Detroit Photo of the Day

[hudkina]

I really wish something gets built behind the Fox Theatre...

[ZachariahDaMan]

[Michi]

Great pic, dude!

[hudkina]

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

[wolverine]

Look at Park Ave in Zach's other photo. A shame it stops at the freeway. Another reason to cap it all off with an actual park.

Edited January 15, 2008 by wolverine

[Michi]

Well, in this city, I think that would be seen more as a luxury and not a necessity...unfortunately.

Wouldn't that be great if the downtown Partnership or someone got some funding together to decorate Washington Blvd. the same way it use to be for the holidays?

Also, imagine if Ferchill insisted that the architect for the northern add-on to the Book Cadillac design it to mimick that building that use to be there. That would be pretty cool, although I'm really impressed w/ the modern addition that they've produced! Washington Blvd is just fantastic!!

[ZachariahDaMan]

[Allan]

Look at Park Ave in Zach's other photo. A shame it stops at the freeway. Another reason to cap it all off with an actual park.

[Michi]

Heads up for Detroit Photo of the day!

Found on Grand River near Brooklyn

[WayneTigers]

Well, I spent the last 3 days going through this thread. These photos are great.

The lobby of the David Whitney Building is amazing. Like other people have said, it looks like it just went abandoned yesterday. However, it is hard to belief people were using that building just nine years ago. It looks like it was stuck in the 1920s, like the Fischer or Guardian Building. It reminds me of a pre-WWI Cunard ship.

Great photos everyone!

Edited March 4, 2008 by WayneTigers

[rbdetsport]

Everyone appreciates that! And welcome!

[wolverine]

This shot was taken on Detroit's East side last fall. There's actually more of these that have gone up since it was taken. A school is also being converted into lofts behind where I was standing. I really like the architecture of these. The brick on all sides was a nice touch. Especially the stepped wall for the garages at the back.

[hudkina]

beautiful!

[WayneTigers]

Those houses are great!

Edited March 14, 2008 by WayneTigers

[ZachariahDaMan]

Wayne State

[Michi]

What a great backdrop!

I always thought those garages along Anthony Wayne Dr. (abutting the Lodge) should be rebuilt with housing on top. Anthony Wayne is turning into such a great strip...at least on the east (campus) side. Lot of potential there, that hopefully the university/city will take full advantage of.

[hudkina]

I don't necessarily think the garages need to be rebuilt. What they could do though, is add student housing with groundfloor retail on the parking lots directly in front of the garages. The footprint is actually large enough to build something on the scale of the housing on the other side of the street. You're really only losing about 200 parking spots, and if they really absolutely need those spots they can just incorporate a level or two of parking into the building. (e.g. 1st floor retail, 2nd-3rd floor parking, 4th-8th floor student housing.)

[Michi]

Yah, I thought of that too, but I'd just bull doze them all and make some gigga-garages with housing on top and in front.

It's kinda too bad that there isn't anything to connect to on the other side of the Lodge because that would be a great opportunity for uninterrupted pedestrian access to other points of interest. Yah, the athletic field is over there (along w/ bums and crime who feed on the "nobody around" mentality that the fields present.

[hudkina]

Actually a lot of students park over there on the service drive as it is some of the closest free parking to a lot of the buildings on that side of campus. There is a pedestrian bridge (painted in the colors of Wayne State) that gets a lot of foot traffic both from people parking along the service drive and students who live on campus who use the athletic facilities (e.g. the track, tennis courts, etc.) I also wouldn't doubt that a lot of students who live in the northern portion of Woodbridge use the bridge to get to and from classes.

Edited March 17, 2008 by hudkina

[Michi]

Park on the service drive and risk your car's glass shattered or worse, not there when you get back.

[hudkina]

I actually park over there quite a bit and I haven't seen a single break-in or evidence of one (glass on the street.) I'm sure it happens, though. Hell the university sends out monthly reports on crime and motor vehicle theft is probably the most commonly reported crime on or around campus.

The only time I've ever seen a break in was over on Ferry St near Woodward. In fact a few days after I saw the car that had been broken into, I got a note from WSU police talking about how I shouldn't keep valuable crap in my car or whatever. (I think I had left my CD book sitting on the passenger seat floor.)

Edited March 18, 2008 by hudkina

[Michi]

Hell, you can't even park along Woodward in front of the Alexandrine Tower/Medical Tower across from Orchestra Hall without a bunch of trashed cars overnight.

[hudkina]

I guess the biggest difference is that I don't park overnight.

[Eridony]

This shot was taken on Detroit's East side last fall. There's actually more of these that have gone up since it was taken. A school is also being converted into lofts behind where I was standing. I really like the architecture of these. The brick on all sides was a nice touch. Especially the stepped wall for the garages at the back.

[hudkina]

I think the biggest reason is that they used brick a lot more than what you see today. Most developers today are willing to save a few hundred dollars by putting cheap vinyl siding on the less visible areas of the house. This developer made the right choice by sparing no expense to make it as beautiful as possible. I hope it has worked out rather well by translating into strong sales. They aren't in the greatest of neighborhoods, but their vicinity to the Indian Village/West Village area probably helps. (Granted Islandview is a relatively nice neighborhood for being on the Near Eastside.)

Edited March 21, 2008 by hudkina