DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Rail>Auto

The redevelopment of the old Tiger Stadium lot looks terrible. They need to get an architect who will design something unique that will pay tribute to Tiger Stadium. Even though the shell is gone, a decent architect should be able to construct a complex with a shell that goes around the entire complex that mimics Tiger Stadium.

Old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis looks amazing. They hit a homerun with that project.

As far as stadiums go, Tiger Stadium had nothing unique or interesting about it. Even compared to other old stadiums. The most locals had wanted was preservation of the playfield (which is what these current proposals offer). Many could have cared less about the shell or having it converted into residential. At most, there was an attempt to make a section into a museum for memorabilia which is what locals saw as the more important aspects of the stadium.


mich ave 1 by Claws&Effect, on Flickr


cochrane - michigan 1 by Claws&Effect, on Flickr


19960413 03 Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI. by davidwilson1949, on Flickr

[skyfan]

Good to see this one finally get started, this removes the biggest vacant building in the area.


$28 million Strathmore Apartments project in Midtown Detroit moving forward




The $28 million renovation of the former Strathmore Hotel towering over Woodward Avenue in Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood is moving forward.

Midtown Detroit, Inc. president Sue Mosey told MLive in an email that the group leading the redevelopment has closed on a remediation loan, and lead and asbestos are currently being removed from the eight-floor building at 70 W. Alexandrine.

http://www.mlive.com/business/detroi..._apartmen.html

[skyfan]

Wow!! That building is all full already though, I wonder if Gilbert will have to take out employees to find space.

Fortune 500 company to move regional HQ to One Woodward building


An undisclosed Fortune 500 company will move its regional headquarters into the Dan Gilbert-owned building at 1 Woodward Ave.

Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services LLC was to make the announcement at a 9 a.m. Tuesday press conference that will be held with the new tenant’s president and CEO, Gilbert, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Jim Ketai, managing partner of Bedrock at the One Woodward building.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...dward-building

[animatedmartian]

Fifth Third Bank bringing $85 million in charity, investments with move to Downtown Detroit
By Khalil AlHajal. October 28, 2014



Fifth Third Bank is moving its regional headquarters from Southfield to Downtown Detroit, and its bringing with it $85 million for charitable donations and investments in the city.

The bank plans to move into the One Woodward building, which will be renamed Fifth Third Bank at One Woodward, officials announced Monday morning.

"We saw an opportunity to differentiate ourselves in the market," said Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan CEO David Girodat after the announcement in the building's lobby. "... We felt we can do it by showing our commitment to the city. And that's what this is about."

The 29-story building office tower near the riverfront was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the architect of the World Trade Center in New York City.

Fifth Third Bank plans to occupy four floors of the building with 150 full-time employees.

"Construction is going to start very soon we're getting down the final drawings to
find out who's going to sit where, which is very exciting," Girodat said.

As part of the move, which Girodat said has been in the works for 18 months, the bank is pledging $85 million toward charitable donations, small business lending and other investments over the next five years, including funding for upgrades at the city's Northwest Activities Center and Hart Plaza.

.....

[animatedmartian]

Also, in more under the radar news, DTE is nearing completion of the renovation of the Salvation Army Building. Photo via DetroitYes.


http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...000#post457000

Compared to 2003.

[subterranean]

Nice. And the slow trickle from the suburbs continues. It will be weird cruising by the towers on the Lodge and not seeing the 5/3 sign, but this is a welcomed change!

[lzppjb]

I really enjoy the old buildings y'all have in Detroit. Such character and style. Great bones with which to make a big comeback.

[animatedmartian]

The hotel opens in December (but isn't taking reservations until after the Auto Show), and the apartments are already open for applications. The ground floor already has planned an upscale French-themed restaurant and the lounge for Aloft Hotel, plus a grab-and-go food shop.

I think this will easily be one of the must-visit lobbies in Detroit. Maybe even direct competition to the Gaurdian Building.





































All images via Curbed.


The apartments and hotel look like your typical IKEA furniture catalog. Pretty underwhelming compared to the grandeur of the lobby (but that's okay by me).







Images from: http://davidwhitneybuilding.com/









And obviously a building of this shape won't have the most spectacular inward views... but at least there's sunlight!







Images via Curbed.

[mind field]

The whitney is an amazing restoration! Definitely agree it will be one of Detroit's must visit lobbies! Next up, Book Tower......

[hudkina]

And the David Stott.

[Detroit1995]

Great pictures on this thread! I have a question that I've been thinking about for a long time. Will there ever be a skyscraper in Detroit that will surpass the Ren Cen in height?

Now I understand that if this were to ever happen, it wouldn't be in the near future. I'm 19 years old and Detroit has gained and lost so many treasures since 1995.

I remember my Dad telling me how amazing it was to see the Ren Cen rise on the riverfront. Yes I know it messed with our Art-Deco skyline, but hey I'm proud to have the complex and GM downtown.

In my lifetime, I can't see any skyscraper surpass the Ren Cen. We've also only had two skyscrapers completed in the last 21 years, One Detroit Center and Greektown Casino.

What are your thoughts?

Go Pistons
Go Lions

[Guiltyspark]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Great pictures on this thread! I have a question that I've been thinking about for a long time. Will there ever be a skyscraper in Detroit that will surpass the Ren Cen in height?

Now I understand that if this were to ever happen, it wouldn't be in the near future. I'm 19 years old and Detroit has gained and lost so many treasures since 1995.

I remember my Dad telling me how amazing it was to see the Ren Cen rise on the riverfront. Yes I know it messed with our Art-Deco skyline, but hey I'm proud to have the complex and GM downtown.

In my lifetime, I can't see any skyscraper surpass the Ren Cen. We've also only had two skyscrapers completed in the last 21 years, One Detroit Center and Greektown Casino.

What are your thoughts?

Go Pistons
Go Lions

Unless GM decides to build a new world headquarters in the next 50 years, I would not count on it.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Great pictures on this thread! I have a question that I've been thinking about for a long time. Will there ever be a skyscraper in Detroit that will surpass the Ren Cen in height?

Now I understand that if this were to ever happen, it wouldn't be in the near future. I'm 19 years old and Detroit has gained and lost so many treasures since 1995.

I remember my Dad telling me how amazing it was to see the Ren Cen rise on the riverfront. Yes I know it messed with our Art-Deco skyline, but hey I'm proud to have the complex and GM downtown.

In my lifetime, I can't see any skyscraper surpass the Ren Cen. We've also only had two skyscrapers completed in the last 21 years, One Detroit Center and Greektown Casino.

What are your thoughts?

Go Pistons
Go Lions

It's entirely more likely that we'll see towers in the 15-30 floor range before then. There's still a lot of space to fill and not really too many companies moving into Detroit that would need something on the size of something like One Detroit Center (which btw is the tallest office building, the tallest part of the Ren Cen is a hotel).

So with that in mind, the next likely tallest building in Detroit would probably be a thin residential tower (or some sort of mixed-use), but in that regards too, Detroit still has plenty of space to fill before demand calls on something of that size.

So it's not impossible, but not likely in the immediate future. Maybe in several to ten years at the least provided the economy stays on its current track.

[NYC2ATX]

Those photos of the David Whitney alone demonstrate why we must save Detroit. There are too many salvageable treasures in that city which we can possibly afford to abandon. It's our history as a nation.

[Docta_Love]

Yeah the only chance we have for a "game changing" skyscraper in the near term looks to be on the Hudson's Block that Dan G. and Shop Architects are in the preliminary stages of planning. "Gilbert has spoken of redefining the look of downtown with the project"

There's not much info on it yet but here's a link to a Free Press article with a blurb on it

http://archive.freep.com/article/201...t-architecture

[JonathanGRR]

One Detroit Center is on the market after the Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System declined to buy it for $100 million. Will Gilbert soon be on scene?

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-elects-not-to

[animatedmartian]

It'd probably be one of the priciest purchases for Gilbert, but no doubt he'd love to have more office space in his portfolio. Especially Class A office space. After the 5/3 bank move, I wouldn't doubt Gilbert's ability to get another well-sized company into downtown with ODC.

[EuphoricOctopus]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Great pictures on this thread! I have a question that I've been thinking about for a long time. Will there ever be a skyscraper in Detroit that will surpass the Ren Cen in height?

Now I understand that if this were to ever happen, it wouldn't be in the near future. I'm 19 years old and Detroit has gained and lost so many treasures since 1995.

I remember my Dad telling me how amazing it was to see the Ren Cen rise on the riverfront. Yes I know it messed with our Art-Deco skyline, but hey I'm proud to have the complex and GM downtown.

In my lifetime, I can't see any skyscraper surpass the Ren Cen. We've also only had two skyscrapers completed in the last 21 years, One Detroit Center and Greektown Casino.

What are your thoughts?

Go Pistons
Go Lions

It really depends on whether Detroit really blooms as a city in the next couple of decades. In your lifetime and mine, I am sure we will eventually see something pass the Renaissance Center, but that might take awhile.

[JonathanGRR]

^
The David Whitney building looks amazing by the way, as does the Salvation Army building to an extent. Is there any word on the park that DTE was going to build?

In other news, Patterson isn't too happy about Gilbert moving jobs from "the fertile vineyards of Oakland County." Oh well:

Brooks Patterson to Dan Gilbert: Hands off our jobs
Bill Laitner | November 5, 2014

Downtown Detroit's premier jobs booster and real-estate investor should keep his hands off Oakland County's employers, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson warned Wednesday.

Patterson's saber-rattling talk came in a speech in Southfield, where the outspoken county boss cheered the introduction of the county's new tech248 initiative, aimed at expanding and marketing the county's technology jobs base, but lashed out at Dan Gilbert's recent prospecting north of 8 Mile Road.

Speaking to an audience of 140 technology firms at a tech firm's offices, Patterson told the techies: "I'll fight to keep you here in Oakland County."

Then, in a direct shot at Gilbert, Patterson added: "Are you listening Dan?" evoking laughter from listeners, who included numerous Oakland County officials.

"I would be more impressed with Mr. Gilbert's efforts if he were to bring in high-tech companies from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois rather than looking through the fertile vineyards of Oakland County," Patterson said.

Late Wednesday, Gilbert's spokeswoman Carolyn Artman released a response from Gilbert.

"I would actually be more impressed if Brooks had gotten his facts correct," said Gilbert in the statement. "Of the more than 120 technology companies that have opened shop in SE Michigan's leading high-tech corridor along Woodward in downtown Detroit, more than 100 of them were launched right in the heart of the region's urban core.

"However, we did recently 'woo' a large financial institution's regional HQ from the 'fertile vineyards of Oakland County,' " Gilbert added. "In all seriousness, it would be much more productive if we could all work together to grow the region and state, leaving the divisive politics of the past in the past where they belong. Are you listening, Brooks?"
...

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...logy/18561405/

[north 42]

God I hate L. Brooks Patterson, he's such a big mouth asshole! His hate for Detroit is appalling, and his behaviour is embarrassing!