Downtown Detroit

[colin]

I have a friend in Houston who went to Detroit in '03 for some sort of conference and stayed Downtown. She loved it, even though she had left with the "Ughh...Detroit" attitude. Said the town was really cool and there was a lot to do, also appreciated Windsor. It made me actually want to go check it out. It's low on the list though, especially since I still haven't been to Chicago.

[brewerw]

Thats alot of car compaines. Now its only GM and Ford, right?

[Michi]

I have a friend in Houston who went to Detroit in '03 for some sort of conference and stayed Downtown. She loved it, even though she had left with the "Ughh...Detroit" attitude. Said the town was really cool and there was a lot to do, also appreciated Windsor. It made me actually want to go check it out. It's low on the list though, especially since I still haven't been to Chicago.

That's kind of the attitude many people get when they visit the city now-a-days. If it's your first time here, and you come with an open mind, it's pretty easy to like, even love Detroit.

Nice lists, allan. I never even heard of some of those names before, and it really makes you regather your thoughts about what really lies out there in those industrial has-been sites of Detroit.

[hudkina]

GM is the only one headquartered in the city at the Ren Cen, ironically the building that members of the Ford family built in the 70's. Ford moved their headquarters just outside the city in Dearborn, Henry Ford's hometown. Daimler-Chrysler has their NA operations in Chrysler's old headquarters in Auburn Hills some 35 miles outside of the city, but they were always headquartered in Highland Park, a city completely surrounded by Detroit.

[hudkina]

BTW, here are some pics that I took of the city over the last year or so.

[hudkina]

And here are some more:

[Michi]

I really need to get me a camera.

[hudkina]

We can use as many as we can get!

[Michi]

Has anything replaced Julian Scott in the old bank building? Is there still that store at Randolph and Congress in the flatiron building? I haven't really paid much attention with all the construction stealing my attention.

[Allan]

I don't believe that anything has taken over the old Julian Scott space yet.

The "flatiron building" is the Reid Building, an 1895 Louis Kamper Design. There is supposed to be a copy store opening up in the building soon. I can't remember the name of it, but there has been a "coming soon" sign up for a while now. I assume that means that the other store failed too, unless the copy store is going in one of the upper floors.

[brewerw]

Do you guys hae any pics of the upcoming construction?

[MJLO]

Wow, Detroit's looking good. However if your downtown Detroit you can still see the progress they need to do. Park Ave. Washinton Blvd. These are Definately places that in the 30's 40's and 50's were so beautiful with all the tree's, and landscape. Woodward Ave. used to be every bit as glamourous as anything in Chicago or New York. There is a park, I think it's call Grand Circus Park that is just Gorgeous. All the buildings on it look so pretty, even though some are not in use. That city needs re-investment. Im pretty sure they are tearing down one of the old Hotels on Grand Circus Park. It's a shame because it all flows so well. I really really hope that Detroit can regain it's old splendor.

Because what a city it is! So so pretty.

[MJLO]

double post

[Michi]

Im pretty sure they are tearing down one of the old Hotels on Grand Circus Park.  It's a shame because it all flows so well. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for your dose of common sense. We need to hear it because our city is led by persons who severely lack it.

[Recchia]

I actually don't mind Detroit's skyline. I always forget that Detroit has a waterfront, and I think it looks pretty nice with it.

Albany....ugh....dreadful. Empire State Plaza is miserable, it's a freeway appendage and looks like Sony Playstations on their sides. I hate it. It destroyed downtown, especially with its elevated highway connection to 787. What a mess. And the state office campus uptown next to SUNY is a Californized suburban office park wasteland, I can't wait til they redevelop it like they're supposed to.

[Michi]

Detroit's waterfront is it's most prized natural possession!

[Michi]

Here are some photos of Midtown Detroit that I took late last summer for a school project:

[rbdetsport]

For those ready to raise a stink about the foreground, it has been redeveloped with infill and restoration.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Those are now outdated. Right where all of the cranes are and where all the main streets seem to come together there is a new building. Compuware World Headquarters. And where the old Hudsons was there is an underground parking garage ready to be developed on. And in the middle of all of the streets is the new "urban oasis," Campus Martius Park where there is an ice rink the size of Rockefeller Plaza's during the winter and there are lawns during the summer, spring, and fall. There is also a huge fountain and a park cafe, Au Bon Pain. Does anyone have pictures from the same angle right before Hudsons was demolished?

[Wordsmith]

Can you possibly tell me where this was photographed? I remember seeing places like this not far from the Garden Court Apartments a while back but it's been a long time and I don't usually make it over there.

WS

[Allan]

Wordsmith,

That house is on East Jefferson between St. Antoine & Beaubien. There is a similar house right next to it. There used to be more homes like that downtown, but they were torn down in the 1950s for surface parking lots. There are some further down Jefferson though.

[Wordsmith]

Thanks. I've seen very few examples of such architecture in Detroit, the other being the photo in hudinka's thread on the Midwest home forum. I also asked about that one if you want to pop over and see what it looks like. I think between this one and that, the other building is personally more impressive.

WS

[Allan]

That particular house was built in 1851, & is one of the oldest surviving houses in Detroit. There is one similar house I forgot to mention earlier - it's up on Beaubien, just east of the Millender Center. That one was built in the 1870s, however.

I will go over & check out the area around the Garden Court Apartments. I have been meaning to do an East Jefferson photo our for a while now.