New Campus Housing in Midtown

[Danny]

There is a new campus housing coming soon to Midtown [[WSU Campus Area). It's called the "The Union" It will be located on the corner of Cass anf W.Warren Ave. A great demand for housing and a to build campus life.

[p1acebo]

There is a new campus housing coming soon to Midtown [[WSU Campus Area). It's called the "The Union" It will be located on the corner of Cass anf W.Warren Ave. A great demand for housing and a to build campus life.

Right where all that deconstruction occurred eh? Any idea when it will be finished?

[Hypestyles]

will the rent be modest? or extremely elevated to attract established types?

[Pcm]

There is a new campus housing coming soon to Midtown [[WSU Campus Area). It's called the "The Union" It will be located on the corner of Cass anf W.Warren Ave. A great demand for housing and a to build campus life.

Already being discussed here, Danny.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...?t=6154&page=3

[Detroitnerd]

There's some kind of sick pleasure to be had in noting that they demolished an Italianate residential dorm for the parking structure on Putnam and Cass, and now they're crowing about building student housing on Warren ... they could have had a historic treasure, but ... oh, well, the narrative they're telling is much more flattering to them than the reality ...

[Carey]

DNerd: Are you talking about Mackenzie hall? Wasn't that torn down, or blown up, about 20 years and four or five WSU presidents ago?

[French777]

Attachment 7737


There is a trailer parked by the UCCA house at Forest & Cass that reads "The Union" on it.

[Detroitnerd]

DNerd: Are you talking about Mackenzie hall? Wasn't that torn down, or blown up, about 20 years and four or five WSU presidents ago?

Imploded in the early 1990s, by Wrecking Sledge University.

http://buildingsofdetroit.com/conten...tage-postcards

[stromberg2]

Wow, what an impressive building that was.

Stromberg2

[English]

I honestly have no memory of Mackenzie Hall, and I was coming to Wayne State's campus as a kid in the 1980s. Was it shut down before it was demolished?

[Detroitnerd]

Originally, Mackenzie Hall was a private hotel. The university bought it, and used it as housing for students. A few floors were women-only, a few floors were men-only, and I think there were one or two floors for married students. If that sounds fusty, remember, it was the 1940s. They used it for administration toward the end. With the university's new emphasis on housing for students, it sure feels like a missed opportunity, and so the death of "Big Mack" can be attributed to that uniquely Detroit malady: a lack of vision.

[Gistok]

Detroitnerd... I remember being in the lobby in the 70s.... nice Pewabic Tiles on the lobby walls.... but I'm sure WSU had the foresight to save those tiles....

[Carey]

Mack Hall was impressive in many ways, though the offices were small and shabby toward the end. It would have taken a huge renovation and lots of money to turn it into a 21st Century dorm, though how nice it would be to have it sitting on Cass today. WSU's preservation record isn't all bad: It did a nice job with Old Main, the president's house, David Mackenzie's residence, the Thompson Home for Old Ladies [[at Cass and Hancock)...am I missing anything?

[detroitbob]

Mackenzie was one of the three or four Art Center apartment hotels, like the Belcrest, and the Wardell Apartment Hotel [[The Park Shelton was originally named after FredWardell, founder of Detroit's Eureka Vacuum Cleaning Company.) Based on the size of the office suites, Mackenzie Hall's rooms were smaller than the other two. Had a swimming pool in the basement and the original main dining room was a wretched cafeteria turned vending machine hall. The university claimed it would have to a gut and rehab, cost prohibitive and not popular some 20 years ago. I remember my counselor had to have her window half open in the middle of winter to counteract the uncontrollable steam heat and the power failures in summer due to the window air conditioners running full blast 24/5. Still, the building was a monumental anchor to that end of the campus and I, for one, still miss it's presence.