A large fire is burning at the old Highland Towers complex in Highland Park.

**English** · September-05-10, 02:45 PM

Saw this on the news the other day. Although I don't have any personal memories inside of the building, I must have passed it thousands of times over the course of my lifetime. Another pock-mark in our urban fabric.

**fryar** · September-05-10, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Some areas look very unstable structurally. They may tear it down fast as they did with that apartment building on Hamilton that burned in August.

http://www.detroitfunk.com/

Wow, that looks pretty heavily damaged! Is it too soon to observe that those development plans have now gone up in flames?

Hopefully, no one got hurt - squatters or firefighters.

**kathy2trips** · September-05-10, 04:15 PM

One more work of livable art in on life support, if not dead already. Buildings like this are what makes Detroit special, unique [[...uh, marketable, spin-worthy...)....

**Lowell** · September-05-10, 06:56 PM

Such a terrible loss. I looked out at that lovely building from the second floor rear sun room just a block away for almost 30 years. Even the the 1997 tornado that flattened the Midas shop hardly disturbed it.

Great pics Lugotown.

**douglasm** · September-05-10, 08:34 PM

Lowell....
.....not to change the subject, but I'm going to stop looking at Google's street view. From your photo location it looks like you're standing where the state liquor store USED to be. I remember storefronts between Avalon and Tom's Market, not strip malls andparking lots. Or maybe I've just been away too long.

As a young boy I used to marvel at the Highland Towers and always wished my grandmother had moved there instead of 11 Farrand Park. Kathy2trip's description of "...[[a) work of livable art..." is one of the best descriptions of a building I have ever read.

**Lowell** · September-05-10, 09:04 PM

Douglasm I took standing on the grass of SE corner of McLean and Woodward. Tom's lka Ivanhoe's Market was across the street. Here it is on Google Street view. A Victory Lane now stands where the Midas was.

**barnesfoto** · September-05-10, 11:11 PM

How sad.
It was really the crown jewel of HP, [[I would give Mc Gregor Library second place).
Unfortunately, it was unrealistic to think that it would be rehabbed, given the costs of operating large old white elephant apartment buildings and the current level of desirability for Highland Park real estate.

**spirit2028** · September-06-10, 02:38 AM

I was heading South on Woodward Ave. from the Arts, Beats & Eats Festival when I suddenly came upon this tragic event. At first I thought it may have been a movie shoot but no such luck. Near the beginning of this video a person from the hood offers to show me his AK47. Another classic "only in Detroit" moment. Near the end another person nonchalantly rides by on his bicycle as if this is all to common of a scenerio. I never had the opportunity to step inside this building but I certainly marveled at it's beautiful architecture many of times. Here is the video link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y91XqqRUnJc

**Whitehouse** · September-06-10, 04:24 AM

\The aftermath in daylight. At first it looks like nothing serious, virtually all the brickwork is still standing, minus some parts from the top. But then the camera goes streetside....

If this was in a different neighborhood it would no doubt be a rebuild project.

Rise and fall of Highland Park.

**Zacha341** · September-06-10, 08:17 AM

He could have "asked" you for YOUR camera

! People have grown 'comfortably numb' to all of this... Insane, inane transactions will go on during nearly anything except for a nuclear blast....

Originally Posted by spirit2028

...Near the beginning of this video a person from the hood offers to show me his AK47. Another classic "only in Detroit" moment. Near the end another person nonchalantly rides by on his bicycle as if this is all to common of a scenerio. I never had the opportunity to step inside this building but I certainly marveled at it's beautiful architecture many of times. Here is the video link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y91XqqRUnJc

**Danny** · September-07-10, 08:01 AM

Folks in HP don't care. The lost baby boomers are most people who participated of the destruction of their own neighoborhood created by the lost generation. Leaving the Generations X, Busters, Y's and Disney's to clean up their mess. If your can't tear it down burn it down. The are over 50,000 vacant and abandon buildings in Detroit and Highland Park waiting to be intentally set on fire. No one can watch over these structures 24 hours a day.

Plus there is a urban theory that banks and mortage companies are paying people to burn down vacant and abandon property to get the insurance monies.

**Hamtragedy** · September-07-10, 12:18 PM

Insurance companies won't even write a policy for abandoned buildings in Detroit these days, yet alone pay out a claim that is worth anything. As a matter of fact, those claims they will pay are to either rebuild or replace. Cashing out yields pennies on the dollar, most of which will be spent on demo and removal.

By the way, there are closer to 100,000 vacant buildings around here.

**Danny** · September-09-10, 09:49 AM

GHETTO ALERT!

The Highland Park Towers fire in Highland Park, MI. could be the cause of a gang intiation test to destruct public and private property in order to gain membership.

Source: HPFD.