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Lee Plaza Photos


wolverine

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The damage isn't as bad as it looks. The interior walls have to go anyway. Structurally, the building is fine, and the facade will need limited repair where the Lions heads were removed and around the windows. I think the fact that the outside won't need major repair is a big plus when it comes to renovation. I also noticed that parts of the roof were repaired recently. Hopefully that will stop the water damange.

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Nice photos. When can I sign my lease? Haha.

Lee Plaza was completed in 1929 & designed by architect Charles Noble, who also designed the Kean Apartments on East Jefferson. Lee Plaza was essentially an apartment building with hotel-like services. It was the most grand apartment building in Detroit, rivaling such hotels as the Book-Cadillac. Unfortunately, its location just over a mile from New Center was a strike against it.

The building closed in 1995. It was secured from the elements and vandals for five years. However, in 2000, the lions from the building began disappearing. Eventually several showed up on a new condominum project in Chicago. The FBI got involved, and most of the details were returned to Detroit. They now sit in a DPD lockup, awaiting the building's renovation.

The elements have taken their toll. Along with the removal of the lions, the windows were also removed, leaving the building completely open to the elements. The building is deteriorating very quickly. In recent weeks, scavengers have even started removing the copper from the roof and selling it for scrap.

The building is owned by the Detroit Housing Commission, which has said that it intends to renovate the building. The city issued RFPs for the building, which are due in June. The sale price for the building is $60,000. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the RFPs.

In either case, the building is a very unique building unlike any other building in the city. It would be a real tragedy to loose Lee Plaza. The least the city could do is secure it to keep the scavengers from destroying the building even further, but they haven't even bothered to do that.

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While we are on the topic, here is a pano I took from the roof of Lee Plaza earlier this year. The pano actually stretches from Corktown to the areas north of New Center, but I never finished stitching the whole thing together because I have never been happy with it. I have been meaning to go reshoot the pano, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. One of these days....

lee.jpg

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Opps. You're right, it is $600k. Haha, I should've checked the RFP again before I posted that. Detroit must have high hopes for Lee Plaza if they think they're going to get $600k for it. Then again, it is likely that the city is trying to weed out the developers who don't have the means to complete such a large project.

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Detroit cant afford to hold on to these properties at such a high price. They should leave that to the slumlords in the city. Why not just do what they did for Compuware and if the right developer shows interest sell the building for $1.00. At this point they are better getting people in there than holding out for the price of the building.

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Now your starting to talk like Freman Hendrix!

Currently there is some law that say the city has to sell their properties for "market value". Freman wants to change it so the city turns property it aquires quickly by getting what ever they can get for the property at the time as long as it goes to someone won't Illich it. The philosophy is that for one, it helps to get property occupied and two, when it is occupied, it will generate a consistant source of revenue for the city in taxes.

If you want to read his plan it can be found here:

http://www.fremanhendrix.com/neighborhoods.htm

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I didnt even realize that was one thing that Freman was proposing. Im starting to like him more and more. I think getting people in the buildings and building a tax base is important and selling the properties or buildings cheap will entice developers to build there. Once the city gets going they can begin to charge market value because there will be a demand for it.

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Great link, I had no idea what his adgenda was, very impressive.

I absolutly agree on the $1.00 home/bld idea...and the philos. around it. bravo.

bravo freman...

side note: did Kwame sound this prepared and organized when he orig. ran for office? How in the world did he get ellected. Please feel free to answer this in the mayoral thread :grin:

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Yeah, you'd think constant revenue would be much more important than having empty lots sitting around that they have to maintain. I never understood that "market value" rule. Besides, how do you determine what "market value" is? Apparently not by what someone will pay for it, since if that was the case they'd be selling them.

Of course having a source for the income is only half the battle. The other half is taking the money. I don't know about my property tax because my bank handles that, but as far as my income tax, the city has yet to cash my check. :huh:

Currently there is some law that say the city has to sell their properties for "market value".  Freman wants to change it so the city turns property it aquires quickly by getting what ever they can get for the property at the time as long as it goes to someone won't Illich it.  The philosophy is that for one, it helps to get property occupied and two, when it is occupied, it will generate a consistant source of revenue for the city in taxes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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Now your starting to talk like Freman Hendrix!

Currently there is some law that say the city has to sell their properties for "market value".  Freman wants to change it so the city turns property it aquires quickly by getting what ever they can get for the property at the time as long as it goes to someone won't Illich it.  The philosophy is that for one, it helps to get property occupied and two, when it is occupied, it will generate a consistant source of revenue for the city in taxes.

If you want to read his plan it can be found here:

http://www.fremanhendrix.com/neighborhoods.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The more I read about Hendrix, the more I wish I could take up residence in Detroit just to vote for him. I hope he gets elected, and then stands to his promis!

MrCoffee

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