Is there any hope for old Cass Tech?

**masterblaster** · October-20-10, 03:50 PM

Hello, according to the recent news article, old Cass Tech will be demolished starting 1-Nov-2010.

I e-mailed Karen Nagher of Preservation Wayne, and she wrote:

"I have spoken with DPS about this building and some other alumni. There seems to be difficulties with a development plan. However, there is still a slim chance that if someone were to come forward with a plan and money to purchase the building it could still happen but it needs to happen yesterday."

She states that there is a very slim chance. Is there ANY INVESTOR that anyone knows who I/we/Cass Tech alumni can approach and pitch this building to? Is there anyone at all? Maybe a famous alumnus or even an out-of-state investor whom you know?

This building is such an icon. Being right downtown, I just don't understand why no viable plan or investor has materialized.

EastSider · October-20-10, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by masterblaster

Being right downtown, I just don't understand why no viable plan or investor has materialized.

Your answer is in your question.

**R8RBOB** · October-20-10, 04:04 PM

You should go to this thread:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=7494
and read the respond given by detroiturbex. I think the post best state the reason why CT is coming down.

**East Detroit** · October-20-10, 04:10 PM

Tear that schitt down. Buy books instead.

**Islandman** · October-20-10, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Tear that schitt down. Buy books instead.

Tear that schitt down, with the books in it.

Just kidding folks, I went to Cass; sad to see it go. One thing I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is all the books, furniture and other items that are left in properties. Is is cost prohibitive, on top of securing the property, to empty them?!?

An environment has been created that "hell, if you don't want it, we'll take it!" in this town.

**wolverine** · October-20-10, 05:52 PM

Damn shame. I think about the Emery Apartments in Cincinnati and how Cass Tech could've been

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&sa...oid=po-7680945

Let's face it though, CT is doomed.

**detroitbob66** · October-21-10, 12:29 AM

Why all of the sudden is there a hurry to tear down the historic Cass Tech High School, when you still have burned-out eyesore schools still standing, such as Emma Thomas School. If the city wants to tear something down, tear that SCHITT down!

EastSider · October-21-10, 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by detroitbob66

Why all of the sudden is there a hurry to tear down the historic Cass Tech High School

Only in Detroit is 5 years considered "a hurry."

**Danny** · October-21-10, 08:31 AM

There is no hope for old Cass Tech Building DPS will the wrecking crew demolish the structure for a brownfield in no time. So Long Old Cass Tech High School Building thanks for 90 years of service.

**R8RBOB** · October-21-10, 08:39 AM

Old Cass Tech's future was decided the moment DPS displayed the plans for the new Cass Tech. The building was old and had been renovated in the past. It was time to move on, however, the disgrace in all of this was that DPS allowed the old building to continue standing after the last bell had rung. They knew the looters and squatters would turn that building into another decayed ruin in the city of Detroit. The right move here would have been to tear down in 2005.

**rb336** · October-21-10, 08:56 AM

demolition was bid back in spetember. it is going away

**RickBeall** · October-21-10, 08:58 AM

Cue the music:

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9570399

**iheartthed** · October-21-10, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

Old Cass Tech's future was decided the moment DPS displayed the plans for the new Cass Tech. The building was old and had been renovated in the past. It was time to move on, however, the disgrace in all of this was that DPS allowed the old building to continue standing after the last bell had rung. They knew the looters and squatters would turn that building into another decayed ruin in the city of Detroit. The right move here would have been to tear down in 2005.

I thought they couldn't tear down the old building immediately because it was too close to the new building?

**R8RBOB** · October-21-10, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I thought they couldn't tear down the old building immediately because it was too close to the new building?

I don't see a problem with imploding the building. Okay, there will be some dust but the building would gone and just a memory. Nevertheless, Cass Tech alumni like disgraced former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was crying that they should not tear down the building because of all the memories and just like Tiger Stadium, the resident got to see another historical piece of Detroit go into decay. Only in Detroit.

**iheartthed** · October-21-10, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

I don't see a problem with imploding the building. Okay, there will be some dust but the building would gone and just a memory. Nevertheless, Cass Tech alumni like disgraced former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was crying that they should not tear down the building because of all the memories and just like Tiger Stadium, the resident got to see another historical piece of Detroit go into decay. Only in Detroit.

The reasoning, as it was explained to me, was that the new building needed time to settle before the old building could be razed due to the proximity of the buildings to each other. I'm not a civil engineer so I don't know how much truth there is to that explanation...

**Nikki Pooh** · October-21-10, 12:49 PM

Only in Detroit...Why are we so reluctant to accept progress..i.e. Tiger Stadium, upgrades to Cobo Hall, now the Old Cass Tech. Even the MCD [[huge eyesore), I'm sure Matty would face opposition if he ever decided demo it.

**youngdetroiter** · October-21-10, 01:57 PM

Nikki,
I would argue that the Michigan Central [[Train) Depot is almost as iconic and recognizable as the Renaissance Center. While I don't have the same sentiment about the old Cass Tech building, structures such as the MCD should be, and Tiger Stadium should have been, redeveloped. The Italians didn't demolish the Coliseum or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. With all of our vacant land, there is plenty of space of available to embrace progression and modernism without destroying the greatest remnants of our past. Chicago, Toronto, New York, and London are prime examples of how old and new structures can blend and co-exist in the architectural fabric of a city.

**Fnemecek** · October-21-10, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by Nikki Pooh

Only in Detroit...Why are we so reluctant to accept progress..i.e. Tiger Stadium, upgrades to Cobo Hall, now the Old Cass Tech. Even the MCD [[huge eyesore), I'm sure Matty would face opposition if he ever decided demo it.

No one is "reluctant to accept progress", unless your definition of progress is a vacant lot covered with weeds and liter.

1. The Tiger Stadium opposition was because there was a fully funded plan to use facility; one that would have created jobs and tax revenue. Instead, Mayor Bing and the DEGC decided to convert it into a vacant lot that creates neither.

2. Who complained about upgrades to Cobo Hall? There were complaints about transferring ownership, because they thought the City could get a better deal. However, I never heard anyone complain about the upgrades themselves.

3. The Cass Tech remarks are limited to "darn, it's a shame this this will soon be just another vacant lot". If something were being built on the site, those remarks themselves would likely disappear.

**daddeeo** · October-21-10, 02:48 PM

Answer is no.

**R8RBOB** · October-21-10, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

No one is "reluctant to accept progress", unless your definition of progress is a vacant lot covered with weeds and liter.

Fnemecek, as I was reading the comments about CT, I thought about Tiger Stadium and how it was allowed to sit for years empty and unused and it took years to bring down the old girl, so I want to comment on this:

1. The Tiger Stadium opposition was because there was a fully funded plan to use facility; one that would have created jobs and tax revenue. Instead, Mayor Bing and the DEGC decided to convert it into a vacant lot that creates neither.

Now, I believe in progress and if something can be done to a old building [[i.e. Book Cadillac) to bring it back to life then make it happen. A baseball stadium is a different game. No where in this country has a old unused baseball/football stadium have been redeveloped. I could name off some past stadiums that bit the dust. Cominsky Park, Riverfront Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, Veterans Stadium, the Kingdome. I could go on but my point is that a stadium serves only one purpose and to say that a 90 year old stadium could be used for living space was off the wall as it was proposed during the Kilpatrick era. Building a museum would've been cool but you don't need the stadium, just the land. Tiger Stadium was allowed to sit for years and rot. That's disgraceful for a stadium that deserved to be taken apart out of respect just like old Yankee Stadium.

**wolverine** · October-21-10, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by Nikki Pooh

Only in Detroit...Why are we so reluctant to accept progress..i.e. Tiger Stadium, upgrades to Cobo Hall, now the Old Cass Tech. Even the MCD [[huge eyesore), I'm sure Matty would face opposition if he ever decided demo it.

Progress is measured to the economy. Technically a visible sign of progess would be building more than tearing down. Which, new or renovated square footage is very small compared to lost square footage of demolished buildings. Personally, I find it more of a visible failure...whether left standing abandoned or an empty lot... So either way, it's a losing sign.