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| ©tom stoye |
A rant for the day.
Today they imploded the historic Park Hotel in Cass Corridor. Although I'm not sure what qualifies anymore for something being "historic." If it's half-dead, is it worthy of saving? A rhetorical question, because it could have (and should have) been spared 40 years ago.
I love architecture, and I am a proponent of municipalities doing what is necessary to preserve a building, but Detroit has a pathetic legacy of waiting till the last minute to give a damn.
In Detroit, we let shit rot... and then we destroy it. That's what we do. Maybe not everything, because there has been some great examples of buildings being brought back from the dead, but more than not, we let buildings go until there's barely anything left, and then then the preservationists cry about saving it when someone rich enough can foot the bill. Where were those voices when it sat dormant for the last 12 years? And the Ilitch's, well…the Ilitches needed a loading dock for there new arena. A sad day.
Thanks Skip...The building itself is rather pedestrian, but more upsetting to me is the legacy of neglect regarding both buildings and people- and yet people celebrate it. Those same people are often the victims of policies that favor big business and the banks. I really don't think some understand just how it all effects the majority of people living in the city. It's as if they're watching a video game, and their celebration is for the visual effect of seeing a building crumble. With reinvestment coming back to the city, I think you will be seeing even more apathy towards reuse of local buildings. Money talks, and with the current administration, it's progress at any cost. I think it's wonderful that Detroit is making a resurgence in downtown and Cass Corridor, but it feels like a bandaid compared to the larger picture. 98% percent of Detroit remains unchanged; all it takes is a drive around the city to see it. It'd be nice if they addressed the peoples lives that have been effected for decades.
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