Statler Hotel Demolition Progress

[SNWEB]

Contact me also David

partybag @ gmail.com

I would love to talk to you also in addition to showing you pictures.

[wolverine]

David, I recently borrowed a very powerful camera and got good closeups of the detailwork on the upper part of the hotel. I can post hi-res images for you on my server space when I get the chance.

[SOSaD]

Any recent updates? I would immagine much (progress) has taken place..

[Allan]

The 18th floor of the east wing is gone now. Photos will come later, since I just got back from Detroit and I am leaving for a graduation open house in Grand Rapids in about 15 minutes.

[SOSaD]

You must be having a really good time in Grand Rapids lol.

[Allan]

Haha, well, I finally got back. It's really hard to get out of that city, since all the family I have in the U.S. lives there. I spent most of the day today doing household chores for my grandma, since she literally can't move. Then I had to go grocery shopping for my grandma & my great grandma. So going over for coffee turned into a several hour long visit. Now that I'm finally home, I can post the Statler photos, but it's going to be several more hours before I get a chance to process them all.

[SNWEB]

Photos from Friday

And while were on the subject of demolitions, the official word on the building next to the Statler is that Homrich crews sent a hot steel beam through the roof of it and started the fire. Homrich denies this though.

[SOSaD]

They are really beginning to move along.

[SOSaD]

What is that (circled in red) wall belong to?

[gmm1]

What is that (circled in red) wall belong to?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is what's left of the East addition of the Statler that abutts the garage of the AAA building. They are being very careful not to damage that building.

[SOSaD]

Still waiting for your pics allan.(Not to sound like an asshole)

[Allan]

Sorry, I've been really busy over the last couple days. I will put something up in the late afternoon.

[SOSaD]

There is no rush! Take your time.

[dstatler]

David, I recently borrowed a very powerful camera and got good closeups of the detailwork on the upper part of the hotel.  I can post hi-res images for you on my server space when I get the chance.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That would be great!

Thank you very much!

David S.

[Allan]

Saturday, June 11, 2005

[SOSaD]

It looks so terrible without the ornate colum-type thing which used to border the roof. Great shot.

[SOSaD]

Updates?

[Michi]

While Washington Blvd is becoming da'chitt, the poor Statler looks like crap. One step forward, two steps back.

[wolverine]

Tigers fans were disgusted with the site of the demolition. Seems we don't hear many comments about these buildings until they are actually being demolished. But I do have to say, the site looked awful from Comerica Park, as if a bomb went off on the roof. To make it worse, the top of it (which is a jagged mess) is actually illuminated by construction lights at night.

Lookin' good for the All-Star game!

[Zissou]

Werent they trying to have the Statler down by the All Star game or was the deadline the Super Bowl?

[Michi]

Yah, that's really going to look lovely as a backdrop come the All Star Game.

I wish I could hear what you hear, wolverine. Do you say anything in reply?

Where are all these people when all of these things are in the threatened stage and not just the demolition-never-to-return stage?

[SOSaD]

Yah, that's really going to look lovely as a backdrop come the All Star Game. I wish I could hear what you hear, wolverine. Do you say anything in reply? Where are all these people when all of these things are in the threatened stage and not just the demolition-never-to-return stage?

Fighting. It is no use anymore. All morals having to do with historic preservation, etc, is sadly faultered due to godamn economics. Bleh.

[SNWEB]

Yes, we are always fighting.

I am with Friends of Book-Cadillac and we had our regualr monthly meetings.

We've uncovered things such as the hotel being demolished illegally without council approval per the city charter, but hell the council doesnt care.

As for the M-L we had our regualr meeting before then, hell if we knew that days later the place would be illegally demolished also.

We've uncovered some confidential-for-the-time-being information to prove the demolition of it was illegal in a whole new way. Look for that soon.

[Michi]

Dang it! I should have gone to that meeting. I haven't been there in a while.

Have any of you guys ever read the Detnews.com cyber surveys? The ones pertaining to Detroit and "urbanplanet-type-issues"?

It's literally a disgrace. There is SO much negativity among people in this region I oftentimes ask my self why I even bother. At the same time though, I know there is a counterforce that aren't like those people at all. Plus, if they didn't care about Detroit, why are they even taking part in forums such as that?

I respond to them sometimes with a dose of reality, but then again, I think...this is JUST the Detroit News!

[rallytoo]

Fighting. It is no use anymore. All morals having to do with historic preservation, etc, is sadly faultered due to godamn economics. Bleh.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reality folks: your "gd economics" are what built the buildings in the first place, in a lot of cases, by removing an even older structure (history). For a city/region with financial problems like we have endured for decades....you have to realize that some of these buildings are going to take the brunt of this problem. (Not sure why you seem so bent on blaming someone who isn't 6-feet under for this situation).

As for SoSads...

"Where are all these people when all of these things are in the threatened stage and not just the demolition-never-to-return stage?"

Take it a step further back: In the last 30 years, how many times have you seen people lining up to purchase and restore buildings in downtown Detroit? It isn't that new development is outbidding or beating preservationist groups to the punch. The fact is that those "gd economics" and the situation Detroit is in has made it impossible to do what you are hoping for. Even now, with upset as we are about these buildings being taken down, we don't have the ability (i.e. and extra 30-40-80...million in our pockets to simply throw away with no hope of return) to do what our hearts would like to do. Even if we had the cash....would you toss it away for the sake of preservation....and if so, you still couldn't save them all so what wouldn't you try to save? Tough question.

Here's another one on a smaller scale, if the house you grew up in was up for sale and worth 100k and no one wanted it because it was so old and run down and in a bad neighborhood (sorry, nothing personal)...would you buy it, throw in another 300k into reno knowing that your house wouldn't be worth more than 200k in the end? Probably not.......but you also wouldn't have us on this website trashing you for not doing so or trashing the owner for taking it down and building a new 300k home that people might actually buy :-)