Detroit Photo of the Day

[SNWEB]

Very much like the DAC

[dnast]

Haven't visited this thread in a while. Still doing good, and I keep learning new things. Now I know where the name "Nabisco" comes from.

Any chance of a Corktown tour? It's one of the more popular Detroit neighborhoods I've never been to.

[Allan]

Haven't visited this thread in a while. Still doing good, and I keep learning new things. Now I know where the name "Nabisco" comes from.

Any chance of a Corktown tour? It's one of the more popular Detroit neighborhoods I've never been to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will be posting my Corktown tour right after I post my Woodbridge tour. I could actually switch the order of the two tours, but I've been promising that I'd show Woodbridge for a while now. I've already slipped a Corktown photo or two into this thread as a teaser. I will post the Woodbridge tour once the Indian Village thread dies down. And I will post the Corktown tour after the Woodbridge thread dies down. So look for the Corktown thread in 2-3 weeks. The photos are already uploaded and thread is put together, so it's just a simple cut and paste job. In other words, I can't use the "But I have no time to make a photo thread" excuse, since posting the thread will take about 10 seconds.

[Allan]

Saturday, January 22, 2005

One of the attractions at the Motown Winter Blast festival this weekend is the ice slide.

For more information, check out http://www.motownwinterblast.com/overview.html

[urban addict 20324]

Looks fun to me!

[Allan]

Looks fun to me!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fun? You bet, but I sure wasn't going to wait in that line! The line was way too long and it was way too cold.

[Allan]

Sunday, January 23, 2005

Some scenes from the Winter Blast:

Looking down Monroe Street

Snow Sculpting

Lion's Helmet

A large bottle of Vernor's

A small version of the Uniroyal Tire

[dnast]

Those ice sculptures are awesome! I hope they leave them out for the public to see after Winter Blast is over with.

Edit: Oh, and I guess I'll wait patiently for the other tours

Edited January 23, 2005 by dnast

[Allan]

Monday, January 24, 2005

The Iodent Toothpaste Factory on Park Avenue is being renovated into a two story Parisian-style billiards hall called Centaur and 16 loft apartments.

[urban addict 20324]

Cool, I love lofts, but where's all the snow that just fell? It melted already?

[Aaron]

Cool, I love lofts, but where's all the snow that just fell? It melted already?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's probably an archive shot, albeit a recent one.

[Allan]

It's probably an archive shot, albeit a recent one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep. The photo is from Friday afternoon. The snow started falling on Friday night.

[Allan]

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

The Women's City Club Building was designed by William B. Stratton and constructed in 1924. The exterior walls are surfaced with pink and beige tapestry brick, which subtly change coloration from bottom to top.

[baldy]

I like the design of that building. Where is it at and what is it currently being used for? They would make for some great lofts!

[Allan]

I like the design of that building.  Where is it at and what is it currently being used for?  They would make for some great lofts!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The building is at 2110 Park Avenue, just north of the Kales. It is being used by the DPD as a police recruitment center.

[Allan]

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

The old Detroit Leland Hotel on Bagley Street is now a Ramada Inn owned by Mike Higgins, who also owns the Farwell Building and Broderick Tower. The building is best known as the location of City Club.

[Brother Ray]

Hey! Is that the Mayor's Cherry Red Lincoln Navigator in front of the Ramada Inn?

[SNWEB]

LOL @ Ray

Ah yes the Leland, designed by famous Chicago-based architects Rapp & Rapp who designged the Michigan and did the terrible renovation of the Fisher (they weren't alive back then and the foudners long dead)

[Allan]

Ah yes the Leland, designed by famous Chicago-based architects Rapp & Rapp who designged the Michigan and did the terrible renovation of the Fisher (they weren't alive back then and the foudners long dead)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for adding that info. It looks like I forgot to put the architects in. I could've sworn I included that! LOL. The crazy things I do when I don't have any sleep....

[Allan]

Thursday, January 27, 2005

The skyline from Belle Isle on another cold winter's day

[urban addict 20324]

Nice pic; I could tell that the downtown core is stagnant from the pic, there's no cranes or new buildings going up and the buildings look like they are from awhile ago.

[Allan]

Hey!  Is that the Mayor's Cherry Red Lincoln Navigator in front of the Ramada Inn?   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL. You might enjoy this then. http://www.rednavigator.com/

[Allan]

Nice pic; I could tell that the downtown core is stagnant from the pic, there's no cranes or new buildings going up and the buildings look like they are from awhile ago.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as new buildings, the newest thing we have is the 15 story Compuware Building, which is not visable in the photo. Everything else is about 15 years old or older. The Ren Cen is so large that it killed the downtown office market for a good 15 after it was built. Then in the late 1980s and early 1990s we saw 150 West Jefferson and Comerica Tower rise. They may be building a new 10-15 story building downtown in the next couple of years, but you won't be able to see it from the riverfront.

[urban addict 20324]

Is that a sign that the city is at least recovering? Or is it still falling?

[Allan]

Is that a sign that the city is at least recovering? Or is it still falling?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The city is still loosing population, but it is recovering, albeit slowly. Last year 800 building permits were issued in the city. It doesn't seem like much, but in a city that saw almost no new construction between 1960 and the late 1990s, it is a huge step. The crime rate was slightly higher last year, but it is still following a downward trend. People are starting to rediscover downtown, thanks to the new stadiums, the theater district, and the new Campus Martius Park. Along Woodward Avenue, buildings that had been vacant for 20 years or more now serve as lofts. Two chains - Borders and Hard Rock Cafe opened up in the Compuware building last year. The Ren Cen renovations are nearing completion, the Riverwalk just opened up in front of the Ren Cen and the section to the east is under construction. New streetscapes have been installed on Broadway, and are under construction along Woodward and Washington. The Kales Building is being renovated into 167 apartments...A new 15 story office tower is proposed for the vacant Kennedy Block downtown...the list of projects is quite long. The city still has a long way to go, but it has not looked this good in years.