Excuse me if another thread has been started on this, couldn't find one. Also, it's not in Detroit proper, but Detroit utilities may have had something to do with it. About a year ago, construction started right on the corner of 15 mile and Gratiot, in the empty lot in front of Lowes [[sorry, tried a Google Map link, doesn't seem to be working for me). Google does seem to show the lot before construction started, just an empty parking lot. While construction was going on, there was a kind of debris fence around the area, not so much for secrecy, but to keep dust and debris from getting out of the site. However, it did make it difficult to observe what was going on inside. They dug a hole approx half the size of a football field [[probably bigger than that...) and about 3 stories down. The walls were reinforced with steel, like corrugated seawall. There was a ramp for trucks leading to the bottom, and a lot of odd looking trucks going in and out, up and down the ramp. There appeared to be some sot of structures at the bottom of the hole. I thought it would be interesting to see what type of building was going to be put up there. Never got out and poked around, just watched once or twice a week driving by on the way home from work. I never expected the finished result, it appeared they filled the hole up, levelled it off, compacted the dirt above it, and left??!? Looks like nothing ever happened there, but all this stuff is left undergound...
My guess is a pumping station, water from the lake, sewage, or storm water; but nothing torn up around the area for pipes to lead in or out. There used to be a Montgomery Wards on the site, so I don't think they fixed, repaired, or updated anything that may have already been down there. Anyone know anything about it?