Spaulding Motel

[LeannaM]

Just browsing Street View and I came across this
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...6.82,,0,-16.14

There are cars around the other side, so it must be occupied.

At the HD Street View, you see this
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...01.39,,0,-8.02

Is this because of neglect or was there a fire or something? It just seems like a short amount of time to look this ugly.

The SD view shows cars there
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...310.9,,0,-1.02

The HD View shows the cars are gone
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...93.23,,1,-2.05

Bing Maps shows cars there.

Just wondering what happened to it. Thanks.

[Gsgeorge]

Spaulding Courts is residential complex on Rosa Parks. The North Corktown neighborhood assoc. is cleaning and rehabbing the twin buildings. For a while, there was one remaining tenant, a young family, after the owner abandoned the building. Wayne County got a hold of the title and later passed it to the N. Corktowners so they could do the rehab project. I saw workers there last time I drove by a few days ago. DetroitBlog did an article about the holdout family here:

http://www.detroitblog.org/?p=984

[detroitcorky]

Jon and Company are really making progress at Spaulding Court. You should drive by if you get a chance LeannaM
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=3143

[leland_palmer]

http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/200...ing-court.html

[Jimaz]

Is that genuine stonework on the exterior or some kind of imitation? If genuine, it must have taken a lot of skill and care during construction. Any history on its construction?

[softailrider]

Is that genuine stonework on the exterior or some kind of imitation? If genuine, it must have taken a lot of skill and care during construction. Any history on its construction?

Imitation? You got to be kidding - when that place was built there were no imitations. Ever check out the stone work on some of the churches in the area?

[detroitcorky]

Spirit of Hope church exterior is amazing str. http://www.spiritofhopedetroit.org/

[EastsideAl]

Is that genuine stonework on the exterior or some kind of imitation? If genuine, it must have taken a lot of skill and care during construction. Any history on its construction?

It's real stone. Many buildings in Detroit and Michigan - some now lost - were built with stone in that time. Certainly several of the city's churches were.

Oh, and who thought this was a motel and why? It was always a residence as far as I know. Part of a 'garden apartment' movement that was more popular in other cities and built to resemble residential courts and terraces in Britain. My mother lived nearby on Brooklyn as a girl and knew kids who lived there.

[LeannaM]

I was just going by this:
http://www.angelfire.com/de2/detroit...r01_14_03.html

[detroitsgwenivere]

I hear that the recent work done there is in anticipation for visitors from the U.S. Social Forum.

That place was a drug den before we got the county involved. The former owner was a total dbag and had the nerve to expect rent from tenants who were still there after the fire consumed most of the interior. The only reason they stayed was because they couldn't get signatures from the landlord to get state help or emergency section 8, and had no other place to go. The recently de-funded Helping Hands org helped some of them find housing. The others stayed and keep an eye on the place. "Friends of Spaulding Court" are working with the community to develop it into something cool and workable.

The dbag even threatened to burn the rest of it on devil's night [[to make it appear like a random act of arson) because he couldn't stomach the idea of the place being used for anything other than a dope spot, and I got stuck sitting behind it all night on angel's night patrol.