Two Major Woodward Apartments Abandoned...

[Chuck_MI]

Or even closer to the University/Cultural area it didn't work. 2 bldgs. just north of Palmer @ Woodward one was renovated and turned into condos, 2002 or so, by 2007 [[my last trip to Detroit) still no occupants and the windows were starting to be broken.

Are you talking about buildings on Woodward or Palmer?

[Zacha341]

So just when did the Merton go down to this?? I had a friend that lived there less than ten years ago. It was a decent building. Did the end come fast or was it the death of a thousand cuts?

That's such a sad thing to see. I lived at 369 Merton [[Merton Manor) 20 years ago. It was a lovely well kept building. I was driving down McNichols a month or two and went to show a friend my first apartment[[Merton) and could've cried when I saw what was left of the place. When I lived there it was a relatively nice neighborhood. There were two neighborhood markets[[Fiesta&Caeser's),Caeser's Video,a nightclub/restaurant[[The Pavillon) just behind MM and a Little Caesers pizzaria a block away. There was this great chinese restaruant called Kow Kow's. They're all gone now,though I think Caeser's market may still be there. The apartment building across the street from Dean's Party Store is boarded up & lifeless too. It's all so sad.

[Zacha341]

Don't forget 24/7 security for tenant cars. I have a friend who has to park his old car in a friends driveway over night and "walk" to his apartment two blocks away as cars are regularly stolen his apartments parking lot!!

The building's only hope would be for some optimistic developer to grab it quick, rehab it, and condo it... turn it into almost a "gated" type place with security 24/7 for tenants.

Obviously, in the current economic climate, that's not going to happen, especially in HP.

[Zacha341]

Yeah, the "exclusive" Loft thing has not always worked. In the interest of screening tenants but having sky - high rents these places end up being to expensive even for the dinks [[double income no kids) types. Plus if the surrounding environment is too bad no one is going to pay big money to live in a "walled off" situation. Community make a difference!

Are you talking about buildings on Woodward or Palmer?

[tallboy66]

Are you talking about buildings on Woodward or Palmer?

On Woodward just north of Palmer south of 94. I don't remember the name of the developer, it had[[ has) a female name and had re done some older historic homes on Cass so I had hope back then as they were "in filling" the whole John R., East Palmer, Ferry Ave. areas but it was too little too late.

Detroit has such potential to be the next new city with all of it's existing infrastructure and still a nice CBD and Midtown just gotta work on those last 5 miles up Woodward

[tallboy66]

Don't forget 24/7 security for tenant cars. I have a friend who has to park his old car in a friends driveway over night and "walk" to his apartment two blocks away as cars are regularly stolen his apartments parking lot!!

Mine was stolen out of Wayne State parking lot! I ended up paying my landlord $20 to park int he alley next to my apt. in order to keep my new one.

[tallboy66]

Unfortunately, I think you're right. That's probablly what is going to happen. It isn't like that in other big cities, I don't know why or what the answer is to stop the carnage of these beautiful buildings.

I think we've lost about 50% or more of the apartment buildings in the city in the last 30 years. Then I see some smaller 8 or 12 unit buildings in various parts of the city that still seem to be doing fine. Maybe the owners live there 24 / 7. Or, they have really good live in managers. They're obviously doing something right.

I didn't get it when I lived there and after living in NYC, Columbus and now Chicago I've always lived in "affordable" places and we have quite a few empty store fronts, upper stories of low rise apts., but they just sit with dirty windows very few are boarded up and certainly not burned repeatedly.

[DetroitDad]

Yeah, the "exclusive" Loft thing has not always worked. In the interest of screening tenants but having sky - high rents these places end up being to expensive even for the dinks [[double income no kids) types. Plus if the surrounding environment is too bad no one is going to pay big money to live in a "walled off" situation. Community make a difference!

I'm still trying to figure out who on Earth is paying for those "lofts" in Merchant's Row.

[barnesfoto]

The problem is that huge buildings like these are white elephants, built at a time when young single people were flocking to the city, and when the fossil fuels used to fire their boilers were artificially cheap. Add to the equation years of deferred maintenance, high vacancy, and the nearly complete abandonment of HP by the middle class and you've got a lose/lose situation.
Every time that the economy has taken a nose dive, there have been waves of abandonment of large buildings like this one. Obviously, we are seeing another such wave. Perhaps the cities of Detroit and HP could apply for some federal assistance in demoing many of these structures..but please, not this one.

If there were just three large buildings in HP that could be saved, my picks would be this one, the McGregor Library and the Model T plant.

[Zacha341]

Where exactly is Merchant Row?

I'm still trying to figure out who on Earth is paying for those "lofts" in Merchant's Row.

[Zacha341]

For sure this is a bad wave and the departure and erosion of so much of the middle-class bill and tax paying citizens of Highland Park has certainly made a difference there as it has in Detroit in general, but the blight in more concentrated in Highland Park. Like the down fall of so many of it's buildings like the two on Woodward.

The problem is that huge buildings like these are white elephants, built at a time when young single people were flocking to the city, and when the fossil fuels used to fire their boilers were artificially cheap. Add to the equation years of deferred maintenance, high vacancy, and the nearly complete abandonment of HP by the middle class and you've got a lose/lose situation.

Every time that the economy has taken a nose dive, there have been waves of abandonment of large buildings like this one. Obviously, we are seeing another such wave. Perhaps the cities of Detroit and HP could apply for some federal assistance in demoing many of these structures..but please, not this one.

If there were just three large buildings in HP that could be saved, my picks would be this one, the McGregor Library and the Model T plant.

[andybsg]

I am sure that I will get grief for saying this, but why doesn't the state offer free rent in these places to people who will move there businesses to Detroit? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[Zacha341]

Could work, in the less crime infiltrated buildings with a semblance of a interested community not fully crime entrenched.

Otherwise you'd have an island "barricaded" business with no one coming to purchase services from you for fear of crime on their person [[like getting out of their car)... And it ain't a great day "working" for said business knowing it's hard to get out for lunch/ having to be walked/ watched to your car.

I work in a situation "somewhat" like this on the east side so I know of what I speak and I was born, reared and educated and live in Detroit, so I'm not being providential, "prissy" or paranoid.

However, I think the buildings closer to WSU, Midtown etc. could be very successful with good planning for specific businesses.

The buildings in Highland Park. Sadly no. Crime is still too high.

I am sure that I will get grief for saying this, but why doesn't the state offer free rent in these places to people who will move there businesses to Detroit? Desperate times call for desperate measures.