Detroit Casino Megathread

[statedude3]

I am really confused by the new steel that has appeared atop Motor City. Is this all part of that space ship look?

[RustTown]

I don't know if I posted this earlier, but the top of the MotorCity will be a massive lounge area with a really tall ceiling that will offer amazing views of Detroit.

[Michi]

Looking at local live and skyline photos on Flickr, it doesn't look like Greektown will show up on any of the usual skyline shots (or at least not from the river infront of hart plaza, or from belle isle). Either other buildings cover it up, or it's too short to make a real impact (beyond a little bit of filling out).

[Michi]

MGM has gotten pretty much as tall as it's going to. Does anyone know how that has affected the skyline?

[Michi]

Casino update February 4, 2007

MGM Grand

The big, nasty box on top of the hotel.

Different angles of the Greektown Casino crane

You can see the big Valentine heart on the BCBC Building. Might have to attempt an evening photo.

I think the presence of a tower here will really make for a cosy, yet exciting urban environment.

Looking in.

Motor City Casino

[detwaa84]

I hope MGM has a design plan for the freeway side of their complex. Also, I wish they were more creative with that "big nasty box" on top of the tower. No more complaints, promise.

[Zissou]

Oh you can complain more. MGM's design is crap. I am interested in seeing how Motor City finishes up. Im not quite sure what to make of it yet but that top is very intrigueing.

[dtown]

I think Greektown will be my favorite, mostly because of the location.

BTW, michi, that photo with the burnt house right near the new casino is very interesting.

[toog05]

Why does it seem like the MGM hotel glass is fallen apart, there also pieces of glass taken off for some reason.

[RustTown]

Thanks for the photos, Michi.

MGM should be shot for all of the money they have leaving the mechanical penthouse and elevator tower exposed like that. It's even worse than I imagined. I'm hoping against hope, but perhaps its not done? lol

[detwaa84]

Why does it seem like the MGM hotel glass is fallen apart, there also pieces of glass taken off for some reason.

[hudkina]

It just looks that way because of the angle of the picture. They will be able to look out into the skyline.

[detwaa84]

It just looks that way because of the angle of the picture. They will be able to look out into the skyline.

[toog05]

Well maybe that space behind the wall will not be used, I'm quite sure they not go have a room having a window blocked by cement wall.

[RustTown]

Many, many of Vegas's hotel towers have fake windows around their elevator cores. A great example of this is the Bellagio Spa Tower, where the elevator core/cores, I remember, are located on both the left and right sides of the building taking up an entire vertical row of those 'windows.

It's really not a big deal, and you can't tell from the outside. In a totally glass-clad hotel building like MGM, it would be impossible not to have any faux windows.

[Michi]

I actually prefer the tint of glass to what the original rendering showed. However, I think the rendering is just illustrated the way it is (more gold) to show sunlight. There is a gold tint to the windows, I believe and that meshes very well with the tan concrete facade. It actually looks sharp. As far as overall design though, MGM really stinks.

The tower's facade actually turned out a little nicer than I had imagined, but the top and the box just ruins it all. If I was a planner for the city, I would intentionally zone everything surrounding MGM as highrise and surround the complex with higher towers in order to hide the thing. All's I can say is they better hit the bull's eye with landscaping/streetscaping and overall exterior bells and whistles.

[detwaa84]

I still love this design over any of the ones released by MGM. I believe it was proposed for the riverfront. The second best is the one they released before the current, but never officially presented. Where will they build their second tower when they need to. Isn't a requirement that they add additional rooms in the future?

The biggest problem with MGM in my opinion is the location of various entrances and the tower. I think the main entrance/facade should have faced the highway instead of DTE. And the tower should have been somewhere in the middle of the entire complex on a higher base.

Also, Motorcity was really smart in never releasing their final rendering until after construction was half finished. This way, MGM was unable to alter its mis-designed and boring roof, among others. 700 million dollars could have been spent on a much better design for the midwest's number one casino.

I'm looking forward to Greektown's. It's the only one that will make a HUGE impact on the downtown skyline. (Motorcity is not in downtown)

[Jasoncw]

If I was designing it, I would have stacked it up a bit more vertically. Enough so that people wouldn't feel like walking across the entire thing is a long distance, but still spread out enough to be cost effective. If I was gambling, I'd rather take an escalator than walk around. Plus, it give the chance for cut aways in the floor, so that people above could see the vast gaming space with all of the lights sometimes. idk. Then I'd stack the hotel right on top the main entrance (there would really only be one main entrance) to make a bustling big impressive entrance. Then I'd put a swimming pool and jaccoozi (except it would be spelled right for the real thing) on the roof in an glass box. The rest of the roof would have something to make it not look like a big roof. Maybe grass or something. Then, except for the entrance and the hotel tower, the rest of it would be set back quite a bit, and new lots would be made infront of them, to be developed by someone else. That way there is a huge casino, but from the street it wouldn't feel quite as expansive. but yeah, idk.

oh yeah, and the building wouldn't be ugly.

it's late

[wolverine]

So sad we've lost the art of putting crowns on our buildings. I noticed that old rendering has crowns on the top which beautify the mechanical penthouses. Now we just have a cube on the roof. Well, a cube that doesn't look so great to be fair.

[detwaa84]

Doesn't Motorcity Casino have two elevator cores on each side of the tower? Plus where is their 1000+ additional parking structure going to be built.

I love motorcity's design, but I think they really need to improve the area around it. For instance, they need to buy that liquior store near the hotel and make the corner more inviting. I also hope they have plans for creative exterior lighting, especially on Grand River. I love the location, It gives the possiblity that growth will be coming to this area. Personally, and you're going to hate me for this. I would like to see a Red Wings arena right next to Motorcity (right behind the food/convention building would be nice). That would really fix-up the runned down neighborhood and we can have another thriving, vibrant section of Detroit. This would lead to more housing, restaurants, retail and parking structures ( ) in the area.

The main reason I want an arena there, is that the area Illitch is proposing to built it is wrong. That section of downtown should be an urban enclave of low rise buildings with pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, topped off with nice historic looking condos. No more sports venues in Dowtown. We have a bright future ahead of us and we want room for better/more useful developments. Not some buildings that will sit empty throughout half the year. Plus the nicely designed street system for downtown Detroit is vanishing by these big ass developements.

I'd like to hear you're ideas of what that area could become if my idea works. Do you agree/disagree, where would you like the arena to go in that area.

[dgriff04]

I'd be willing to bet that the big box on MGM will be built over with the glass facade eventually. However, the structure will still be horrendous. The Motorcity looks bad to me as well. Originally, the existing casino was supposed to be covered with white or silver to match the hotel. But now I guess to cut costs they went with brick that doesn't match the casino or the blue glass on the hotel. We still have hope with Greektown I suppose

[detwaa84]

I'd be willing to bet that the big box on MGM will be built over with the glass facade eventually. However, the structure will still be horrendous. The Motorcity looks bad to me as well. Originally, the existing casino was supposed to be covered with white or silver to match the hotel. But now I guess to cut costs they went with brick that doesn't match the casino or the blue glass on the hotel. We still have hope with Greektown I suppose

[Jasoncw]

Like how they do with "upscale" CVSes and Krogers? (like in Grosse Point) with the fake window decorations hanging off the side of the brick wall.

That kind of thing really bugs me. If there won't be real windows, then just have it be a blank wall, but do something interesting with it. There are interesting things to be done.

[hudkina]

I think that MGM will use design elements similar to those at the top of that old rendering to cover up that large box on top of the roof. It'll give the tower more height which will be a good thing. Also, I know they'll probably never do it, but I think it would be great if MGM built an observation tower somewhere on their complex in the 600 to 700 ft range with a restaurant, viewing space, gift shop, etc. In that way they can truly make a dent in the skyline and offer visitors something more than just the Casino experience. I wouldn't even care if they put a big fat MGM logo at the top.

[detwaa84]

I think that MGM will use design elements similar to those at the top of that old rendering to cover up that large box on top of the roof. It'll give the tower more height which will be a good thing. Also, I know they'll probably never do it, but I think it would be great if MGM built an observation tower somewhere on their complex in the 600 to 700 ft range with a restaurant, viewing space, gift shop, etc. In that way they can truly make a dent in the skyline and offer visitors something more than just the Casino experience. I wouldn't even care if they put a big fat MGM logo at the top.