Why do so many empty buildings have their windows opened?

[drjeff]

This has bugged me for awhile now. The Broderick Tower, for example, has many of its windows left open, which of course lets all the water in whenever it rains or snows. Since this building is supposedly going to be renovated in the somewhat near future, why would the owners not go in and close all the damned windows?

I also noticed just recently that the CPA building at 14th and Michigan now has open windows and one that looks like it was removed completely. I suspect there are squatters in there at this point, even though part of the building was occupied less than a year ago by the mormons.

Something so small makes a big difference.

[tallboy66]

Squatters and urban explorers is my guess.
Owners? The city owns these as the owners have defaulted and abandoned years ago, like the 80's ago. No tax base from unoccupied bdgs.
The city has better things to do like tear down buildings for gravel parking lots and shut down Tyree Guyton not bring businesses to the city.

[detroitbob]

The windows are open so the stench of urine, feces, and vomit mixed with mold and mildew and drug residue doesn't overcome the fellows who are and/or stripping the places or playing urban explorers.

[n7hn]

How else they gonna tear themselves down.....??

[mikefmich]

Pigeons need shelter and unfettered access too, ya know.....

[313WX]

I suppose it lessens the chance of glass shattering down below when a severe thunderstorm [[like last night) comes through.

[Zacha341]

Good point. I am also noticing more and more residential homes have every window open without even an attempt to "board" them up. Perhaps there's now a shortage of wood with some many homes now abandoned....

The windows are open so the stench of urine, feces, and vomit mixed with mold and mildew and drug residue doesn't overcome the fellows who are and/or stripping the places or playing urban explorers.

[Danny]

Good point. I am also noticing more and more residential homes have every window open without even an attempt to "board" them up. Perhaps there's now a shortage of wood with some many homes now abandoned....

More Detroit homes are being stripped by looters hired by various banks, mortage companies and scrupolous real estate brokers. It would keep blacks and other people from re-buying the properties, downsize the area into brownfields, force city leaders to plan for further downsize fewer blighted city blocks. Then allowing banks, mortage companies and real estate brokers to puchase city blocks to be gentrified into pre-suburbanesque community meant for middle income families.

[Zacha341]

Oh, LOL! I am at the very low-end middle income [[well sorta from working three jobs at once)... does that mean I can stay? Will the crime be going away with the emergence of said "brownfields"? Weeeee!

Back to the original question: where's the ply-wood? It is not that it's torn down per whoever is doing the looting and the varied theories therein...

It is though it never even goes up at this point -- the looting is happening so fast! I suppose the city cannot keep up. This mean more fires....

Oh, we have fewer fire fighters. Oye!

More Detroit homes are being stripped by looters hired by various banks, mortage companies and scrupolous real estate brokers. It would keep blacks and other people from re-buying the properties, downsize the area into brownfields, force city leaders to plan for further downsize fewer blighted city blocks. Then allowing banks, mortage companies and real estate brokers to puchase city blocks to be gentrified into pre-suburbanesque community meant for middle income families.

[Ravine]

More Detroit homes are being stripped by looters hired by various banks, mortage companies and scrupolous real estate brokers. It would keep blacks and other people from re-buying the properties, downsize the area into brownfields, force city leaders to plan for further downsize fewer blighted city blocks. Then allowing banks, mortage companies and real estate brokers to puchase city blocks to be gentrified into pre-suburbanesque community meant for middle income families.

You assert that claim every time you get the chance, and yet you have steadfastly neglected to tell us just how it is that you know these looters were hired by banks.
Don't complain if nobody takes your wild statements seriously.

[Danny]

You assert that claim every time you get the chance, and yet you have steadfastly neglected to tell us just how it is that you know these looters were hired by banks.
Don't complain if nobody takes your wild statements seriously.

Whether you agree or disagree my comments take action or not to take action is up to you.

[Goose]

so Danny, in your world, if the banks weren't hiring these people to strip out the vacant homes, they would remain intact and not be victims of vanadalism or scrappers?

[Zacha341]

I hear you. IMO the vacant homes are a product of many factors not withstanding a percentage of the scavenging that is less than corporate.

The factors leading up to the Detroit's mass home abandonment include: lack of employment, gambling addictions, sub-prime mortgages, stupid refi's-with ridiculous ARMs, bank grabs, fires, black and white flight out of the city...etc. ETC. There are many reasons and many vulchers, er-uh I mean people picking these homes clean.

For certain there is a huge and thriving underground clearing house of stolen and stripped stuff - ala word of mouth, some pawn shops, the metal yards [[local and suburban) and Craigs and Ebay for the more sophisticated strippers, scrappers and thieves and the banks tooooo!

so Danny, in your world, if the banks weren't hiring these people to strip out the vacant homes, they would remain intact and not be victims of vanadalism or scrappers?