  Heedus Member Username: Heedus Post Number: 4 Registered: 06-2008 |
I noticed some glass trucks parked in front of the Free Press Building on Lafayette and some workers going in and out. Does anybody have an idea of what's going on there? I imagine it is probably to just fix some broken windows in the back of the building, but a couple of weeks ago, I saw some men putting up for lease signs up around the front of the building. | ||
Gencinjay Member Username: Gencinjay Post Number: 106 Registered: 03-2008 |
It was mentioned here a couple weeks ago that somebody, I think from Florida, purchased the building. Since then they've been doing a little sprucing up of the lower floor in an effort to get some tennants. | ||
Wood Member Username: Wood Post Number: 92 Registered: 05-2006 |
I inquired about offices there because I love the building so much. They have scraped away all the super bowl decals from the windows and cleaned out a couple dumpsters worth of debris from the ground floor. It's amazing how much better it looks now that it's out of Farbman's hands. The plan is to try to rent the ground floor out to restaurants/nightclubs and rent the first two floors out for offices within the next 3-6 months. They plan to mothball the rest of the building. They let me look around inside and I noticed that several of the Roy Gamble paintings are missing from the lobby area. I was really worried about the condition of the upper floors (a federal marshall I talked to said he was taking a smoke break and watched the police round up a dozen or more people who'd apparently been squatting inside) plus, the scrapping activity was obvious. but the head construction guy told me the building is still in pretty good shape. | ||
Heedus Member Username: Heedus Post Number: 5 Registered: 06-2008 |
Thanks for the info Wood. You're right; it is a beautiful building in an area of town that is getting a lot of positive improvement (Fort-Shelby) with hopefully even more to come in the next couple of years(old MGM and maybe, just maybe the Lafayette Building). | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 778 Registered: 11-2003 |
Wood, could you contact me at rjlj @ hotmail.com Thanks | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1706 Registered: 11-2005 |
" They let me look around inside and I noticed that several of the Roy Gamble paintings are missing from the lobby area. " SUNUVABIOTCH! I begged the foreman on three occasions to let me in there to look around and he said no. How'd you get in?! Sooooo jealous! | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 505 Registered: 09-2004 |
Cool! Great to hear this is moving forward, and that they hope to do more than just simply do the first floor and leave the rest of the building to rot above. Sounds like this Florida group is really committed to making this happen, and their willingness to seal up the upper floors makes a good case that they're going to try to weather the storm of Detroit's (and the world's) economic nightmare. It is one of Detroit's more unique commercial structures. Attention City of Detroit and Lafayette Naysayers: Someone else is doing more or less what we've suggested for the Lafayette Building. Take note. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1718 Registered: 11-2005 |
Hey Buster, (that sounds funny) Are you coming to any of the coalition meetings, etc. on saving the Lafayette? | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 507 Registered: 09-2004 |
Rawk, I was not aware there was such a coalition for the Lafayette. What is this group planning? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4390 Registered: 02-2005 |
Good info, Wood. That sounds promising. I'm surprised that they want to go forward with getting office tenants. I might start working on converting the upper floors to apartment space so that they can hit the market in a couple years. Adding residents would increase the value of the retail space. But, getting a couple tenants could help cash flow issues. I wish them luck, and congratulate their desire to preserve one of our great old buildings. | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 5933 Registered: 02-2004 |
The composing room at the Detroit News building has the Roy Gamble portrait of Ben Franklin: Printer. Ben watches me work all day. btw, it's in terrible shape. Very smoke damaged, and the company will not buck up to fix it. We haven't got the dough (grossly underpaid printers work there). | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1721 Registered: 11-2005 |
Oldred, Does the News building have a composing room? I thought all that stuff was done digitally and printed out in suburbia? | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 4172 Registered: 10-2003 |
Nothing set in stone, but it explains the activity that everyone's been seeing in the building: quote: | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 5943 Registered: 02-2004 |
No Rawk. We're on the fourth floor. | ||
Heedus Member Username: Heedus Post Number: 9 Registered: 06-2008 |
I just hope that California's recent announcement doesn't deter any of these plans... These tax incentives may not be perfect, but I am very excited about the possibility of having two abandoned buildings (Free Press and old MGM) being redeveloped in a burgeoning part of downtown. I mean, who would have thought two months ago that we might see these buildings get some much needed TLC in this awful economy? | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1258 Registered: 11-2003 |
In a part of downtown that was ignored for so many years. |
