Unwelcome visitor to 1515 [[Wurlitzer building)

[begingri]

BY STEVE NEAVLING

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


The impact was so loud, people living in downtown Detroit called 911 to report an explosion. But what really happened keeps Chris Jaszczak up at night.

While asleep in his loft atop his popular coffee shop, 1515 Broadway café, a 50-pound chunk of decorative trim plunged 13 stories from the high-rise Wurlitzer Building next door, puncturing Jaszczak's roof and sending a ceiling beam through his front window on April 12. Shards of glass rained on Broadway. He was not injured.

Neither he nor the City of Detroit, court records show, are surprised by the incident: Glass, bricks, window frames and pieces of terra cotta have been falling for nearly a decade from the downtown building, despite the city sending notices to the owner to fix it.

The building is owned by 1509 Broadway LLC. That company is owned by a local attorney, who, along with his wife -- who is a judge -- bought the building in 1995.

The Wurlitzer illustrates, to an extreme degree, the battle that city officials have with landlords whose properties are in ruin -- and often pose a public safety threat.
Meanwhile, neighbors of the Wurlitzer live and work in fear of what might come next.

"This has been a nightmare," Jaszczak said, pointing to debris from the Wurlitzer that is scattered across his roof. "The building has been falling apart for years. I'm on edge all the time."

Continued at: http://www.freep.com/article/20110508/NEWS01/105080520/Wurlitzer-Building-shedding-bricks-poses-threat-city-says?odyssey=nav|head

[mcsdetroitfriend]

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...er-building%29

[313rd]

begingri....do you have any input on the forum? or do you just post stories from local papers?

[begingri]

begingri....do you have any input on the forum? or do you just post stories from local papers?

I mainly post stories from local papers. I read a lot of news online and post stories here to see what people think about them. I enjoy reading the responses. I don't post on many forums. I "lurk" on a few though. The only difference is I create a username and post news articles on the forums instead of just reading them.

[Buy American]

The problem with the Wurlitzer Building was brought to DetroitYes attention in August, 2010 under the title "Brick trouble at Wurlitzer". I don't know how to bring that forum up but there are pictures of the facade coming off.

[mcsdetroitfriend]

It's in the existing thread about the Wurlitzer I posted above

[Meddle]

Always helps to read the board before posting.

[313rd]

I mainly post stories from local papers. I read a lot of news online and post stories here to see what people think about them. I enjoy reading the responses. I don't post on many forums. I "lurk" on a few though. The only difference is I create a username and post news articles on the forums instead of just reading them.

Fair enough

[Bham1982]

Check out the huge penalties on this building in Chicago that was found to have black mold:
http://www.1000westlofts-lawsuit.com/site/

$8 million in building code violations! That's alot of money for the city.

LOL; the city will never see even 5% of the alleged fines, and they know it.

Those types of running violation counts are only for lurid press releases and political pandering. There will eventually be some sort of agreement, and the property can proceed with marketing.

If Chicago [[or Detroit for that matter) ever attempted to collect on such an outstanding fine, the would have a worthless building generating no taxes.