Bye Bye Madison Lenox

[Frankie811]

Great find Lmich!  This view really shows how much parking was really needed in the area ...  Plus, the black alley walls which are now showing are definitely a nice "welcome to Harmonie Park".  Thanks KK and Mike.

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Suuuuurrrrrreeeee!!!!!!! Great parking indeed!!!!!! Nice job!!!!!!!!

[Ramcharger]

It seems that Detroit has been illegally demolishing buildings for a very long time (click here). I don't think most Detroiters realize what is being lost, even after it's gone.

[Allan]

To my knowledge, old city hall was not demolished illegally. Plans to raze the structure were announced by Mayor Louis C. Miriani after the City-County Building was completed. There was a public outcry, and the group Save Old City Hall was formed. They tried to save the building, but the legal action they took was not enough to save the building (keep in mind that the building was city-owned, and there was nothing in the way of preservation laws). The building was razed in July 1961, shortly after its 90th birthday.

[Ramcharger]

Illegal or not, the fact that the old city hall was publicly owned makes it's demolition all the more shocking. I mention it only as an example of how long this attitude has prevailed in Detroit.

[Allan]

Detroit has never been a city to preserve its past. Much of this was caused by the city's quick growth, since it doubled in population every ten years for quite a long time. In the 1920s the city was looking towards the future, tearing down old office blocks from the 1890s and putting up new skyscrapers. There was public outcry when the 47 story Penobscot Building was put up. Many people considered it to be too plain.

Of course the difference between then and now is that we are replacing our old buildings not with better buildings, but with parking lots and suburbanesque development. The only way to stop it is to change the mindset of everyone in the city, who often view the abandoned buildings as "eyesores" that must come down. It is an uphill battle, and it is just the begining. The United Artists Theater, Fine Arts Building, Charlevoix Building, Park Avenue Building, Detroit Life Building, National Theater, Free Press Building, Lafayette Building, GAR Building, Whitney Building, Broderick Tower, Fort-Shelby Hotel, Book-Cadillac Hotel and many other structures all sit vacant. Some will be saved, but some will be demolished. The next five years are crucial to saving these buildings. If the current momentum downtown continues to grow, more of them will be saved. But if it does not, most will be demolished. The era of dinosaur buildings sitting abandoned in downtown is ending. Time will tell if people will step up to the plate and save these buildings, or if we'll just end up with an even larger assortment of places to park our cars when we go to see a Tiger's game.

[wolverine]

You know, it still shocks me how parking is really not hard to find in Detroit. I have gone to the city at virtually every hour, every day and NEVER in my life had an issue finding a place to park. Not even during the fireworks!!!

Just thought I'd tell a story about parking.

This would be a sin, but I should consider designing parking garages. I would make them look nice though... like River East ramp which is one of my favorites. I'd be rich!!!!! Then I can park my rich-ass car at my rich-ass house in the bleeding edge of Oakland County sprawl. Sorry. I hated. I won't do that again.

BTW, I seriously do like the River East Parking Structure. If Detroit is building them, they should build them to look like it.

Wish I had a picture.

[dnast]

Wish I had a picture.

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Me too ...

Sorry.  I hated.

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I don't know why, but I found that extremely funny! I don't often literally laugh out loud while reading the 'net, but I did just now.

[wolverine]

Found it

Sorry the photo is on a slant. I was driving. And proceeding cautiously through a non-working intersection it appears.

[Allan]

This article is quite timely, since this discussion was just brought up again on the forum yesterday.

http://www.freep.com/realestate/renews/arch7e_20050707.htm

[Fletch]

Good link, Allen. Maybe the destruction of the M-L will be a catalyst for change. I can't believe that some would oppose redevelopment because racism was once practiced there. That's crazy! I didn't realize just how much emotion is invested in keeping these structures in their current state. I thought it was exclusively a business calculation. Boy was I wrong.

[Zissou]

I dont think racism has anything to do with it. There are always developments in the south and they fought to keep slavery. I think Gallagher wrote a very good article and I hope that now after the loss of ML and the Statler that we approach historic buildings differently.

[rbdetsport]

http://www.detnews.com/2005/business/0502/09/C01-84258.htm

What ever happened to this plan? Did the firm just not go ahead with the plan? I remember when this article came out and I was so excited. I really thought this would happen. That was before I was a part of the forum. I m prepared for things to fall through now.

[Allan]

It didn't happen because the Ilitches did not want to sell to the developer. So now we got an unlandscaped parking lot that nobody can park on because it does not comply with city ordinances.