Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 589 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:07 pm: | |
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
|
Peter Member Username: Peter
Post Number: 5 Registered: 02-2007
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:10 pm: | |
it is amazing how quickly the MGM is taking shape |
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 590 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:11 pm: | |
Set 2
109
114
|
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 591 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:18 pm: | |
Set 3
125
128
131
|
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 592 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:24 pm: | |
set 4 final set.. includes greek town casino construction pics.. I was driving..
141
145
|
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan
Post Number: 5183 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:25 pm: | |
That area of downtown really is ugly. Detroit needs a lot more beautification projects to better frame all that's happening. |
Toog05 Member Username: Toog05
Post Number: 115 Registered: 03-2006
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:26 pm: | |
Thanks for the photos, Greektown construction is going 100 mph, every update I notice a significant update to the greektown construction. |
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 593 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:28 pm: | |
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.. |
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit
Post Number: 339 Registered: 11-2006
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:38 pm: | |
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 |
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 594 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 9:46 pm: | |
This is the route for the first set of photos...
|
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 595 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 10:03 pm: | |
Maps of Set 2 and Set 3 & 4
|
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 2526 Registered: 02-2005
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 10:24 pm: | |
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) |
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 596 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 11:25 pm: | |
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! |
Queensfinest Member Username: Queensfinest
Post Number: 48 Registered: 08-2006
| Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 11:33 pm: | |
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. |
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 2527 Registered: 02-2005
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 12:21 am: | |
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). |
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn
Post Number: 279 Registered: 04-2005
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:30 am: | |
Did you ever get out of the car? |
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 597 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 7:54 pm: | |
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.. |
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100
Post Number: 543 Registered: 12-2006
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:00 pm: | |
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. |
Andyguard73 Member Username: Andyguard73
Post Number: 206 Registered: 03-2006
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:26 pm: | |
What's the church pictured? (second photo, set 3) Its gorgeous. |
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 2528 Registered: 02-2005
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:34 pm: | |
That's Fort Street Presbyterian. Quite the exhibition of American gothic. |
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom
Post Number: 598 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:36 pm: | |
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.. |
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100
Post Number: 544 Registered: 12-2006
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:42 pm: | |
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. |
Andyguard73 Member Username: Andyguard73
Post Number: 207 Registered: 03-2006
| Posted on Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 8:44 pm: | |
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. |