Lee Plaza Coming down?

[hood]

Actually there is a real proposal to build a space elevator. We currenty have most of the technology needed to contruct a cable strong enough to be anchored several thousand miles into space where vehicles can run up and down it. It would be immensly cheaper than rockets, the cost I think is estimated at around $5 billion. SpaceElevator.com

[MJLO]

That sounds really creepy, I wouldn't go anywhere near something like that. I can't handle the glass elevators on the way up to Coach Insignia.

[mn_body_detroit_hrt]

Hey Allen...that view looks pretty familiar...is that the 16th floor of the Kales shot

[illmatic774]

ROFL, is that Southfield I see?

[rbdetsport]

Look how close Southfield looks in that picture. Those are the Southfield TV Towers right? Great minds think alike illmatic774.

[RustTown]

Yeah, Southfield is visible in the last pic.

[tapezord]

i drove by lee plaza today after the tiger game... it looks absolutly pathetic. I'm affraid that it should probably come down. What a shame!!!

[Michi]

Yah, I saw the blue tarp yesterday too. It looks aweful and the fact that it no longer has a roof just adds to the misery.

[MJLO]

Are there any recent pics on Lee Plaza I can't believe all the things I am hearing. I had no idea it had gone into such decay. Whats really sad is that given it's location, it will probbally be replaced by a CVS pharmacy or something.

[RustTown]

It's not that it's necessarily anymore decayed than its been for years, rather it's one of the most vandalized (stripped) empty high-rises in Detroit. Save for the brick facade, there really isn't much left, that including the copper roof that was stripped a few months back. If the fence is for security (and seeing as we've still heard no word of demolition or renovation it seems that's what it's there for), it's too little too late for Lee Plaza.

I say they drape the huge thing in advertising tarps to raise money for a future renovation (or demolition, if it must be).

[wolverine]

Lee Plaza Photos from last year

[detroitfan]

No, I meant physically move the whole building in one piece. It can be done, as the technology we have is capable of producing machinery to move it. But attempting something like this would be a pipe dream. Who would pay for the machinery to be developed? Who would pay for the billions of dollars in damage to city roads, sewers, and powerlines to get this thing moved down Grand River. We would inhabit Mars before a Lee Plaza would even move five blocks, but Im not denying its impossible!

As far as dismantling the building...that would be impossible. It is made of steel encased in terra cotta masonry and reinforced concrete. The whole thing would fall apart, lol.

You make sound like they'd have to dismantle the entire building just remove the facade scrappers have been doing it for years. It then could be rebuilt in desirable location.

[wolverine]

I think there might be a communication gap or something. We were talking about having the entire building moved which was one discussion, while the other discussion was just removing the facade, which can obviously be done very easily, and then reapplied to another building.

[RustTown]

BTW, the Detroit Funk blog had photos of the stripped roof, but they don't have a search option, making it VERY hard to find the blog entry. I tried looking, last night, but don't have the patience.

[Allan]

dFunk lost most of his posts a while back due to a database problem. He's since reposted some of the more interesting things, but much of it is lost, unfortunately.

[Jasoncw]

well, I'm sure the neighborhood won't be missing it.

If they bulldoze it, afterwards they can sell the rubble. People will buy it!

On a sorta-similar note, I was thinking if it was possible and practical to demolish the towers of these sorts of buildings, and to keep and rennovate the more elaborate part of the building.

The only problems I can think of off the top of my head is that demolishing could damage the bottom floors too (but I think that could be avoided with careful planning), and that the first floors have lobbies and that kind of stuff that might not work well for actually using it.

[wolverine]

The interior of the bottom floors is now so damaged and vandalised that it probably wouldn't be worth saving even the base. But it possible to demolish just the tower portion without damaging the lower levels. It was suggested with the Statler Hotel, and when the time was right, a tower would be placed atop the historic base.

[Jasoncw]

I'm glad that it's possible to do that. It's too bad that it didn't happen for the Statler because it seems like it would have been good.

[Ramcharger]

Perhaps this has been answered before but is the Lee Plaza owned by the City of Detroit or a private citizen? It

[Allan]

Ram, the building is owned by the Detroit Housing Commission. They have long said that they planned to renovate it, but the city issued an RFP, and apparently there weren't any takers.

[RustTown]

Yes, it's owned by the housing commission. I really doubt that they approved the stripping of a roof. This was a scrap job. Then again, anything's possible. It could have very well been an inside job, as the DHC has been in mess for years, and aren't they under investigation, currently?

[RustTown]

BTW, I was just a random search on Flickr for something, and low-and-behold, Allan has a picture showing the stripped roof:

It was also great to finally see the new Woodbridge Estates from above.

[wolverine]

Look at all those fresh new parking lots in Cass park.

[RustTown]

Double Post

[RustTown]

That's probably the first time I didn't notice parking lots, first, in a shot of Detroit. My eyes were drawn out to the horizon.

BTW, does anyone know who owns the American Hotel/Fort Wayne Hotel (whatever the heck its called) next door to the Masonic Temple? Also, does anyone know who the renovation architect is for the Masonic Temple?