Statler-Hilton to be Demolished

[Allan]

When will the city ever learn? Once buildings like these are gone, they're gone.

Statler-Hilton razing expected to cost $7 million

By R.J. King / The Detroit News

DETROIT

[bobliocatt]

Is this building in good structural condition or is the city just trying to get rid of something they think is an eyesore? I ask because the new proposals, from this article, sounds pretty sketchy to me.

[Allan]

Because it's an eyesore. Structurally, the building is in better shape than the Book-Cadillac.

[Allan]

I'm sure many people on this forum are probably unfamilar with which building they will be demolishing. It's right of Grand Circus Park, down the street from the Book-Cadillac Hotel. The building is structurally sound, and was cleaned out last summer, so it's basically a shell of a building. Much of the details will have to be replicated, no doubt at great expense, but is a building worth reusing.

[Wendell FOX]

^ You call that an eyesore?

It may not be grand but this is a pretty significantly sized piece of architecture we're talking about here. Unless if they plan on building something to a larger scale (a skyscraper) - which there are plenty of parking lots for that to happen on- the hotel shouldn't be demolished.

[Allan]

It may not be grand but this is a pretty significantly sized piece of architecture we're talking about here. Unless if they plan on building something to a larger scale (a skyscraper) - which there are plenty of parking lots for that to happen on- the hotel shouldn't be demolished.

Actually it is grand...or at least it was. It should not be taken down for one stupid football game. Doing so is shortsighted. There are many other buildings in the city that pose more of a threat than the Statler. The Statler has been cleaned out & sealed up...what about all these abandoned houses next to schools & parks? Many of those are open to the elements and are very dangerous, seeing as how kids go by them every day. This is just another instance that shows how little the city government actually does for the citizens of Detroit. And then everyone wonders why people are still leaving.

[M. Brown]

Detroit is Def. trying to turn itself around. I see a positive future for Detroit.

[Allan]

Detroit is Def. trying to turn itself around. I see a positive future for Detroit.

But how will demolishing this building help turn the city around?

[Cotuit]

I'm sorry, but the only possible response I can come up with to this is:

Detroit is Stoopid!

I see from the photo that they already have the 'Parking' sign ready for when this 'eyesore' is removed.

[BrandonTO416]

This is unfortunate. They should have either left it vacant or looked for investors to convert it into housing. This is what many cities are doing with older buildings nowadays.

[Allan]

LOL. I know. The politicians in Detroit are the stupid ones though. And the parking sign is actually for the parking garage that's buried under Grand Circus Park. (Grand Circus Park is where that pic was taken from). Although I'm sure the nicely landscaped gravel parking lot that replaces the Slater will do so much to help the revitalization in that part of downtown.

I will be sending out some letters...many letters...regarding this issue. Just when you think we've stopped demolishing historic buildings, they think of one more to tear down. There many other buildings that need to be torn down before this one goes.

[Allan]

This is unfortunate. They should have either left it vacant or looked for investors to convert it into housing. This is what many cities are doing with older buildings nowadays.

[tocoto]

I think the quasi-public agency is too busy demolishing things and not busy enough getting thm rehabbed. Demolition should probably be removed from its list of options while there are still old buildings worth saving.

[cityboi]

I agree this would be a huge mistake in demolishing that building. I see it as architecture worth preserving. What a sad day for Detroit

[ClevelandNO!]

the DEGC is far too shortsighted.

[Allan]

the DEGC is far too shortsighted.

I definately agree with you there.

In many ways, Detroit's architecture is its best asset. With each building demolished downtown, more of Detroit's character is lost. And Detroit can't afford to loose density downtown. We can't save all of our old buildings, but we should at least look at what can be saved & redeveloped. We've been mindlessly demolishing buildings for long enough. If there were firm plans in place for the site, that would be one thing, but this would become yet another parking lot. Demolish this, and you loose the balance that exists in the necklace district. It would be one parking lot too many. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a mothballed building there than a surface lot. Some people have argued that a surface lot would be more likely to attract developers, but I don't think so. If that was the case there would be new developments all over the place.

I am so sick of this Super Bowl crap. Yes, it will bring people to the city, but one football game is not going to change people's opinions of the city all that much. So I really don't see what the rush in destroying every vacant building is. It would be more beneficial to the city in the long run to mothball the vacant buildings, and try to attract tenants on street level. After the Super Bowl is over with, they can concentrate on finding developers willing to renovate some of these buildings. Detroit has decayed for the past 50 years. It's not going to rebound overnight no matter what you do. Everything takes time. Redevelopment is happening, just at a pace that is slower than what everyone would like.

Hamtramck Steve at the Fab Ruins forum posted these images showing downtown density. I'm not sure where he got them from, but it illustrates the problem we've got downtown.

1950

1994

The 1994 image still has Hudson's in it, and most of the buildings on the upper right were demolished to build the new stadia. Since 1994 we've added Compuware, but that's about it. And we are now in danger of loosing the Madison Lennox, the Statler, & the Book-Cadillac (if the deal with the new developer that was supposed to be announced a few weeks ago falls through).

[Allan]

I should add that a lot of history on the Statler, including floorplans, historic photos, and photos of the building interior today can be found here.

[Chow]

I have seen the residential plans for the Statler. There were two versions, one a full renovation and one a partial demo plus renovation. One of the mayor's right hand guys was very excited about the plan. He said that we should hear about it very soon. And months went by...

Things move very slowly in Detroit, most of the projects just getting underway have been in development for years. I doubt they will take the Statler down before the Superbowl. First, it is too close to the people mover (remember Hudsons) and secondly, they are starting the streetscape project for Washington Boulevard. It would be foolish to demo a building ruining all the work you had just done.

[Allan]

I have heard of these plans myself, but I haven't seen them. I'd be interested to learn more.

They could take the building down with a wrecking ball. Slow? Yes. But it would prevent the people mover from being damaged.