"Ugly New Buildings On Cass"

[JohnnyFreddy]

Why is it that Wayne State, when given a perfect opportunity to build something
beautiful, lasting, somewhat blending with it's surroundings, building....in a very
visible important spot.....builds such an UGLY, looking like it was meant for lower-
class housing, bottom of the architecture graduate class...building...right across
from Main Wayne, on THE main street going through campus.
That whole corner/block had so much potential, as the new, 21st century entrance
to Wayne University. That whole block, including and especially the corner at
Woodward and Warren, could have been, and should have been, a beautiful
new, tall multi-use building with an entrance green mall, shiny new skyscraper,
with built-in parking, ground floor retail space [[encompassing existing businesses
on Warren@Cass)...yes, lot's of housing, but offices as well, maybe even a few classrooms, but....NO. They instead opted to build a 'BUTT-UGLY' housing unit,
fit only for third world ghettos. Don't you think all the foreign students [[because
let's face it, that's who it's for, correct)...don't you think they'd rather come over to housing just a little different than what they're used to at home. We're supposed
to be a land of opportunity, not multi-level cram style housing. We have plenty of
space in Detroit, why not at least PRETEND we realize it.
Who exactly is on their planning board anyway, lower class graduates, with
non-existent vision.

[Bham1982]

Can you post a pic? I have not yet seen this bldg. Is this the business school?

I don't think either a tower or underground parking makes any sense.

There's hardly a need for giant towers in this location, and underground parking is fiendishly expensive. I'd rather Wayne put those dollars into classroom education.

[Carey]

I couldn't agree more with JohnnyFreddy's criticism. I drove by there yesterday and thought those apartments looked so...so...suburban. What a disappointment.

[French777]

I think the building looks rather nice. I attend WSU now and think it looks better than some parking lot.

[Bham1982]

Looks fine to me. How is this Third World?

Maybe suburbanized world, but definitely not developing world.

[French777]

The Union at Midtown

[Detroitnerd]

Generica America

[gumby]

I think it looks rather nice from French's picture. what about it is suburban? It maintains the street wall and uses actual brick on the facade.

[Bham1982]

I think it looks rather nice from French's picture. what about it is suburban? It maintains the street wall and uses actual brick on the facade.

Architecturally it is very suburban in form and style, but you are right that it meets the street wall and presents an urban face.

It's also fairly dense, which is good for the Wayne area.

[Zacha341]

And not sound proof I am certain! You can hear a toilet handle turn in some of these new buildings. Still better than abandoned lots and brown fields. Who is the builder? Some do a better job at insulation than others...

Generica America

[rhythmc]

Thanks for the pic. Though the buildings are decent looking, they seem lacking in character for an old city like Detroit.

[Gsgeorge]

I'm still in shock that Wayne State decided to wholesale demolish the corner of Warren & Woodward, which is now a sprawling dirt lot interspersed with ancient alleyway telephone poles, and at the same time allow the construction of this pre-fab nightmare. I thought WSU was doing a lot of progressive, cool things in Midtown. Guess I was wrong. This was a horrible idea! I don't see how a WSU "front lawn" fits into this space, especially with the new apartment block and pathetic lone ghetto Subway shack in the middle of it. Makes no sense to me. A great opportunity lost.

[old guy]

Architecturally speaking I agree, it does look a little better than an empty lot.

[Crew]

Why are we blaming Wayne State for this new building? I thought it was a private developer on privte property and NOT a university project. Am I wrong?

[Joseph C. Krause]

The new building is not the worst thing possible, but it's not that great, either. The proportioning between the gables is off, apparently so that cars can drive through a little glory hole in the front rather than just using the alley like they should. Now students walking down Cass have a new place to be run over by an impatient motorist

The demolition of the rest of the block is outrageous and I'm ashamed of my alma mater.

[DetroitPlanner]

Why are we blaming Wayne State for this new building? I thought it was a private developer on privte property and NOT a university project. Am I wrong?

I am pretty sure that you are correct. WSU never owned those buildings to begin with.

[Joseph C. Krause]

Good clarification -- I assumed this was a new WSU building. But again, I have a bigger problem with their recent demolition spree than this new construction project.

[DetroitPlanner]

Good clarification -- I assumed this was a new WSU building. But again, I have a bigger problem with their recent demolition spree than this new construction project.

If I am not mistaken WSU owned the buildings on the Woodward Side as well as the building where I had industrial psychology W of Woodward on Warren Ave.

[gazhekwe]

When I looked at French's picture, I thought brownstone. It doesn't really have the character, but it does look a bit like row houses. That is a city look, not suburban, in my mind. Maybe suburban where they imitate historic city looks, like in RO and Southfield.

[French777]

I do know that almost more than 75% of the apartments are leased for Fall 2011. It is really expensive to live there. A two bedroom Apt. went for $1,400 + [[utilities are included though). Their website makes it look like its $734.00 a month, but that is a Per Person Rate.

[swingline]

With its masonry color and roof lines, the architect for this project admirably attempted to respect the stature of Old Main across the street. Overall, though, this is a poorly executed building. An inadequate construction budget is the probable reason for why this effort largely failed. The gable proportions are a big miss and expose this project as a modular build. Developers sometime go that route with relatively simple exterior elevations and standardized, unitized interiors. Unfortunately, modular projects often project a kind of cheap and insubstantial presence. That's what has happened here. It's a decent building with good urban form and the city's density could benefit from more like it. But this project squanders much of the potential of its prominent site.

[Danny]

That corner of Woodward and W. Warren Ave. does look like a open brownfield destined to become a greenfield. Unfortunately it strips out retail stores and predestrian life in Midtown Detroit. Midtown is going through some early gentrification, but it needs neighborhood growth not park and ride growth. Most of the old Detroit apts. are been kept out and others not maintianed after the crack plague. So its going to take a long time for Midtown Detroit to be turn a ghetto slum and it safe and virbrant area. Please bear their mess and dust while they fix up the area and later we will see a real ethnically diversed community.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET!

Because gentrification will be the cause to end the ghetto and begin the neighborhood for Neda's sake.

[JBMcB]

With its masonry color and roof lines, the architect for this project admirably attempted to respect the stature of Old Main across the street. Overall, though, this is a poorly executed building.

Agreed. The overall architecture is designed to somewhat mirror Old Main, but doing that kind of construction these days is expensive. In this economy, in this city, on that spot, with their funds, it's probably the best they could do.

[Whitehouse]

Perhaps planting some trees nearby would make these buildings look a bit better. And I don't mean in a way that the trees will obscure the building, I mean really enhance the environment.
I don't know the English word for this type of trees. We call them leilinde. This is what they look in winter.


You see these quite often over here.

[sirrealone]

I see a nice building that is built of brick, has lots of windows, is without berms or barriers to the surrounding area, and looks nicer than any student housing I ever had access to. Just goes to show that no matter what, people will always find something to complain about, am I right?