Could Detroit Do This? Moving a Church Building

[MikeM]

Here's something peculiar: The R.L. Polk City Directory for 1928-29 lists Finney as "Finney annex to Hanstein 5281 Guilford av". Hanstein Elementary is listed as being at 4290 Marseilles!

Do a search in WSU's Virtual Motor City; there are two pictures of old Finney, one from 1929, and an expanded Finney in 1957. You can still see the original building on the backside, at the end of Guilford.

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...view=thumbnail

[Danny]

When Woodward Ave. was developing into a four lane superstreet with two DSR light rail lines in 1910 a couple of churches were moved just a tiny bit away.

[MikeM]

Moving Indiana Bell HQ:

http://www.paul-f.com/ibmove.html

[xphillipjrx]

I remember a lot of homes being moved out of the path of 696 in Southfield and Oak Park. It was a frequent enough site that it was no longer a big deal to see a house crawling along on wheels. I always thought it would be cool to be one of the guys who gets to ride on the roof and move the traffic lights out of the way.

[szla]

An organized plan of grabbing significant architectural homes and dropping them in certain areas either doing well or needing infill could work. There are a number of very large helicopters with huge payloads that could do the job rather quickly. I think most of the homes would have to be debricked at least partially.

[kathy2trips]

An organized plan of grabbing significant architectural homes and dropping them in certain areas either doing well or needing infill could work. There are a number of very large helicopters with huge payloads that could do the job rather quickly. I think most of the homes would have to be debricked at least partially.

I'm there with ya. But choppers? Really? I'd love to see those photos! I'm a big fan of relocating architecturally and/or historically significant, but geographically isolated [[read: endangered) structures. My dad was a bricklayer, and sometimes, I'd sit with him getting dried mortar and/or paint off old bricks he'd use to fix old houses. Farm kids husked corn, and I did that. Good times.

A few urgent relocation/restoration candidates off the top of my head:

The Lee Burt House
http://www.detroit1701.org/MosesWField.html

Alexander Chapton House
http://www.detroit1701.org/Chapton%20House.html

Get them out of where they are! There are a few places they could go, but my choice is along E. Jefferson near the other similarly aged houses there. I'd like to see that stretch "beefed" up a bit.

As for commercial buildings, we have all those great firehouses left that would make great homes, professional buildings or community centers. There are some great churches and schools that could be re-used, though that can get pretty hefty! There's an old Victorian storefront/office building at the corner of Henry and Grand River that has a terrible facade in front. I'd like to see the warehouse at the corner of W. Fort and 18th put to some good re-use as well, but not as a warehouse.

This is NOT to say that new historically compatible, era-sensitive new construction couldn't be worked in when needed. In a neighborhood, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between new and old construction, ideally. Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing the house where Little Harry's was rebuilt [[but with WiFi, A/C and "green" tech).

It would be so great to restore a pre-auto industry neighborhood to the way it looked when cars were first invented. What a tourist attraction THAT would be!

Miscellaneous Sources:
Relocation vs. Demolition Policy [[the statistics of demolition wastefulness OMG!)
[[Green House Gas, Energy, Economics, and Land Use)
http://texashousemovers.com/blog/201...olition-policy

Davis Construction Building Movers
http://www.davisbuildingmovers.com/id85.html

Expert House Movers [[See light house at bottom of page)
http://www.experthousemovers.com/testimonials.html

[kathy2trips]

An organized plan of grabbing significant architectural homes and dropping them in certain areas either doing well or needing infill could work. There are a number of very large helicopters with huge payloads that could do the job rather quickly. I think most of the homes would have to be debricked at least partially.

I'm there with ya. But choppers? Really? I'd love to see those photos! I'm a big fan of relocating architecturally and/or historically significant, but geographically isolated [[read: endangered) structures. My dad was a bricklayer, and sometimes, I'd sit with him getting dried mortar and/or paint off old bricks he'd use to fix old houses. Farm kids husked corn, and I did that. Good times.

A few urgent relocation/restoration candidates off the top of my head:

The Lee Burt House
http://www.detroit1701.org/MosesWField.html

Alexander Chapton House
http://www.detroit1701.org/Chapton%20House.html

Get them out of where they are! There are a few places they could go, but my choice is along E. Jefferson near the other similarly aged houses there. I'd like to see that stretch "beefed" up a bit.

As for commercial buildings, we have all those great firehouses left that would make great homes, professional buildings or community centers. There are some great churches and schools that could be re-used, though that can get pretty hefty! There's an old Victorian storefront/office building at the corner of Henry and Grand River that has a terrible facade in front. I'd like to see the warehouse at the corner of W. Fort and 18th put to some good re-use as well, but not as a warehouse.

This is NOT to say that new historically compatible, era-sensitive new construction couldn't be worked in when needed. In a neighborhood, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between new and old construction, ideally. Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing the house where Little Harry's was rebuilt [[but with WiFi, A/C and "green" tech).

It would be so great to restore a pre-auto industry neighborhood to the way it looked when cars were first invented. What a tourist attraction THAT would be!

Miscellaneous Sources:
Relocation vs. Demolition Policy [[the statistics of demolition wastefulness OMG!)
[[Green House Gas, Energy, Economics, and Land Use)
http://texashousemovers.com/blog/201...olition-policy


Davis Construction Building Movers
http://www.davisbuildingmovers.com/id85.html

Expert House Movers [[See light house at bottom of page)
http://www.experthousemovers.com/testimonials.html

[kathy2trips]

A Chicago city church moves to the suburbs -- brick by brick

[Lowell]

I am kind of surprised this excellent thread has gone so far without mention of one of the biggest Detroit church moves of all -- The Church of the Messiah -- which was moved, brick by brick fashion, from downtown out to the then edge of town, E. Grand Blvd. and Lafayette - minus the steeple.



This is from Ren Farley's 1701Detroit.org

"By the early 1850s, the Episcopalians needed a new and larger church, so they asked Calvin Otis to design a church to be located at the corner of Congress and Shelby. He built an early English Gothic study building with lancet windows. He added a steeple to make the church highly visible in Detroit and paid that steeple with a much smaller turret. The interior of the church was completed in a very simple manner reminiscent of a New England meetinghouse. This church became St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Cathedral.

At the end of the Nineteenth Century, People's State Bank desired to build a large and impressive building. This is the extremely impressive bank building designed by McKim, Mead and White located at Fort and Shelby and completed in 1901. Calvin Otis' beautiful church was moved, stone by stone, to the corner of East Grand Boulevard and East Lafayette where it has stood for more than a century. Shortly thereafter the Episcopalians became constructing their cathedral at the intersection of Woodward and East Warren. The relocated church became the Church of the Messiah.

Detroit architect William Stratton supervised the move and redesign of the original church. The tall windows with their stained glass were retained but the original steeple and turret disappeared. William Stratton, as you might anticipate, augmented the renovated church with much Pewabic Tile. This church is an excellent example of how a prosperous Episcopalian congregation in a medium sized Midwestern city conceived of an English Gothic church a decade before the Civil War.

Date of Construction: 1852
Architect: Calvin N. Otis
Architectural Style: English Gothic with a New England meeting house interior
Architect for the move and renovation of the church: William Stratton
Date of removal: 1901

State of Michigan Historical Register: Listed
Photo: Ren Farley, February, 2003"

BTW, while driving by last week I notice that the crucifix that was stolen in 2010, then found in the weeds a couple of blocks away, has been restored. I will get a picture next time I go to Belle Isle for handball.

[goggomobil]

Another interesting long-distance move with a Michigan connection:

http://longyearatfisherhill.com/history.htm

C. Fred Rydholm gave a different reason for this mansion being shipped from Marquette to Boston: A railroad duped Mrs. Longyear into dedicating a right-of-way across their front yard, along the shoreline, telling her that they would never use it. They did, of course, and Rydholm wrote that was part of why this stunning mansion was boxed up and shipped 1300 miles by rail.

By the way, if you want to read about the U.P. from a master storyteller, check out Rydholm's book, 'Superior Heartland'. All of his writing is great stuff.

[kathy2trips]

Detroit [[& area) churches FOR SALE.

[CLAUDE G]

I recall an episode of "Megamovers" or something similar to that and there was a rather large building, not a church, moved on it. .Can't remember what it was. I think it was for Comerica though

Your thinking of the Gem Theatre, and maybe the Elwood Grill

[Brock7]

A few urgent relocation/restoration candidates off the top of my head:

The Lee Burt House
http://www.detroit1701.org/MosesWField.html

Looks like that one's already been relocated once, but upwards to accommodate a basement. Before ~ After

Though bigger and fancier, it reminds me of the farmhouse on Gratiot near Bringard which I suspect was built about the same time period.

[Lowell]

Whoops we almost forgot the late great 'Slumpy'. The William Livingstone was moved one block and oops...

[Joseph C. Krause]

I'm excited at seeing so many fine examples of successful moves. Does anybody know the accurate, modern cost of moving various structures? It really could be a very positive way to reassemble the city.

[kathy2trips]

The Moses Field House on Field, and the Lee Burt House on Concord are two distinct structures. Must have got my links crossed between the two, sorry about that. The Field House is slightly older but both are inspired by Italian architecture, both are east side treasures and both are preservation and protection-worthy.

And yes, I see the raising of the Field House. That's a really interesting contrast. .

I'm excited at seeing so many fine examples of successful moves. Does anybody know the accurate, modern cost of moving various structures? It really could be a very positive way to reassemble the city.

Thank you! Yes, it does! Think of the possibilities. For example: There are three or four gorgeous apartment buildings off Woodward on Merton, I think, that are screaming for relocation. There is such a need for housing of substance and integrity closer to town...and these would be far preferable to the conventional knee-jerk alternative.

[Magnatomicflux]

That idea of picking up homes from abandonned neigbourhoods and ploping them down in the core is excellent! I don't even mean just the really amazing ones either. Any and all homes in great to good shape, should be pulled into the core. The rest can be salvaged for items and then photographed, documented and destroyed. Litterally fill up all of those empty blocks so you don't have powerlines to nowhere coming down everytime a bird farts knocking out entire sections of the city.
That would open up the rest of the city for new development.

[kathy2trips]

That idea of picking up homes from abandonned neigbourhoods and ploping them down in the core is excellent! I don't even mean just the really amazing ones either. Any and all homes in great to good shape, should be pulled into the core. The rest can be salvaged for items and then photographed, documented and destroyed. Litterally fill up all of those empty blocks so you don't have powerlines to nowhere coming down everytime a bird farts knocking out entire sections of the city.
That would open up the rest of the city for new development.

Surely, moving houses would qualify for all sorts of "green" incentives. Also, gov't grants for moving a house into a historic district, or potentially historic district, preserving the character, integrity and livability of the area.

BTW: It's time Detroit start putting lines underground where ever possible, particularly in areas planned for re-development. Obviously, they're a big safety hazard.

[Magnatomicflux]

From my work over here in Windsor's west end, at night when there's a good storm or heavy snow, more often then not I'll periodically see those familiar blue/green flashes of SW Detroit all over the place. Then I just feel horrible for the people living in these one home per block areas, with no siding on their homes or holes in the roof...now without power or heat.

[kathy2trips]

Have you guys heard about this town called Adaminaby in New South Wales, Australia? They moved practically the entire town in the 1950s. To quote the article, "Entire houses, and even the Commercial Bank Building were transported on the back of trucks and over 100 buildings were re-erected at the new town site."

[detroitbob]

fyi/fye adaptive reuse for one of Chicago's monumental churches [[actually 2 buildings) and the reuse of the historic Austin organ from the Medinah Temple [[now Bloomingdales Home Store)

link to article with slide show http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2677204,CST-NWS-church05.article

like to video tour through the Medinah Austin c2000---including inside one of the universal windchests http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-3tYSxN8LQ

[Ocean2026]

Kathy2 trips - which firehouses would make a great house? I think you're right but if you know some that would be worth a new thread in itself.

[detroitbob]

Of particular interest is that Church of the Messiah also contains all of the original stained glass windows from Old St. Paul's, some of the oldest imported English stained glass in the midwest if not the country. The Eaton family, the Vernors and Governor Baldwin were all members of St. Paul's and donated liberally---windows, pipe organs, church plate and vestments. St Paul's Cathedral retains all the plate and archive's from the era including many items purchased in England from the 1850's on. The glass at Messiah is well worth viewing---last time I visited it appeared to be in decent condition. The windows in [[and) the sanctuary as exists today are newer -- the product of several remodels with much Pewabic tile circa the 1920's. The nave windows contains the original glass.

[wolverine]

I love this photo [[Ann Arbor house move)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewbrix/289712052/

[Gistok]

I wouldn't mind seeing the Moose Lodge [[on Cass Ave.) moved over a few blocks as infill on an empty lot located on the west side of Park Ave.

Another move I wouldn't mind is a few of the nicer historic homes in forlorn areas moved over as infill onto E. Ferry Ave. [[along its' farther eastern part).

Hell, they could even tear down the Merrill-Palmer-Skillman Institute at E. Ferry & John R [[when it was built 1/2 century ago they tore down 2 mansions to build it)... and replace it with infill historic homes. That M-P-S Institute building looks sooooo out of place along E. Ferry Ave.