Two Major Woodward Apartments Abandoned...

[Zacha341]

Highland Park and Detroit have recently lost two major apartment buildings. One being the Highland Park Towers on Woodward near Glendale, the other one a half a mile south in Detroit I believe. These buildings had been in decline for a decade or more. We now have two new giant eyesores on Woodward... they are locked down for now, but soon we will have the "gaping" scull eye [[windowless) look of Lee Plaza on Woodward-double fold!

The one very large building according to the news was without electricity...
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/20666279/detail.html

Which I think ultimately ended up un-resolved as last month there was a news broadcast showing people desperately moving out in the dead of night... Now both buildings are abandoned? Lights out!

Does anyone know if both buildings were owned by the same person. It is sad to see two major Woodward apartments gone with three months... Back in the 80's one had a business store front called "A Day Badge" that used to do signage, promotions and business insignia and badges.... Anyone recall that?

The other building had a health food store called "Honeybee" or "Honeycomb" which has relocated across the street.....

Anyone know anything about the demise of these two buildings? Is it speading on to Palmer Park?

[RickBeall]

What a shame! The Highland Park building was full of tenants too!

[davewindsor]

So what is the deal with hydro off before the electrical inspectors have to review all the wiring to have the power turned back on? 3 months? If so, they got like 2 weeks to get the power back on before all that old wiring has to be updated. The bank better hurry up to get the power back on or that building's done.

[Zacha341]

I think the lights have been out for weeks in both buildings. And they are huge buildings...There is another high rise build just off Woodward on Seward with every window and casing stripped out. And of course there are no lights on...

So what is the deal with hydro off before the electrical inspectors have to review all the wiring to have the power turned back on? 3 months? If so, they got like 2 weeks to get the power back on before all that old wiring has to be updated. The bank better hurry up to get the power back on or that building's done.

[tahleel]

I think the lights have been out for weeks in both buildings. And they are huge buildings...There is another high rise build just off Woodward on Seward with every window and casing stripped out. And of course there are no lights on...

Does anyone know the deal about the building on Seward and Woodward? It seems like crime has gone down since it was closed down. I had to go in there once to find someone, I was surprised I made it out unscathed! Anyways, I was hoping that they stripped the windows out to put new ones in, but from what it looks like, they just left it to rot.

Anyone know?

-Tahleel

[DetroitDad]

Is this including the Labelle Tower?

[jjaba]

What time is it? It's Lowell Boileau time to get us some before pictures, and then some after pictures a year form now. Detroit Ruins, a building at a time.

Davewindsor, thanks for the use of the word "hydro". In Detroit, we say "Edison" sometimes.
Both mean the same; juice to run your fridge, the teevee, and the blender.

[douglasm]

Sad. It's such a pretty building. I know this is one of those back in the day stories, but my grandmother [[who lived in Farrand Park Apts., one block north) had a friend who lived in the Highland Towers. We went to visit once and I was very impressed by the lobby in perticular and the building in general.

[barnesfoto]

Highland Towers had to be the most beautiful apartment building in HP. Sad, sad, sad.

[cman710]

Is this the building near Woodward and Seward?

[tahleel]

Is this the building near Woodward and Seward?

Yes, that is the building.

-Tahleel

[softailrider]

There's a huge apartment on Clairmont just west of Woodward [[ around the 100 block ) that went vacant about two months ago, it was always a going concern, then it had a small fire on one of the upper floors [[ wasn't that buildings first fire either ) I went by there and the place had gone totally wild: doors and windows wide open, people hanging around outside drinking, people just walking in and out. Then the place got boarded up, haven't been by there lately, building is probablly stripped and dead by now.

[Zacha341]

Yes, I know the building, it was looking to be rehabbed, then that stopped for some reason... problem is once these buildings go south, it is hard to recover them. The tenant quality goes down and no students or working stiffs is going to subject themselves to the nightly brawls, scowls, never-ending music, dope transactions, apartment-to-apartment theft, car theft, domestic quarells etc. ETC that becomes the fabric of such a dwelling.

At that point it just becomes a building of transients, or the desperate who may choose or be able to pay rent a couple of times then squat... bad scene. A decent landlord would opt to sell if possible, then in comes the slumlord, collecting any remaining funds asap, with no long term goals of true rehab, no utilities paid, lights out! People leave. Windows and doors opened. Building stripped and burned.

There's a huge apartment on Clairmont just west of Woodward [[ around the 100 block ) that went vacant about two months ago, it was always a going concern, then it had a small fire on one of the upper floors [[ wasn't that buildings first fire either ) I went by there and the place had gone totally wild: doors and windows wide open, people hanging around outside drinking, people just walking in and out. Then the place got boarded up, haven't been by there lately, building is probablly stripped and dead by now.

[douglasm]

Lowell......
......someone asked for a picture of the Highland Towers. I remember a picture you took that's posted on the old forum under the "Apartment Ruins of Detroit" thread. It shows the Towers, Farrand Park Apts., Trinity Church, and the two "Y"'s. Could you find it and repost it here?

[Lowell]

Read'em and weep friends. The Moorish-influenced Highland Towers has this fabulous front entrance featuring an art deco-style stain glass window.


This splendid structure absolutely dominates this stretch of Woodward. In spite of his size, I would think its chance for survival are better than average. It features underground parking, entered from the rear alley and has an inset lane on Woodward allowing for pull in parking. The neighborhood behind it is National Register of Historic Homes District and is one of the few surviving middle class and semi-solid areas of Highland Park.



The Highland Towers was part of my landscape from my Colorado St. house one block away. These pictures were from May 2007 when it seemed on a bit of a rebound, new windows etc. and few visible vacancies. [BTW A Day Badge was in the apartment to the north, The Farrand Apartments aka 11 Farrand Park.]

[Fury13]

I would hate to see Highland Towers trashed. That kind of architectural detail is irreplaceable.

The location is so bad, though... I doubt the place will survive.

[Zacha341]

Yeah, location and tenancy makes a difference. In a different life I used to live in apartments and would not want to spend the night in some of these buildings when they turn the fatal corner and start to resemble something like a city of horrors and angst within the city [[ala The Carter Apt. In "New Jack City")!

Once the area and tenant quality goes too far down no retired or working stiffs are going to subject themselves to the nightly brawls, scowls, never ending music, drug transactions and consumption, apartment-to-apartment thefts, car theft, domestic and other dramas that becomes the fabric of such a dwelling.

I would hate to see Highland Towers trashed. That kind of architectural detail is irreplaceable.

The location is so bad, though... I doubt the place will survive.

[rbdetsport]

The Highland Towers I believe used to be a hospital. My father was born there in 1958.

[Jman]

The Highland Towers I believe used to be a hospital. My father was born there in 1958.

Nope, I grew up there [[Highland Park) and Highland Towers was always an apartment building. 3 blocks away on Highland and Third St. was Detroit Osteopathic Hospital or 5 blocks away on Glendale and John Lodge was the Highland Park Hospital.

[Zacha341]

Wow... I wonder when the "Day Badge" company gave up [[maybe 1995 or so). Towards the end it was not the safest environment to get out of your car... yet all of this could be turned around...

Read'em and weep friends. The Moorish-influenced Highland Towers has this fabulous front entrance featuring an art deco-style stain glass window.


This splendid structure absolutely dominates this stretch of Woodward. In spite of his size, I would think its chance for survival are better than average. It features underground parking, entered from the rear alley and has an inset lane on Woodward allowing for pull in parking. The neighborhood behind it is National Register of Historic Homes District and is one of the few surviving middle class and semi-solid areas of Highland Park.



The Highland Towers was part of my landscape from my Colorado St. house one block away. These pictures were from May 2007 when it seemed on a bit of a rebound, new windows etc. and few visible vacancies. [BTW A Day Badge was in the apartment to the north, The Farrand Apartments aka 11 Farrand Park.]

[Lowell]

Regarding the somewhat recently abandoned apartments on Seward the victims are the Wellington Place at 59:


and the Bonita, next door to the west.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Regarding the somewhat recently abandoned apartments on Seward the victims are the Wellington Place at 59:


and the Bonita, next door to the west.

Wow. It didn't take long for the Seward to go to hell. I used to live on Virginia Park about three years ago. It was still in use then. Not fancy, but at least it wasn't abandoned and stripped. Sheesh.

Here's an old postcard of the Seward from the BoD.com archives:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1258405177

My extra is for sale up at City Bird's store in Midtown for $3.50 if anyone wants one of their own.

[Zacha341]

The eight or so apartments south of Woodward beyond those two high rise recently abandoned dope buildings that are doing ok. Heading toward, near and on the other side of the Lodge behind Henry Ford Hospital those buildings are doing ok, if not perfect. Some of them have very strident screening processes. If your credit is bad you cannot get into some of them. There is no loitering around the buildings allowed either....

Wow. It didn't take long for the Seward to go to hell. I used to live on Virginia Park about three years ago. It was still in use then. Not fancy, but at least it wasn't abandoned and stripped. Sheesh.

Here's an old postcard of the Seward from the BoD.com archives:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...g?t=1258405177

My extra is for sale up at City Bird's store in Midtown for $3.50 if anyone wants one of their own.

[Zacha341]

Sadly, both of these buildings became mega DOPE high rises havens of crime and mega drama with people paying rent maybe once of twice then squatting. As a landlord, I hear you get half of your peeps not paying rent and laying up knowing the courts take 3 to 6 months to roll out the "evict" notices, spending all you time filing evictions... no moneys coming in... well the end comes fast..... Down on the other end of Seward [[the other side of the Lodge) behind Henry Ford Hospital are thriving buildings with good tenants paying rent.

Regarding the somewhat recently abandoned apartments on Seward the victims are the Wellington Place at 59:


and the Bonita, next door to the west.

[Lowell]

Regarding 'spreading to Palmer Park'... If you don't count the two on McNichols [17110 Third and the Delmar] that have been abandoned for several years there are only two other vacant apartments in Palmer Park that I know of: 750 Whitmore and this beauty, Merton Manor.