Detroit Photo of the Day

[Ka3kab]

Yeah, good stuff. I looked at it before reading you're quote and couldn't figure out what the he77 I was looking at.

[dtown]

I think it should be. The area is loaded with potential and if Rock takes on the Statler site you could see this area explode.

rock?

are you talking about rock financial, if so please tell me whats goin on with them, are them coming downtown?!?!

Edited April 21, 2006 by dtown

[Zissou]

Its a rumor that Rock Financial will be moving downtown and the Statler site is a likely location for them.

[BarGal]

This is the Gateway Bridge

(click on it to view larger)

The state of Michigan calls this structure at I-94 and Telegraph in Taylor the Gateway Bridge. But Detroit Free Press readers chose Big Blue Blunder as its moniker through a reader poll conducted this week.

I personally thought it should be called the Blue Balls Bridge - see the football shapes...

Here

[dtown]

hmmm, thats pretty cool bargal

[dtown]

i didnt take this pic, i found this photo on the internet, but i thought it was neat-o

[hudkina]

It seems the readers of the freep and especially the News are idiots. How is this a blunder? It was paid for with private money! I feel like smacking the people who open their mouth without knowing the first thing of which they are talking.

[dtown]

Its a rumor that Rock Financial will be moving downtown and the Statler site is a likely location for them.

oh, thats cool!!!

what exactly is at the statler site, nothing im guessing?

it would be cool if rock built a small tower

[Zissou]

Dirt and an older small damaged building are all that sits there now. I can see Rock putting up anything from 15 to 25 stories on Statler site if that is where they decide to locate.

[resourcefulidiot]

I remember someone earlier mentioning that Compuware was about 1,200,000 sq ft of office space. Similarly, I read on emporis (I believe) that Cleveland's Key Tower was about 1,000,000 sq ft., so while Key Tower is sub taller, the ground area and architecture of Compuware prevented such height (and probably $$ as well). So depending on the size of the statler sight in relation to Qucikens sq need (which would be around the same as compuware I imagine especially considering projected growth), I expect it to be relatively tall. While something the size of Key Tower obviously is well out of the question, I would imagine it to be (generously) 20-30 stories

[dtown]

that would be awesome

[Michi]

Cool pics of the bridge, BarGirl. I've been meaning to photograph it, but only have a few photos from passing by it.

Re: Compuware's height...I think the most significant reason it is the height that it is is because the top 2 floors are computer equipment floors that take up so much space, it made most sense for the building structure to be short and wide rather than tall and narrow.

Don't quote me on that, but I thought I remember reading about that at one time during the exciting months of its construction a few years back.

[BarGal]

Cool pics of the bridge, BarGirl. I've been meaning to photograph it, but only have a few photos from passing by it....

Thanks, I just snapped them with my cheap tiny camera that I keep in my purse while I was driving down Telegraph yesterday. One of these days, I'm going to rear end someone!

[RustTown]

Cool pics of the bridge, BarGirl. I've been meaning to photograph it, but only have a few photos from passing by it.

Re: Compuware's height...I think the most significant reason it is the height that it is is because the top 2 floors are computer equipment floors that take up so much space, it made most sense for the building structure to be short and wide rather than tall and narrow.

Don't quote me on that, but I thought I remember reading about that at one time during the exciting months of its construction a few years back.

Yes, the top two floors are mechanical, and have to be that large to serve a building the size of Compuware. I'd really like to know how much smaller the Statler site is. I'm bad at guessing, and people have been telling me that they think the Statler site is signficantly smaller, but I just don't see it.

[hudkina]

The statler lot is much narrower and maybe 2/3 the size of Compuware.

[rbdetsport]

The statler lot is much narrower and maybe 2/3 the size of Compuware.

I did a little comparing on Google Earth and it looks like you are right.

[RustTown]

Thanks, everyone. It does look this has the potential to be an actual skyscraper if they so choose.

[toog05]

Also I thought I was told that if they did move that they would built a parking garage on the site too, forcing them to build higher, unless I'm wrong, but I think that is what I was told.

[Michi]

Man, you guys hear a lot of gossip. I feel like I'm right in the "brunt of it" but haven't heard a peep.

Anyway, I have a hard time envisioning (from a planning standpoint) a skyscraper on Grand Circus Park. It seems anything "Statler-sized" is about as high as a structure would go there and still blend in with the historic scale and character of the area.

Maybe if the building of GCP were modern, the new addition would be a better fit. I'm impartial to height in this location, however, I would prefer something Statleresque.

[Zissou]

I personally think a really tall building at that location would be fantastic with something shorter like a step down going on the Tuller site.

[RustTown]

When I said skyscraper, I'm not thinking much of 300 feet.

Toog, it is completely possible that the parking garage could go on part of the site, and not necessarily under an office tower.

[hudkina]

I don't understand the whole idea of keeping the scale. If we kept the scale of Detroit intact in the 1920's, we wouldn't have seen anything built over 10 stories...

[wolverine]

Scale isn't going to matter at all in the end. I really don't think Detroit is going to enforce any height standards.

As far as what I want to see, I'm hoping the garage occupies the first 7-8 floors or so, with the office tower on top. I'm not sure why Detroit is avoiding this concept so much when it's done everywhere else. Either land in the D is dirt cheap or we just feel like wasting valuable space building standalone parking structures. (Yes I'm talking to you Compuware).

[RustTown]

I'm hoping that they do it like Greektown and somehow 'tuck' the parking garage to the back corner(s) of the site so as not to front Grand Circus Park, regardless of how well they may be able to work it into the design.

[Allan]

Centurion Place