Metropolitan Building to become Starwood Hotel

[Gistok]

I am not going to argue that no buildings we've lost downtown were worthy of saving. But, when thinking of all that were torn down, I think downtown would be a lot less inviting if there were an additional 100+ downtown sitting decaying, graffiti covered. 10 or more years ago there was an eerie void of a city downtown, with ghost building after ghost building. More than a little daunting to businessmen, large and small. I think we are still managing to save & restore more buildings than most cities. I regret a number of losses, but not most of them. As I like to point out about the granddaddy of them all: In today's downtown market, the Hudson's building could have been restored and put to good use. But if it were still around, we wouldn't have today's downtown market.

Also worth noting: many [[maybe most?) downtown restorations have included substantial numbers of grants and tax credits to finance them. Such things are finite in number and size. A lot more buildings to renovate does not mean that there would be any more money to do the renovations.

Not sure where you get the inflated 100 building count.... many buildings were long destroyed in the 1950s and 1960s.... no one is talking about those.

But if you talk about the very unique architect C. Howard Crane [[Detroit Opera House, Fox Theatre, State Theatre, Orchestra Hall, United Artists, Olympia Arena) designed Lafayette Building... we were lied to by the DEGC that it was in danger of falling down.....

So instead of this unique and attractive "V" shaped building that could have house a lot of lofts.....
http://www.detroityes.com/webisodes/...ayetteBldg.php

We have this....
https://www.google.com/search?q=Lafa...4dIxvb9z8uM%3A

... a world class cabbage patch....

[mikeg19]

Not sure where you get the inflated 100 building count.... many buildings were long destroyed in the 1950s and 1960s.... no one is talking about those.

Yea I agree with that. I'm not going to wax poetic about stuff torn down over the years, but there are probably a good dozen downtown buildings that were needlessly torn down for idiotic reasons that would have really tied into the fabric of today's emerging downtown and provided the streetwall we all so desire. We've all seen/compiled the lists of those we wish were still here, but it is what it is. We just need to make sure that we prevent such things from happening in the future.