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Ilitch asks for OK to demolish Madison Lenox


Allan

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The Ilitches consider themselves renovators and restorers. Yet the last time I checked, they had only restored one building. What about all the other buildings they own? Or will they just let them sit and continue to rot away until there's so little left worth saving that they can demolish them for yet another surface lot? The LAST thing Detroit needs is another surface lot downtown. Maybe "surface parking lot creaters" would be a better title for them instead of "renovators & restorers"

Ilitch asks for OK to demolish Madison Lenox

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Wait....CNN said he was doing good things for Detroit? You can't believe everything you hear. All he did was give us a brand new stadium, made the Tigers crappy, and restored the Fox Theater. What about all the other buildings he's letting decay, or all the surface parking lots he created? He's done more bad than good for the city.

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He owns:

United Artist Theater

Detroit Building

Madison Lenox Hotel

As well as several parking lots (which had buildings on them when he bought them)

I don't know why he doesn't sell them to a developer. All the really bad buildings downtown are owned by him because he doesn't maintain them at all. All he cares about is "satisfying the parking demand Downtown." :rolleyes:

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Commission to decide Madison-Lenox's fate

Preservationists fight plan to replace it with lot

January 14, 2004

BY JOHN GALLAGHER

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

In a battle that pits parking versus preservation, Detroit's Historic District Commission is to decide tonight whether to allow the Ilitch family to demolish the historic Madison-Lenox Hotel.

Located in the Madison-Harmonie Historic District, the vacant apartment hotel is an eyesore but one that preservationists say could be renovated into a boutique hotel.

Ilitch Holdings, the company started by sports and pizza magnates Mike and Marian Ilitch, owns the Madison-Lenox and plans to tear it down for a parking lot for about 85 cars. City officials support their plan, and in August 2002 the city's Downtown Development Authority authorized a $700,000 loan to the Ilitches to pay for demolition.

Under that plan, Ilitch Holdings could receive another $340,000 in loans from the DDA if it had a new development plan for the site by June 2005.

But demolition has been delayed due to protests over the building's fate.

Preservationists contend the structure is a key part of the city's emerging entertainment district. The Madison-Lenox sits across the street from the Detroit Athletic Club and within steps of Comerica Park, Ford Field and the Detroit Opera House. Tearing it down would leave a big gap in the middle.

Second, extensive tax credits are available to redevelop historic property, and these can make such a deal attractive to developers, said Blair McGowan, a Grosse Ile-based investor in historic properties who opposes demolition of the hotel.

"When we knock down a heritage property, we not only throw bricks and mortar into the Dumpster, we also throw away the advantage Detroit has over the suburbs, a huge subsidy for rebuilding Detroit," he said Tuesday.

Preservationists also point out that similar century-old structures in the downtown area have been successfully remade as lofts, offices or retail.

A spokesman for the Ilitches did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment. But in late 2002, Denise Ilitch, president of Ilitch Holdings, said restoring the Madison-Lenox would cost too much and "the greatest need and greatest use for that property is to satisfy the parking demands" of the area.

The Historic District Commission consists of seven members appointed by the mayor. Tonight's meeting will be held at 5:35 p.m. in City Council chambers.

Built initially as two towers, the seven-story Madison was erected in 1900 and the eight-story Lenox three years later. The two hotels were connected by a dining area later. The structure served as a residential hotel for many years and during Detroit's decline as a rooming house. The structure has been closed and vacant since the early 1990s.

For buildings that sit in landmark districts, the Historic District Commission must approve any demolition permits. If the commission grants the Ilitches' wish and blesses the demolition, preservations could appeal that decision in the courts.

If the commission denies permission to tear down the building, the Ilitches could appeal to the state's Historic Preservation Review Board and, if denied there, to the courts.

Contact JOHN GALLAGHER at 313-222-5173 or [email protected].

Locating the Madison-Lenox

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I know the mayor wants it demo'd. But since the historic commission denied the request, Ilitch has to consider other options. By the rules, Ilitch has to try selling the property for at least one year before it can ever be demolished, which he admitted that he has not done.

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It'll be interesting to see where this goes. The city wants it demolished, the Ilitches want it demolished. Maybe now they'll look at some of the renovation plans that have been offered to them time and time again. Wouldn't the building renovated into apartments or a hotel make more money per year that a parking lot would? Ilitch has some sort of problem if all he is concerned about is "satisfying the parking demand in downtown Detroit." There are already more parking spots than people who line & work downtown. Why do we need more?

Panel denies Madison-Lenox demolition

January 15, 2004

BY CECIL ANGEL

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Detroit Historic District Commission voted Wednesday to deny the Ilitch family permission to demolish the historic Madison-Lenox Hotel for a parking lot.

Commissioners said they had no choice because Ilitch Holdings, the company founded by sports and pizza magnates Mike and Marian Ilitch, repeatedly failed to provide information as to why the century-old building should be torn down.

The Ilitches could appeal the commission's decision to the state's Historic Preservation Review Board and, if denied there, to the courts.

Amru Meah, director of the Detroit Buildings and Safety Engineering Department, said the city had been prepared to take the Ilitches to court to allow it to demolish the dilapidated hotel.

He urged the commission not to allow its frustration with Ilitch Holdings to influence its vote. He said the building is an eyesore that should be torn down. "We will fight this issue as far as we can to make sure this building is demolished," he said.

Jay Bielfield, attorney for the Ilitches, told the commissioners the Ilitches are committed to the city and have invested millions of dollars in the construction of Comerica Park and the renovation of the Fox Theatre.

"I think it's fair to say that, if not for Mike and Marian Ilitch, this city would not be where it is today," he said

But Commissioner Rainy Hamilton Jr. replied, "You nor the Ilitches are above the law."

He said the commissioners had been asking for the information for 1 1/2 years but received nothing.

"Follow the process. It's required," Hamilton told the Ilitches' attorney.

Built initially as two towers, the seven-story Madison was erected in 1900 and the eight-story Lenox three years later. The two hotels were later connected by a dining area. The structure served as a residential hotel for many years. The structure near the Detroit Opera House downtown has been closed and vacant since the early 1990s.

Contact CECIL ANGEL at 313-223-4531 or [email protected].

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