Detroit Photo of the Day

[wolverine]

^ Really? I've seen it from 96, but it's very easy to miss for those unfamiliar with the city. It actually took some time before I noticed it, probably because it's hard to see over the embankment.

Edited January 9, 2007 by wolverine

[RustTown]

Maybe, it's I-96 going out of the central core where it's most visible. Either way, growing up not too far from it perhaps it was just something I always used as a landmark, kind of like the Fisher Building was always more a landmark for me than anywhere downtown.

[Jasoncw]

I didn't know you could see it. I'll have to look out for it next time.

I always look at the Fisher Building when I'm going past it. It's usually at night, so the top is lit up.

[Michi]

Remember the below-grade riverfront freeway proposal connecting the bridge to the tunnel? I don't think I have, nor will I ever hear anything more rediculous in my lifetime. If there is one thing, one thing at all that will have me packing my bags without thinking twice, it will be the construction of that.

I know it won't happen though, and that I have nothing to worry about.

[dtown]

Ive always wanted to know this: why was MCS built so far away fro downtown, anyway?

[RustTown]

The developers were hoping to expand downtown. It just never panned out like that. It's the same reason why New Center was never completed. If these two areas would have been built earlier they may have had a chance, but about time they got off the ground, Detroit was developing as an auto-oriented sprawled metropolis. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Detroit's inner city began its decline in population and new construction a good 20 or so years before the cities overall decline in population.

Edited January 9, 2007 by Lmichigan

[Zissou]

For anyone really interested in this building pick up the Arcadia book on the station. Fantastic read with some really great old pictures.

Lmich is right. City planners were quite ambitious and even though it was built a ways before the great depression, 1913-14, the city could not fill in the area between it and the CBD as was imagined. The other reason it was built where it was was also because of the land available. The station it replaced was much closer to downtown but it was cramped, moving MCS out a ways gave the station enough room to function properly.

[Jasoncw]

I don't think it was too crazy. If development had continued down Michigan Avenue like it did Woodward, then it would be just fine. If the car people had chosen to build New Center around the station, even more so. Aside from that, the river, Michigan Avenue, and the station itself are logical reasons to think that development would move there. But that's logical with hindsight, since in 1913, or whenver it was being planned, they didn't know about the post WWI boom, or the Post WWII boom (which didn't seem to contribute too much to our downtown). Other than Woodward and the general layout of streets, I don't really know why downtown extended north, despite the river, and things like the train station and belle isle. Does anyone know?

[RustTown]

It was the original layout of French ribbon farms. They went back two and three miles deep from the river to give more farmer more access to the river. It's why city centers of New Orleans, St. Louis, Windsor...are set up the way they are, as well.

But, yeah, Detroit's last boom was too late to add anything much else to downtown. The last boom was built on the back of the automobile, and it shows in how the central city was almost completely forgotten by developers and city government (with the only one paying attention to it being those private sector leaders that had been downtown for years (i.e. Hudson's)), and how almost all of Detroit's new development was concentrated on sprawling the city to fill its borders, and driving through freeways. Detroit's last boom (post late-20's) did little for downtown outside of creating new suburban lands within the city to serve the downtown, but about that time, these areas were already looking northwards and westwards for retail and entertainment making downtown more and more irrelevant.

Edited January 9, 2007 by Lmichigan

[grrwymg]

It's west of the downtown, kind of out by the old Tiger Stadium. If you were traveling from Grand Rapids heading into the city on I-96, it would be the first thing you see heading into the downtown. It's quite unfortunate it is the first thing that is seen.

Oh, and it's the old train station. The 'new' Amtrak station is now north of the downtown in a really ugly non-descript building.

Sooner or later, I need to throw together another photo tour of this place. Or maybe all of us can contribute. I know Zissou has some beautiful shots.

[RustTown]

When you make it over to the west side, believe, it will be hard as heck to miss from almost any slightly elevated part of that side of the city. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

[dtown]

Are there any news plans for the a new amtrak station?As i remember, the current one is supposed to be temporary?

I think i may have asked this already, but i dont remember for sure.

[Jasoncw]

The one by New Center will be different.

It's part of that new Tech Town plan. The station is supposed to have retail and confrence space, if I recall right. Nearby, along with a bunch of tech stuff, there are supposed to be some movie theaters (!) and some condos+retail.

[RustTown]

Yeah, I guess it's government wrangling holding this one up (as usual with project using federal money). It's the same proposal its always been.

[dtown]

So there are plans to build a real train station that doesnt look like a taco bell?

If so, any renderings?

[RustTown]

Yes, and I'd never noticed that it really does look like a Taco Bell, and a very badly designed taco bell, at that. lol! Still, it's no worse (and maybe even better) than the literal shack-of-a-station we have here in Lansing.

There is a landscape site plan concept, but no rendering that I've seen:

Checking back through my old emails, I see almost exactly a year ago the New Center Council informed me that what was holding this up was that Amtrak and MDOT were refusing to give the money to have this completed as they were working out their schedules. Why nothing has happened a year later is beyond me.

Edited January 10, 2007 by Lmichigan

[dtown]

Does that denote a parking lot, or parking deck? Looks like a lot to me, but im not sure.

I hope that MDOT gets its shizz together and coughs up that cash!

Id kinda like to see a more modern looking station, as opposed to a copy of a historical one. How about you guys?

Edited January 10, 2007 by dtown

[RustTown]

It's a suface lot, and too large if you ask me. IMO, as currently displayed there, this won't be much of an improvement, at all.

Edited January 10, 2007 by Lmichigan

[tapezord]

if this is to be the true downtown terminal that everyone seems to point at, that station still looks horribly undersized and does not appear to account for any expansion should the commuter rail ever come to fruition. There are I believe 4 tracks there right now (2 norfolk southern/csx shared asset and 2 canadian national...if there is to be a true commuter station, you are going to need to add some sidings to stage equipment and allow boarding. The more i think about a mid-town terminal, the more i hate it. The terimnal needs to be downtown. This would be a fine in-line stop, but comes up woefully for a terminal.

[asics]

Everyone should be happy that another form of transportation is being seriously considered at all. This is Detroit after all. If rail does become popular then changes will be made as necessary to accomodate the increase in riders. Although i believe that it would be smart to have a parking garage next to the terminal as opposed to a surface lot. I noticed here in cleveland that ridership would be higher if people had a place to park.

[tapezord]

my only fear is that a partial soluation is a recipe for failure. Politicians will look at the ridership numbers and say, hey, look it doesn't work and we'll be set back 10 more years. If you build it right, the ridership becomes far more certain and the liklihood of future projects also grows greatly.

[dtown]

Are the tracks above or below ground?

[Zissou]

Well this conversation is still going so hows about another shot.

[hudkina]

The tracks are at grade.

[RustTown]

Are we still talking the New Center lines, because if so, aren't they above grade through most of midtown? BTW, I hate the "well, this is Detroit" to try and explain why second best is "good enough" for Detroit.

I wrote back my New Center Council contact, last night, and she said that they don't know how they are going to finance the station. MDOT is putting in part of the money, but they aren't sure how they are going to make up the rest of the cost. It seems that this is less a solid proposal than I thought, and more a weak concept/vision.

However, she said that MDOT (which owns the site) will be doing site prep work this summer (i.e. site clean-up/some small demolition, etc.) in anticipation of something happening, but there are no solid plans as of today.