Anyone live at 1300 E Lafaytte

[factoryrat]

I moved there 2 years ago. I love living there. I bought a 2 bedroom corner unit. Gutted it and it is beautiful. A few of my suburban friends are considering moving there too. The building is in excellent condition. The landscaping is beautiful. I tell everyone it's Detroit's best kept secret. I walk to most places downtown. I feel very safe there. I highly recommend it.

Would you happen to know if there are any tunnels that run to the school across the street? The building and the school were both built in 1961, It would seem that the school was built because of an anticipated increase in school age children, that 1300 would have undoubtedly supplied.
Grandpa Nat was very fond of tunnels.

[detroitbob]

Thanks to everyone for the info, DetBill I emailed you privately.

Bob

[mikeinmotown]

Would you happen to know if there are any tunnels that run to the school across the street? The building and the school were both built in 1961, It would seem that the school was built because of an anticipated increase in school age children, that 1300 would have undoubtedly supplied.
Grandpa Nat was very fond of tunnels.

Never heard of any tunnels but it would of been pretty cool if they did.

[Neilr]

1300 has studio, 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments. There is a variety of floor plans for the 1 bedroom apartments. The apartment in the link is typical.

Shirley Vasileff is the main [[but not the only) real estate agent for Lafayette Park coops.

http://www.vasileffrealtydetroit.com/index.htm

[detroitbob]

Thanks Neilr...just sent you private message.

Bob

[Zacha341]

I always wondered about the windows. I tend to dislike modern high rises with window glass to the floor. Sorta creep me out withstanding the nice views. And I figured all the glass to be drafty. How is growing of plants in a "tinted" window setting? Do house plants still grow? Curious......

I live at 1300 Lafayette also, I had lived there from 1990-1993, then moved across the street for 10 years in the townhouses [[ great area also), moved to Huntington Woods for three years then back to 1300 and just bought a larger corner unit at 1300 . Its a great place to live, I still think its the best bang for the buck in the city. Very safe, great people, good services [[ doorman, package receiving clerk), great workout room, pools, your cars are safe and there are many, many convieniences to walk to. [[ greektown, ball games,riverfront, downtown etc..). The present board is doing a great job of keeping the place up and improving it.. Also, the views are great. Most of my suburban friends are always telling me if the whole city was like this ,we would have no problems. Everybody would live here. I agree.. I strongly recommend it. Some great deals now also.

Incidentally re the window replacement project, I lived the first time there with the old windows, they were terrible, sound wise, heat wise , if you boiled water your whole place fogged up, it was always cold near them with frost on them [[inside) in very cold weather and very loud road noise. Replacing the windows was the best thing they could have done. They are nice tinted double paned windows, quiet and elegant looking from the inside with very nice frames. Only they forgot to put drip moldings on the outside.. No comparison to what you had to put up with before. It was a very wise investment in the building.

[detroitbob]

Thanks to everyone for all the information...'walk abouts' will happen in the next two weeks...I'm actually thinking about doing a photo trail on her visit and working up a blog...I've got a hunch the Park Shelton is going to be the winner as it is "prewar" in style and feel, but Royal Oak might be in contention also.

[Zacha341]

I l-o-v-e the Park Shelton. Talk about a sound proof apartment. It is just wonderful, with nice nice spacious layouts I've seen from visits. My dream apartment life within the city. Kinda high though...

Thanks to everyone for all the information...'walk abouts' will happen in the next two weeks...I'm actually thinking about doing a photo trail on her visit and working up a blog...I've got a hunch the Park Shelton is going to be the winner as it is "prewar" in style and feel, but Royal Oak might be in contention also.

[Huggybear]

In 1300, the windows stop about 15" from the floor [[the rest is solid wall with electrical and phone outlets), and the air vents are in the floor in front of the window. The windows are actually shallow bay windows, and there are 8" panes that crank open.

In the Lafayette Towers, across the street, it looks like the windows go to the floor, but they really terminate in a windowseat/blower/vent unit that is phenomenal at collecting dirt and dust. The windows tilt in to provide ventilation.

Low-e glass [[like in 1300) will let you grow shade plants, but very little UV makes it through. Well-made window units will have no noise or draftiness because they're basically a large hermetically sealed unit.

I always wondered about the windows. I tend to dislike modern high rises with window glass to the floor. Sorta creep me out withstanding the nice views. And I figured all the glass to be drafty. How is growing of plants in a "tinted" window setting? Do house plants still grow? Curious......

[DetBill]

Plants grow quite well in 1300. I have had orchids that do very nicely also.

[Gsgeorge]

All this talk about 1300, but I'd rather live in a walkable neighborhood like Midtown, Corktown, or Woodbridge any day than be cooped up in a cold marble-and-glass tower all day...

[stasu1213]

Does anyone remember the one level apartments that used to sit next to 1300 Lafayette? They had been razed in the 1990s. Does anyone has any photos of these one-level homes. The walkway still exist leading to nowhere

[detroitbob]

A friend's mother lived in one of those units---I'm not sure if they were senior apartments.

[Huggybear]

Rochdale. Those went away in the 2000s, I think 2002. Nasty, windowless structures that attracted predators on the elderly.

Does anyone remember the one level apartments that used to sit next to 1300 Lafayette? They had been razed in the 1990s. Does anyone has any photos of these one-level homes. The walkway still exist leading to nowhere

[detroitbob]

The women I knew of had lived there for years and I don't remember her daughter mentioning any problems...the buildings were not windowless, but were certainly nothing more than efficiency units. I remember driving down Lafayette and noticing they were gone, but can't remember the date.

[Huggybear]

Who's locking you inside?

And what's the definition of walkable? If you take it as what commerce or activities can you get to without a car and how closely it is clustered together, Corktown and Woodbridge [[both primarily residential and on the western periphery) aren't in the running. Midtown might be, but it depends on what neighborhood within that vast marketing area you inhabit. As a whole, it's a lot of small, disconnected commercial spaces separated by fairly big distances or stretches of decrepit real estate.

Lafayette Park, as a whole, has a ton of walkable points of interest. Your easy walking radius includes:

• Lafayette Park [[of course)
• The Riverwalk
• The RenCen [[which has the only first-run theater for miles and miles)
• Tricentennial Park
• River Place
• Eastern Market
• Greektown
• Both stadiums
• Campus Martius
• Foxtown [[Fox, Filmore, and the associated bars)
• Music Hall
• The Opera House
• The DAC
• The YMCA
• The Skillman Library
• Hart Plaza
• Cobo Hall
• The Dequindre Cut
• Two car dealerships [[one Ford, one Chevy)
• Every office building in the CBD.

I think you just don't like the architecture in Lafayette Park, and the "walkability" thing is your way of avoiding saying that. As an area, it's clean, safe, and conveniently located. And as for the modernity, a lot of people like high-rise views, swimming pools, and the sedate, park-like environment sitting near the water and right on the edge of downtown.

All this talk about 1300, but I'd rather live in a walkable neighborhood like Midtown, Corktown, or Woodbridge any day than be cooped up in a cold marble-and-glass tower all day...

[stasu1213]

Does anyone have photos of the Rochdale apartment complex that used to sit next to 1300 Lafayette. I had remembered some buildings being there but I don't know if they were the ones that had narrow windows or not.

[Huggybear]

I may have a picture somewhere. They had basically no windows that you could see from Lafayette [[the street or the park). Both their windows [[and I believe you are correct, narrow) and doors faced the interior of the site. They were heinous, but not as heinous as the proposed replacement, which was a three-story "victorian" brick box with a fake mansard roof - exactly what every 1950s-modern neighborhood needs.

Does anyone have photos of the Rochdale apartment complex that used to sit next to 1300 Lafayette. I had remembered some buildings being there but I don't know if they were the ones that had narrow windows or not.

[Gianni]

What Huggybear said.

Plus, once you've lived in a place with floor to ceiling windows, I think it would be very hard to go back to living with normal windows, which seem tiny by comparison and feel very "cooped up." I understand that some people don't like modernist architecture. But you don't know the whole picture until you've seen it from the inside. And if you don't like highrises, check out the Mies townhouses/courthouse neigborhood acrosse the street. Now that the trees have filled out for summer, it is stunning. And the trees and the arrangement of the buildings block out most of the city noise. You need to walk through it -- like those of us who live there do all the time -- to really get the experience.

[DetBill]

Ummm , I'm sure those other neighborhoods mentioned by Gsgeorge have good walkability, they are all fun in their own right. but your comments Gsgeorge really need some reply. Living in 1300 is not being "cooped"up by any means, the view through all the glass is incredible, especially higher up and at night.. I have a great corner cross section of the whole city skyline and parts of the river and Canada.Many people visiting stare out a good time they are visiting,. often telling me they would not leave alot if they lived there. If you refer to Huggs comments above, he is dead on, the amount of " walking " or running areas for that matter, is huge. I do it all the time,, and I mean all the time. Add to the fact we have two very nice life guarded pools from May- September, a great workout room and yoga room and lots of areas to walk within the building confines, you are never wanting for physical excercise.. I also run the floors and stairs for work out purposes [[ there are 28floors/stairs) . Now if you are big into gardening, you might miss that,as Gianni mentioned, the great townhouses/courthouses across the street will certainly give you that option. Its a great location in a very safe environment. I wouldn't live here if it wasn't , believe me.

[downtownguy]

What DetBill said. When I first moved downtown in 1981, I was one of the first tenants in Trolley Plaza. I was in the heart of the city with Hudson's right outside my window and I used to gloat to my friends that I would often walk to the Lafayette Coney for a carry out.

A few years later, I opened a business on Woodward. It was then I realized the "real" downtown people lived in Lafayette Park, as many would walk over to patronize my business. I hardly ever saw my neighbors from Trolley on the streets.

When I last moved in 1995, I decided it was time I had a clear-shot view of the river. I moved into 1300 and have been a happy camper ever since. And yes, I still walk to the Lafayette Coney for a carry out.

One of the things I like best about 1300 is the community of neighbors. It is almost an unwritten rule that you must make conversation in the elevator, and just talking about the weather doesn't cut it. I know most of the neighbors on my floor by name, and I know many folks on the other floors by name as well, often simply from the elevator conversations. It's surprising how much you can talk about on a short elevator ride.

My neighbors are black, white, yellow and brown; gay and straight; young and old; with children and without; famous and not. After nearly 15 years, I am still in awe of the view. It is always different and there is always something new to see. I live for those nights when the moon is full and I catch it as it peeks up over the horizon.

The only downside is that the carrying charges are rather high compared to other co-ops. However, you get top-notch security, maintenance and amenities for that, and the equity needed to buy a unit is quite reasonable, especially on the studio and one-bedroom units.

I just love my little box in the sky.

[stasu1213]

Rochdale. Those went away in the 2000s, I think 2002. Nasty, windowless structures that attracted predators on the elderly.

I wonder were they grey in color

[Huggybear]

Cement-colored; I believe they were made of prefab cement panels. Flat roofs.

I wonder were they grey in color

[DetroitSTAR]

What Huggybear said.

Plus, once you've lived in a place with floor to ceiling windows, I think it would be very hard to go back to living with normal windows, which seem tiny by comparison and feel very "cooped up." I understand that some people don't like modernist architecture. But you don't know the whole picture until you've seen it from the inside. And if you don't like highrises, check out the Mies townhouses/courthouse neigborhood acrosse the street. Now that the trees have filled out for summer, it is stunning. And the trees and the arrangement of the buildings block out most of the city noise. You need to walk through it -- like those of us who live there do all the time -- to really get the experience.

I agree 100%. I lived in both Lafayette Towers and The Pavilion from 2005-2009 and the floor to ceiling glass was the single reason I feel in love with the neighborhood. I felt connected with the city, but specifically the neighborhood thanks to the panoramic views provided at all times. I never had to turn on a light, and I dont recall ever closing the blinds.

When I moved to midtown I all of a sudden felt very enclosed. I had a balcony, but that just didn't cut it. Even now that i live in a stand alone house, I still crave the openness of the floor to ceiling windows.

[stasu1213]

What type of windows did 1300 lafayette have before the renovation? Did anyone find the photos of the Rochdale apartments that were next to it?