Quote Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto View Post
No, I'm not conflicted. I'm just saying that:

1. The arena district is not going to be the God-send that some [[including you, emu steve) think will be a kickstarter to saving downtown Detroit. It's going to be a hockey arena, with enormous parking garages and maybe a few blocks of restaurants, bars, small offices and retail. See also: Columbus.

I would not be surprised if it were designed to be psychologically cordoned-off from the rest of downtown, as the primary goal of this project is to make money for Olympia [[not revitalize the rest of downtown). In fact, I expect this area to function more like a suburban subdivision or shopping center than an urban neighborhood.

2. For the length of time that these properties sat vacant [[and all the destruction that was necessary to create these vacant lots), one questions whether or not Detroit would be better off had the properties been developed instead of sat-upon by their owner.

3. Same goes for your comment regarding the Hudson's site. By the time a new building opens, it will have only been 18 years since that building was speculatively demolished "to spur renaissance in downtown". Totally worth it, right? Never mind that redevelopment has taken place *everywhere but* this lot--you know, in those "old obsolete dinosaur" buildings that our old friend Rasputin wanted to tear down so many times over.

4. There is nothing "architecturally significant" about the new arena. And regardless of what the media says, odds are that a new building on the Hudson's site will not be architecturally significant, either. I mean, what are they going to do--add a ton of pointless cantilevers and clad it in glass, like every other architecture firm on earth does? Oooooh--how revolutionary! This, like much modern architecture, will at best be a high-concept sculpture that fails to act as a reasonably-performing building.

"Decide how the storefronts will interact with Woodward"? It's laughable. You put the damn storefronts right at the edge of the sidewalk, and then add your artistic embellishments--you know, architecture. I didn't realize that fundamental concepts of design required so many meetings.

The saddest part is that Detroit has gone well out of its way--and spent millions of dollars--to DEMOLISH ACTUAL SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL ICONS. So please, spare me the crap.

And yeah--Dan Gilbert [[as much as I admire the development he's doing)--the guy who wanted a public sculpture of dice and casino chips in downtown Cleveland--is the one who's going to insist on a world-class design for the Hudson's site. I'll believe it when I see it.
This was a great post....