Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2007 » Construction Photos of MGM and Greek Town « Previous Next »
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 589
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I took these after the preservation wayne meeting on March 3, 2007... enjoy!

These are various photos including the new casinos.. This is set 1..





















96




















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Peter
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Username: Peter

Post Number: 5
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:10 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

it is amazing how quickly the MGM is taking shape
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 590
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Set 2


















109














114











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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 591
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:18 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Set 3














125








128











131








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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 592
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

set 4 final set.. includes greek town casino construction pics.. I was driving..















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Lmichigan
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Username: Lmichigan

Post Number: 5183
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:25 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That area of downtown really is ugly. Detroit needs a lot more beautification projects to better frame all that's happening.
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Toog05
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Username: Toog05

Post Number: 115
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for the photos, Greektown construction is going 100 mph, every update I notice a significant update to the greektown construction.
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 593
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I would love to put together where exactly I was at in Downtown.. for reference it was all west of downtown.. some who know detroit will know exactly where these pics were taken.. I will add a map in a few minutes to show you where all these were taken..
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Spiritofdetroit
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Username: Spiritofdetroit

Post Number: 339
Registered: 11-2006
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:38 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

yea that side of downtoen needs a lot of help.... but that was what most of the rest of downtown looked like too until recent years developments
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 594
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This is the route for the first set of photos...


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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 595
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 10:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Maps of Set 2 and Set 3 & 4








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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 2526
Registered: 02-2005
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 10:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Lmichigan, that's what we get when all we have is bad architecture and surface parking lots. Driving St. Antoine from Monroe to Gratiot makes this exceedingly clear. The criminal justice facility directly north of the new hotel (east of St. Antoine) is absolutely horrendous and such a design is unacceptable for a downtown of a major city. I know FM Hall of Justice and the jail are ugly, but buildings like this are commonly seen in downtowns. It's really that other building and all of the chain-link fences and gravel parking lots (the Gratiot-75 plot) that make this area ugly. Once something gets built on this plot, and there is infill between whatever old storefronts are left on streets like Macomb, then you'll see immediate aesthetic improvement. The city should focus on expedited development plans on these plots rather than streetscape beautification, which would be like trying to make dogshit look good or something.

Dom, thanks for all the photos. This forum has seen an increase in this sort of photojournalism lately and it's been great.



(Message edited by mackinaw on March 05, 2007)
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 596
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 11:25 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

well hopefully I have inspired other people to take a trip to downtown detroit and take photos and post them.. This I see as the key to keep this forum alive!
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Queensfinest
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Username: Queensfinest

Post Number: 48
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 11:33 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nice photos. It's great for those of us especially outside of the area to see what's going on. Google Earth and similar programs just seem so far behind, especially in areas like this with ongoing development.

I just have to mention though that the most striking thing about these photos is how you've managed to show the almost complete absence of pedestrian foot traffic.

This is emphasized even more so by the fact that you seemed to be driving while taking the photos. I mean, I'm sure it's cold, but it just helps to illustrate how the auto culture there makes Detroit so different from any other urban area.
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 2527
Registered: 02-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 12:21 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The photos were taken on a weekend, and a winter one with no major events at that.

Your hunch is right, though, there just aren't a ton of pedestrians and most people stay in their cars as much as possible...but if you're downtown during business hours, or on a summer weekend, Detroit doesn't look that abnormal. Even during the winter, Campus Martius Park has acted as a hub for pedestrians (with its rink and all).
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Chris_rohn
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Username: Chris_rohn

Post Number: 279
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:30 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Did you ever get out of the car?
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 597
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 7:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah I did.. at DTE.. Not many places to park around the area because of the damn dog show.. and I was in a quite a hurry because I was going to work on my car later in the day.. had to get out to my parents house before the auto parts store closed.. Yeah your correct most of the photos were taken in my car.. My previous photos from the Theatre tour also didn't show alot of people around either.. that was NOT intentional.. there just wasn't alot of people around.. Downtown is pretty dead during the weekends..
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Scs100
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Username: Scs100

Post Number: 543
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Why did you waste taking pictures of the federal building? That thing is about as ugly on the inside as it is on the outside. God I hate going in there, unless I can think of something fun to do.
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Andyguard73
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Username: Andyguard73

Post Number: 206
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

What's the church pictured? (second photo, set 3) Its gorgeous.
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 2528
Registered: 02-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:34 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That's Fort Street Presbyterian. Quite the exhibition of American gothic.
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 598
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:36 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well I felt most of that area of Detroit had not been shown.. showing you both potential of the new casinos versus what has not been shown of detroit.. Not exactly the best images of Detroit.. but there is always room for improvement..
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Scs100
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Username: Scs100

Post Number: 544
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm not trying to criticize you, so don't worry. I just truly hate the look of the federal building, but at least the old junkyard structure in the front is gone. Great shots of the casinos.
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Andyguard73
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Username: Andyguard73

Post Number: 207
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Mackinaw, I just did some research and found that its specifically an example of "victorian gothic" where Americans took gothic themes and applied them to simple buildings. The website I found that on also mentioned the Cathedral of St. Paul as an example of "late gothic" where architects tried to replicate the spirit of the medieval churches. Detroit's got so many beautiful church buildings.

Digitaldom great tour, and I think with the two casinos, the B-C and the Fort Shelby restorations, the new ownership of the Book, the Griswold and the Tiger Stadium development (if and when that happens) that side of town could start blooming in a few years.

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