Redford High Site sold

**65memories** · August-04-10, 06:01 PM

Didn't see this yet on any threads:
http://www.lormaxstern.com/properties/redford.htm

**Pcm** · August-04-10, 06:44 PM

Ugh. Strip mall in the place of a historic [[intact) high school. Awesome.

**RickBeall** · August-04-10, 06:49 PM

Cool! I hope they build these things that look like aircraft hangers with blocks and blocks of parking all around. That would be a creative idea.

God forbid that they could actually work the school into the plan.

**1KielsonDrive** · August-04-10, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by RickBeall

Cool! I hope they build these things that look like aircraft hangers with blocks and blocks of parking all around. That would be a creative idea.

God forbid that they could actually work the school into the plan.

Hey, like it or not, they're not going to replace all of those beautiful old, historic buildings with beautiful, new historic [[looking) buildings. Detroit is ripe for strip malls and 'big box' stores, IF it's ripe for anything. That's one of the worst things of all of this: tear down a Little Harry's and build an IHOP. Tear down a Madison Lennox and build a parking lot. Tear down Tiger/Brigg's Stadium/Navin Field, build COPA. As much as I dislike the hulk of the MCD sitting there, what's the option? Maybe a Wal-Mart to go along with a Home Depot at 'The Corner'.

**Russix** · August-04-10, 06:58 PM

Strip mall

**MaxDetroit** · August-04-10, 07:13 PM

Hate to sound a negative note here but the 8th pct building directly across the street from RHS was bought for some pie in the sky project 5 years ago and has been sitting empty, boarded up and weed infested ever since. I'll believe this when I see it.

**jtf1972** · August-04-10, 07:45 PM

Don't you guys realize... Strip malls show the utmost in suburban class! There can be a dollar store, a hair care products store... and if it really truly wants to emulate suburban living, it can be half empty!

**barnesfoto** · August-04-10, 08:03 PM

it does not make a lot of sense, given all the vacant retail space nearby. I guess that they are going for the Highland Park approach. It would be nice if they sold off some of the fixtures from the buildings before demo, assuming things ever get that far. I'd love to have one of those old desks from study hall.

**marcwigle** · August-04-10, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by barnesfoto

it does not make a lot of sense, given all the vacant retail space nearby. I guess that they are going for the Highland Park approach. It would be nice if they sold off some of the fixtures from the buildings before demo, assuming things ever get that far. I'd love to have one of those old desks from study hall.

Study hall??!! More like detention hall! ;-)

**royce** · August-05-10, 01:30 AM

My concern is that they will bulldoze the athletic field. The baseball diamonds and the football field and track actually get quite a bit of use from neighborhood joggers and PAL baseball and football teams and their games. The school building is in pretty bad shape. If you ever drive along the side street just west of the building, you can really see how bad-off it is. Don't know when the two wings were built, but they seem to be the only decent parts of the school, at least from the outside.

At any rate, the planning is probably only in the early stages. Like MaxDetroit said, the 8th precinct was supposed to be developed into a strip mall but it still sits vacant. I'm not holding my breath for anything to happen anytime soon with the Redford HS site.

**sumas** · August-05-10, 02:23 AM

I am with 1Kielson. I blew my cool when Little Harry's was demolished. Haven't been to ANY Ihop since. The singer, I refuse to listen to, if any of her drivel is played on air, I turn it off.

I am a big history buff but don't believe that if its old, it needs to stay. However, the city targets true gems for demolition, leaving neighborhoods and unsalvagable homes to rot from blight.

**vetalalumni** · August-07-10, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by marcwigle

Study hall??!! More like detention hall! ;-)

Study was indeed detention hall. But I would not know from experience, just what the misbehaving kids reported. The study hall monitor[[s) rarely got names properly written down on the attendance logs

. The old wooden window sills and large plate glass windows were a bit dangerous.

**RickBeall** · August-04-10, 08:33 PM

Maybe they could put in some nail salon stores too. Maybe a cell phone store. Briefly open a radio shack and close it.

**jtf1972** · August-04-10, 08:52 PM

It's a shame no area developers consider anything outside the standard of tearing things down to put up something cheap & forgettable.

Look at Limelight Marketplace in NYC

http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Yo...=photos&ref=ts

It's a former club & deconsecrated Episcopalian Parish that is now retail space that is designed around the former church!

Now imagine shopping at that RadioShack during its three days of operation, and knowing that you failed an algebra test sitting right where they have the rechargeable batteries.

**MaxDetroit** · August-04-10, 09:31 PM

I googled around and didn't see one word about this except lormaxstern's website. Methinks this is not a done deal.

**econ expat** · August-04-10, 10:42 PM

Who writes that fluff for the developer? And wouldn't a potential tenant at least send out a scout to look at this historic area of fine homes with $60k households that extends all over SE Michigan? And Redford HS was not in Rosedale Park! Old Redford![[and on the fringe of Brightmoor)
For what its worth, this is the same company that is developing the former Livonia Mall into a 'marketplace'.
The school looked to be tightly secured, unlike most of the closed schools. But those who were in there or peered in before the board up say it was stripped and badly vandalized before DPS sealed it up.

**Huggybear** · August-05-10, 06:01 AM

To call Redford High an architectural gem makes me think of homeless people pushing around their carts full of "valuable" possessions. Its front end is a mediocre, fascist-WPA building from the 1930s that was compromised by an heinous addition from the 1960s-1970s. The back end is a 1920s brick box. Somebody remind me what makes this so great? The cape cod former library kitty-corner is, by contrast, something that should be saved.

And the site? We're talking about a 2-story building takes up about 1/10 of the huge site it sits on. Even something like a strip mall would hardly negatively affect the utilization.

At this point [[and in the conceivable future), there is no demand in that area to redevelop a purpose-built school, especially one that under DPS's custody has probably been stripped. Houses are dirt cheap around that school, and there are no attractions in the area to support turning it into residential [[unlike schools downtown). I would submit that it is more important to improve the sad, burned-out retail situation in Old Redford and give people in Old Redford and Rosedale/Grandmont [[no, it's not that far from there) somewhere to shop than it is to hold on to the memory of an empty high school.

**1KielsonDrive** · August-07-10, 11:50 AM

[quote=Huggybear;170113]To call Redford High an architectural gem makes me think of homeless people pushing around their carts full of "valuable" possessions. Its front end is a mediocre, fascist-WPA building from the 1930s that was compromised by an heinous addition from the 1960s-1970s. Ha, ha, ha. Can't make a decent argument without including some right-wing, nutso, faux news, inflammatory drivel. What about history do you know other than anything you don't like about history is facist?

**Huggybear** · August-07-10, 04:51 PM

Ha, ha, ha, yourself. That's funny coming from you, the person here who fancies himself a rabble-rousing man of the people.

But I wasn't making your point. The architectural point is simple - we have a lot of stuff around here, built around the 1930s, that followed the style of the day [[a style, btw, whose patrons in Europe were, in fact, fascists). The more notable examples are things like the federal courthouse [[which actually features a fasces) and Rackham Hall by the DIA. Redford High is built in a cheaper version of that style: heavy and oppressive, yet largely unadorned and architecturally unimpressive. And has someone stepped up to defend the addition?

Now, what's your "decent" argument?

[quote=1KielsonDrive;170827]

Originally Posted by Huggybear

To call Redford High an architectural gem makes me think of homeless people pushing around their carts full of "valuable" possessions. Its front end is a mediocre, fascist-WPA building from the 1930s that was compromised by an heinous addition from the 1960s-1970s. Ha, ha, ha. Can't make a decent argument without including some right-wing, nutso, faux news, inflammatory drivel. What about history do you know other than anything you don't like about history is facist?

**barnesfoto** · August-07-10, 07:09 PM

Study hall and detention hall were as I recall the same room, [[or maybe SH was 206 and Detention was 306) I don't mind the 1936 wing, be it fascist or socialist, the library was certainly nice, and nobodys gonna defend the 1972 or 1981 additions, they are little different than prison architecture, it would be nice to see the site live on as a charter, but I think Cooley is a more beautiful building, at least from the outside.

**1KielsonDrive** · August-07-10, 10:13 PM

[quote=Huggybear;170890]Ha, ha, ha, yourself. That's funny coming from you, the person here who fancies himself a rabble-rousing man of the people.

But I wasn't making your point. The architectural point is simple - we have a lot of stuff around here, built around the 1930s, that followed the style of the day [[a style, btw, whose patrons in Europe were, in fact, fascists). The more notable examples are things like the federal courthouse [[which actually features a fasces) and Rackham Hall by the DIA. Redford High is built in a cheaper version of that style: heavy and oppressive, yet largely unadorned and architecturally unimpressive. And has someone stepped up to defend the addition?

Now, what's your "decent" argument?
I don't have a decent argument. I never intended to express one about your larger point. I was laughing, and still am, at your imposition of fascist into your argument. I may even agree with you on your basic point. But fascist? Ha, ha, ha. Maybe even socialist.

**Huggybear** · August-05-10, 06:40 AM

And to people who think that site is not "near" Rosedale Park, here's a quiz - which of the following is closest to it?

[[a) Northland
[[b) Fairlane
[[c) Livonia Mall
[[d) Tel-Twelve
[[e) Redford High School

...hint: since the mid-1980s, when the Crowley's at Grand River and Greenfield closed, there has been no market-rate retail closer than [[a)-[[d). Redford HS is about 1.5 miles.

**daddeeo** · August-05-10, 08:54 AM

That's true. Grand River-Greenfield was a shopper's paradise forty years ago.
Now, there are only a few stores in a strip mall.
The old Montgomery Wards and Federal's buildings sit there like tombstones for the neighborhood.
The Lahser and Grand River intersection [[nearby) doesn't offer much. The Redford Theater offers some entertainment on weekends but that isn't much.
There used to be a Morley candy store nearby.
Cunninghams on the corner is long gone and the office buildings on the southwest side burnt down. Not a pretty sight.
.

**detroitbred** · August-05-10, 09:25 AM

I went to Redford, and this makes me very sad. It is still a viable building, but apparently there is no need or use for it. I agree in part with Huggy, not exactly an historical gem, but the oldest parts of the building and inside those areas did have a certain charm, nice woodwork features, etc. The addition is indeed ugly! My dad went there too, he was born in 1923. I just can't picture a strip mall there.......aren't there enough strip malls in the world? Sigh...........

**56packman** · August-06-10, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

That's true. Grand River-Greenfield was a shopper's paradise forty years ago.
Now, there are only a few stores in a strip mall.
The old Montgomery Wards and Federal's buildings sit there like tombstones for the neighborhood.
The Lahser and Grand River intersection [[nearby) doesn't offer much. The Redford Theater offers some entertainment on weekends but that isn't much.
There used to be a Morley candy store nearby.
Cunninghams on the corner is long gone and the office buildings on the southwest side burnt down. Not a pretty sight.
.

Daddeo--I am part of the group that bought, restored and operates the Redford theatre. To your assertion that we "offer entertainment on weekends but that isn't much" all I can say is that as an all-volunteer organization we are doing what we set out to do, preserve the theatre--the last nieghborhood movie theatre still open in the city of Detroit. We do not have the staff to operate 7 days/nights a week. Our bi-weekly showings of classic films and rentals bring in a lot of people into the neighborhood, which is how we pay our bills. I personally feel that our operation of the theatre has benefitted the surrounding business district. Had we not taken the bold move in 1974 to begin operating, then purchase the theatre after Community theatres announced their intentions to cease operation of the theatre, and their very generous treatment to our group in the rental then purchase of the complex it would either be abandoned today, or demolished, and the neighborhood would be that much more desolate.