion converted into affordable housing, but how does offering tax incentives this large make any sense?

According to the article the private developer is set to receive 15 million in tax credits [[over 10 years) and in addition possibly other tax incentives for just 117 low income senior apartments. The 15 million alone works out to 130k per unit and these seniors would still have to pay rent? You can still build or buy a small condo or home for that amount and never have to worry about making rent again.

[renf]

I am very pleased to hear about the renovation of Lee Plaza. This has been
proposed for years or for decades. Will we live to see an eventual extension of the Q line along West Grand Boulevard? Given the very rapid growth of the state's older population, employment at Henry Ford seems likely to increase.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I was just wondering about Lee Plaza the other day, when I was checking out real estate in the area and saw it on streetview. I certainly hope this latest plan comes to fruition. It would be a great improvement for that area to reactivate that large structure.

Assuming it does, it will be interesting to see what might eventually happen with the more desirable upper floors. Must be some great views from up there.

Why was it built so far down W. Grand Blvd.? Was there unbridled 1920’s optimism that development would spread down that far?

[Gistok]

Why was it built so far down W. Grand Blvd.? Was there unbridled 1920’s optimism that development would spread down that far?

Bingo! Back in the 1920s land downtown and along Woodward was so expensive, and also finding parcels large enough was another problem.

Take for example the Hollywood Theatre [razed 1963], which at 3400 seats was the largest neighborhood theatre in Detroit. It was built at Fort St. & 18th St. The developers of that 1927 built theatre were expecting the expansion of the city center to spread out from downtown and midtown, which was why the largest theatre outside of downtown was built so far out.

Well the Great Depression put an end to all further expansion, and the Hollywood Theatre just never made enough money, because it was a lonely giant, with no other large development nearby.

New Center is another area that was expected to be a continuation of the downtown building boom, but it became sort of an island unto itself after the depression... although it was still very successful.

The Lee Plaza developers probably thought that large development would continue out along W. Grand Boulevard... but they were wrong.

[Gistok]

I assume that the entire Lee Plaza will get new windows throughout, as well as a new roof and exterior work. Probably just the lower half of the building will get finished off, although I would think that some mechanical work to the upper floors would be necessary. So the tax credits are for the whole building [one would assume], even if only the lower half gets the interior finishings. If/when the upper half gets finished... I would think that that would be just interior work.

[Zacha341]

It was then, and beyond. As a Detroiter living nearby, I vividly recall that area booming. There was activity and commerce throughout the boulevard.

For example, you had the giant red 'Barn' Olympia Stadium a stone's throw away, and Northwestern HS [one of the top Detroit schools in the seventies]; there was the grand Riviera Theater up the road on Grand River, the Adlai Stevens center further down. One of the largest WMCA's [still standing at the corner of Dexter and W. Grand Blvd]. There was even a full service Good Housekeeping store not too far away. These things come to mind quickly. Extending back to the late 60's as my parents came to Michigan.

I recall family drives and bus rides with parents cruising down West Grand Blvd. during Christmas - it was indeed a treat. All lit up with lights and bustling. The Fisher building then had its lower dome tower lit all year -- looking very much like the DC Capitol Building dome all night. So while Lee Plaza currently seems 'detached' from anything remotely engaging there was a full context of development, retail, sports, and entertainment in that area. After the 20's.

...Why was it built so far down W. Grand Blvd.? Was there unbridled 1920’s optimism that development would spread down that far?

[Zacha341]

That makes me think of the Riviera Theater on Grand River not too far from Lee Plaza. It had the capacity of 2,766, and was a lovely building inside and out:

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

...Take for example the Hollywood Theatre [razed 1963], which at 3400 seats was the largest neighborhood theatre in Detroit. It was built at Fort St. & 18th St. The developers of that 1927 built theatre were expecting the expansion of the city center to spread out from downtown and midtown, which was why the largest theatre outside of downtown was built so far out.....

[masterblaster]

It was then, and beyond. As a Detroiter living nearby, I vividly recall that area booming. There was activity and commerce throughout the boulevard.

For example, you had the giant red 'Barn' Olympia Stadium a stone's throw away, and Northwestern HS [one of the top Detroit schools in the seventies]; there was the grand Riviera Theater up the road on Grand River, the Adlai Stevens center further down. One of the largest WMCA's [still standing at the corner of Dexter and W. Grand Blvd]. There was even a full service Good Housekeeping store not too far away. These things come to mind quickly. Extending back to the late 60's as my parents came to Michigan.

I recall family drives and bus rides with parents cruising down West Grand Blvd. during Christmas - it was indeed a treat. All lit up with lights and bustling. The Fisher building then had its lower dome tower lit all year -- looking very much like the DC Capitol Building dome all night. So while Lee Plaza currently seems 'detached' from anything remotely engaging there was a full context of development, retail, sports, and entertainment in that area. After the 20's.

Thanks for the historical context. You also had that beautiful Romanesque Church at McGraw and Grand River that burnt down around 2007, and I am sure there were a plethora of bars around the Old Red Barn that served those going to/from the hockey games and concerts.

[Zacha341]

^ Wow I forgot about that big church - saw it all the time, walked past it. What was it named? I'd like to see a photo.

Yeah there was a bar near Olympia named StarDust or something. I hear they were some good times to be found there as bars go.