Visited Spaulding Court, folks need your help!

**LafayettePark** · September-24-10, 02:02 PM

This place has tons of potential. The group needs volunteers. Click on the link below for more information.

http://bit.ly/cOL0Fg

**fryar** · September-24-10, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by LafayettePark

This place has tons of potential. The group needs volunteers. Click on the link below for more information.

http://bit.ly/cOL0Fg

That's awesome. What are their plans for the building?

**marcwigle** · September-24-10, 05:38 PM

My only concern is... how does fixing the place up help anyone other than the owner of the property? The tenant, if I recall, isn't paying any rent now and the owner isn't contacting them about the nonpayment of rent. I'm trying hard not to be cynical...

**barnesfoto** · September-24-10, 06:13 PM

It helps preserve the building until hopefully a buyer/developer becomes interested in it. That helps the neighborhood and saves the taxpayers the cost of demo.
In addition, any folks still living there have a residence, maybe not a great one, but a residence.

**suburbanhypocrite** · September-24-10, 08:51 PM

They also hold a weekly SOUP-style dinner event every Thursday night. $5 for soup, salad, Avalon bread. Half the proceeds go to the rehab of Spaulding court, the other half goes to a new projects around the city that could use a kickstart or additional funding. They have a few people speak each week to tell about their project and the group then votes [[just like the SOUP in Mexicantown) who will receive that week's monies.
Here's a link to their facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Soup-a...50672858279571

For the colder months they'll be having the soup at Spirit of Hope.
As far as I know the guy bought both buildings for $500.

**lalynch** · September-24-10, 08:56 PM

They also have a Facebook page on the soup nights called Soup at Spaulding

**DetroitHabitater** · September-24-10, 09:10 PM

this place looks 100 times better already then 2 years ago. I put a couple hours in putting garbage in a dumpster, we rolled a couch and a half dozen needles fell out of it. Glad those guys are out of there.

**Downriver Gal** · September-25-10, 12:26 AM

http://blog.resourcegeneration.org/2...aulding-court/

Spaulding Court is a series of stone row houses with 3 small BDR units originally constructed as a motel in 1918. It stood abandoned and blighted for many years until Friends of Spaulding Court – the newly formed non-profit – bought the row houses from the city in February 2010 for $1,000.

DetroitDad · September-25-10, 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by marcwigle

My only concern is... how does fixing the place up help anyone other than the owner of the property? The tenant, if I recall, isn't paying any rent now and the owner isn't contacting them about the nonpayment of rent. I'm trying hard not to be cynical...

It all depends on your ideology.

From my viewpoint, infrastructure is capital. It is okay that real estate owners are compensated with money. Resident volunteers have ideological, sentimental, and quality of life returns, rather than monetary returns.

**RickBeall** · September-25-10, 02:35 AM

You Corktown folks are really making it happen. Big hearts and strong backs!

**barnesfoto** · September-25-10, 10:40 AM

If one follows the links, one can learn, [[a)that donations to the project can be made via paypal and [[b) that the property has been purchased from the city by a group of concerned citizen volunteers, also known as "community organizers" who have been working and organizing others to work on the project...

From the links, one can also read of a connection to Chicago Community Activists and the US Social Forum that was so mocked by our conservocrite friends on this board a few months ago.

A great example of community activism, the kind that was loudly mocked by John McCain and company at the Republican Convention in 2008.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · September-25-10, 12:14 PM

Barnes: Very well put.

**jon** · January-08-11, 07:07 PM

Totally missed this thread! I run the non-profit that is currently rehabilitating Spaulding Court, you can find our sparse website here: www.spauldingcourt.com. We're also on facebook. We are always looking for help--tradesfolk, engineers, paper pushers and general do-gooders shouldn't hesitate, write me at jonkoller@gmail.com.

We're also hiring a organizing intern for a weekly fundraiser we run. It's a six month position that pays $600 a month [[enough for the frugal to get by in Detroit). See the posting here.

I'm always happy to show people around the place, just let me know.

**tallboy66** · January-09-11, 08:58 PM

Not to put anyone down but

"It's also a much less expensive city than Chicago."

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100906/...#ixzz1AaolVeYv

is not a reason to move or live someplace, it's nice to do it in Corktown since it took a hit after Tiger stadium was done away with but what type of people do they hope to sell to or attract?

**jon** · January-10-11, 11:46 PM

what type of people do they hope to sell to or attract?

The adventurous type, this lady seems to want to move here:

http://www.shareable.net/blog/detroi...american-dream

**Al Publican** · January-11-11, 02:37 AM

Having one lived in Corktown for years, I can't place Spaulding Court. What are the cross streets?

**Pam** · January-11-11, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

Having one lived in Corktown for years, I can't place Spaulding Court. What are the cross streets?

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ta...ourt%20detroit

Ravine · January-11-11, 08:43 AM

Thanks, Pam. Now, I know the place under discussion. Depending on which route away from downtown I use, I pass it on my way home.
"North Corktown," my ass. "Upper Hell" is more like it. That is absolutely the most appallingly sad-looking set of quarters I've seen around here. I don't know of its current status, but when I drive by and look over into that court, I imagine a hot summer day with a pack of barefoot & shirtless ragamuffins running around, trying to amuse themselves, inside of that awful enclosure.
One would have to be a fuckin' magician to transform that oppressive, creepy place into anything attractive or desirable.
They should oughtta call it the Stygian Quarter.

**Pam** · January-11-11, 01:50 PM

I imagine a hot summer day with a pack of barefoot & shirtless ragamuffins running around, trying to amuse themselves, inside of that awful enclosure.

At least they can't get hit by a car out there.

One would have to be a fuckin' magician to transform that oppressive, creepy place into anything attractive or desirable.

All it needs is some landscaping and a few windows. Well, maybe a lot of windows. Certainly not the ugliest building I've ever seen though.

**jon** · January-22-11, 12:59 PM

Anybody have have memories or documents on Spaulding Court in north corktown? Built in 1912 is about as far as I got.

**Jimaz** · January-22-11, 01:09 PM

Search finds these other threads:

**jon** · January-22-11, 01:26 PM

One would have to be a fuckin' magician to transform that oppressive, creepy place into anything attractive or desirable.

Best thing I've ever heard. Make's me feel like a magician!

**jon** · January-22-11, 01:34 PM

Just recent stuff in on here so far. This photo and some old fire insurance maps are pretty much all the old school stuff I've got, this pic from 1974, before things went downhill.

**Jimaz** · January-22-11, 02:50 PM

That looks like something out of A Pattern Language [[1977). It's about architecture for the way people really live.

I can't get over that gorgeous stonework. What other buildings have stonework like that?

**lalynch** · January-22-11, 02:55 PM

Have you checked with the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Main Library?

Old newspapers from about when Spaulding Court was built?

Check the Detroit city directories for over the years to see who lived in the apartments over the years.

Maybe a lot of work but it might reveal someone interesting that lived there.
I liked to check census records for people affiliated with the historic buildings that I research. It tells me something about the person.