Demolition to Clear way for amphitheater in Hart Plaza

**davewindsor** · November-21-10, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

I love the people on here that want Detroit to become a better place, but they don't want to tear anything down. Sure you could pay millions to fix this place up, but what would the purpose be?

Who's saying that they don't want to tear "anything" down?! The purpose is that the money can be better spent tearing down some of the thousands of firebombed houses in the city that make it look like a dump. To demo and build new is $50m. How is that a good use of limited funds when it can be better spent elsewhere. If it's $7,500 to demolish and clear the debris of a fire bombed house, you can spend $1m to refurbish the theatre if there really is a demand for these seats and use the remaining $49,000,000 dividing by $7,500 to demolish 653 houses. The city would look like a much better place without these unsafe houses. Visitors can't even tell that Ford theatre has been abandoned for a couple decades unless someone tells them.. Looking from Jefferson, I can't. But, you most certainly can see the fire bombed houses in Brush Park and the rest of the city. How is keeping these firebombed and unsafe houses making the city a better place??.

EastSider · November-21-10, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

The greening, blueing and other options are great for that area, but so long as parking is such as hassle downtown many will be deterred from visiting as frequently as they would. Parking downtown is bad... especially during peak summer events.

"Parking" is not bad downtown, even during events. The lack of spaces in front of the facility for every attendee might be considered "bad" in the "shopping mall" mindset, but there is plenty of parking downtown for any event.

**Magnatomicflux** · November-21-10, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by EastSider

"Parking" is not bad downtown, even during events. The lack of spaces in front of the facility for every attendee might be considered "bad" in the "shopping mall" mindset, but there is plenty of parking downtown for any event.

I don't think alot of people even realize just how far they usually walk from their car to the store they want in the mall.

**Gistok** · November-21-10, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

I love the people on here that want Detroit to become a better place, but they don't want to tear anything down. Sure you could pay millions to fix this place up, but what would the purpose be?

Not sure what your implying... but the city built a 3,000 seat amphitheatre [[with seating) in Chene Park in the 1980s.... only to tear it down for a larger 6,000 seat amphitheatre [[with seating) in the 1990s.... and now they want to tear it down to up up a "grassy 5,000 seat amphitheatre" where Ford Auditorium will be torn down...

Sounds like lots of tearing down to me....

**stasu1213** · November-21-10, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

The Freep article mentions of Ford Auditorium "as the acoustics began to deteriorate".... WTF does that mean??

The acoustics were horrible from day one... they didn't suddenly or slowly deteriorate... they sucked from the get go... no clue where that journalist got that idea??

When Ford Auditorium was first planned it was planned as a civic auditorium. Only after construction began did they decide to incorporate the DSO to perform there... by then the construction of the space was too far along to do serious acoustics modifications, and what changes they did make were "too little too late". Even the organ had to be modified to play louder to try to throw sound into the dead spaces at the rear of the auditorium.

It would be nice to save the Aoelian Skinner Organ, as well as the Marshall Fredericks mural in the lobby before they demolish it.

As for building an amphitheatre... why? The underutilized [[and poorly scheduled) 6000 seat Chene Park amphitheatre could use more bookings. And we have to remember that the original Chene Park amphitheatre was a 3000 seat theatre built in the early 80s.... only to be ripped apart and enlarged to a 6000 seat venue [[at great expense to the city) in the 1990s. Why should more money be spent to annihilate the venue now?? A big waste of public dollars.

As for it being a noise concern for "potential" new apartments/condos in the area.... let me ask this question... are the people who live in Stroh's River Place complaining about the noise from the amphitheatre nearby? If not, then there's no reason to rip it down.

And getting to Ford Auditorium... it sits atop the Ford Parking Garage. Will that get ripped apart as well? It seems that eliminating underground parking nearby is a real waste of money. Underground parking near the riverfront is greatly prefered to the above ground parking structures that currently block parts of the river view.

Tear down Ford Auditiorium? Fine... but leave the underground parking, and adapt the site to that situation... with green spaces instead of more cement.

And FIX the problems with Chene Park... but don't tear it down!

That area where Chene Park sits is prime land. I had figured that a good thing was coming to an end. Does anyone has photos of Chene Park before the ampitheatre was constructed? I think the park had opened in 1984.

**Magnatomicflux** · November-21-10, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

. Does anyone has photos of Chene Park before the ampitheatre was constructed? I think the park had opened in 1984.

This is all I could find on VMC at the moment, but I think I have the right spot. I'm kinda thinking you were looking for something more recent though. Was it a park before the theater went up? For more recent views however, if we use our imaginations, it was probably shells of these former factories or empty grasslands.

This is the border patrol with their speedboats for catching rumrunners. They would store confiscated booze boats in the slip out front of Globe Furniture, which we see squeezing in on the left of the first pic. So everything to the right is Chene Park.
btw: Anyone know what's up with the flag on the patrol boat?

Attachment 7840

This picture is from inside the slip facing east. So here we're looking at the marina and then the park.

Attachment 7841

Hope that works for you!

**Gistok** · November-21-10, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

That area where Chene Park sits is prime land. I had figured that a good thing was coming to an end. Does anyone has photos of Chene Park before the ampitheatre was constructed? I think the park had opened in 1984.

When Chene Park first opened in the 80s, it opened with a 3,000 seat Amphitheatre. Then it was decided that it wasn't big enough... so they ripped it up to make the hill larger for a 6,000 seat amphitheatre.

Chene Park has ALWAYS had an amphitheatre... either smaller or larger.... so there are no Chene Park photos without an amphitheatre....

DetroitDad · November-21-10, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Stosh

So I can imagine that the grass will look just like all the other parks in the city? Will this nice expanse of grass get cut twice a year?

Those would be great topics for you to request to be added to the agenda, so that you can ask about them at the next city council meeting you attend, Stosh.

Should I expect to see you there?

Stosh · November-21-10, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitDad

Those would be great topics for you to request to be added to the agenda, so that you can ask about them at the next city council meeting you attend, Stosh.

Should I expect to see you there?

Hell no, they'd just give me the fish eye. Have YOU ever gone and spoken?

I suppose that they would give you the bum's rush too, once they found out your address.

DetroitDad · November-21-10, 11:03 PM

So are you saying I'm white trash, or telling me I should be afraid of black people?

Originally Posted by Stosh

Hell no, they'd just give me the fish eye. Have YOU ever gone and spoken?

I suppose that they would give you the bum's rush too, once they found out your address.

Stosh · November-21-10, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitDad

So are you saying I'm white trash, or telling me I should be afraid of black people?

I suppose that you can figure out what they will tell you when you get there.
Remember how you complained about not getting counted on the census?
Did you ever get counted?

**slick** · November-22-10, 01:12 PM

Getting back to Hart Plaze and the east end, raze Ford Auditorium.

What if we also razed the Veterans Building? I do not think it is being used to its full poetential. Sorry if I upset any Veterans, I am just trying to open up the whole area east and west of Hart Plaza.

**BrushStart** · November-22-10, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by slick

Getting back to Hart Plaze and the east end, raze Ford Auditorium.

What if we also razed the Veterans Building? I do not think it is being used to its full poetential. Sorry if I upset any Veterans, I am just trying to open up the whole area east and west of Hart Plaza.

Veterans Bldg is in use. UAW is in there. Not sure if it's 100% used, but much of it is.