My Tuesday in Detroit
Sep. 2nd, 2010 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogI'm finally alllllllmost done with my pictures from Tuesday in Detroit. That was my most prolific day, so the rest will be much faster. Now that I'm almost to the end, let me write about what I did.
I started the day with a trip to see the area around Michigan Central Station. That part of Michigan Avenue is heavily blighted, and has a large number of vacant, abandoned buildings on top of the station itself. I was intrigued by one building in particular, an old brick structure standing forlorn on a corner, signs for a church painted crudely across it's ornate facade.
Vintage Brick Building on Michigan Avenue
© Stormdog 2010
I moved on from there to see Michigan Central Station itself. MCS has long been my favorite abandoned building, and one that symbolizes the state Detroit finds itself in these days. Large parts of the city are in the same, unfortunate condition.
The Imposing Train Station
© Stormdog 2010
I parked in a nearby neighborhood and looked for a better angle on the station, though there wasn't really one to be had. I did find an old, decaying sign advertising parking for the old Tiger Stadium, a structure which was demolished years ago.
Tiger Stadium Parking
© Stormdog 2010
From there, I drove toward downtown Detroit. When I lived in the area, I never really took time and walked around the city proper. I was planning to remedy that this trip. I ended up near a giant casino (not very interesting) and the headquarters of DTE Energy (which was more so). I really love the landscaping of this building. The bands of colors in the shallow pool out front, and the pretty little waterfalls that feed it.
DTE Headquarters
© Stormdog 2010
I drove a bit more, looking for parking space near enough to downtown to walk. I found one next to the Grand Army of the Republic building. This striking castle-like structure was built in 1899 for the GAR, an organization of Civil War veterans.
Grand Army of the Republic Building
© Stormdog 2010
Also in the area were two old, vacant theatres (the Michigan, now a parking garage, and the United Artists, simply and sadly decaying). I made a couple circuits of the buildings, hoping to find a way in, but was unsuccessful.
By that time I was getting pretty thirsty. It was a hot, dry day and I needed something to drink! I guessed that there'd be drinking fountains at a public bus station. I was right! I also saw one of the most unusual structures I've seen in person to date. The Rosa Parks Transportation Center. It's different, and more than a little outside the box. I like it.
Rosa Parks Transportation Center
© Stormdog 2010
Making my way to one of the centers of downtown Detroit, Woodward Avenue, I found a couple of beautiful structures. The Fox Theatre, a beautiful, and lively, old movie palace from the '20s, and the considerably older St. John's Episcopal, dating from 1861. Wow; there are some truly beautiful churches, and buildings in general, in Detroit! I was really surprised at how many amazing old buildings were around everywhere!
St. John's Episcopal Church
© Stormdog 2010
Fox Theatre, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
Right across Woodward from the Fox was the new home of the Detroit Tigers, Comerica Park. A big, impressive tiger guards the entrance, and tiger heads holding baseballs in their mouths are all about the structure. It was neat, though very modern looking. I wish I could have seen old Tiger Stadium in person before it met the wrecking ball.
Comerica Park
© Stormdog 2010
Walking further into downtown, I found some magnificent buildings like the ornate, neo-classical Detroit Free Press Building (abandoned) and the looming, lavishly adorned tower of the Book Building (also abandoned) with its funky fire-escape winding down the outside (The designer did not include fire routes out of the building, so one was tacked on later. Oops.). The number of real, landmark structures standing vacant is really saddening. At the same time, there's been a lot of renovation and rehabbing done lately, so I'm holding on to hope!
Detroit Free Press Building/big>
© Stormdog 2010
The Book Tower, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
I tried to explore the nearby Book Cadillac hotel (now the Westin Something-or-other) but didn't get very far. This is a fairly high-end hotel, and the elevators would not take me anywhere beyond the second floor mezzanine without a key-card. Oh well. Instead, I climbed up the parking garage stairs and took some shots looking out across the city from six floors up of buildings arrayed in front of me, rooftop graffiti, and fire escapes. I love old-style fire escapes. (When I was little, I played with a graphics cartridge [yes, a cartridge] on the Commodore 64 called Ranch. I remember drawing buildings and putting fire escapes on them, even on regular two-story houses, just because I thought they were so cool. I must have been in early elementary school. I was an odd child.)
From there, I walked north along Woodward, passing a really beautiful church just bedecked with bronze bas-reliefs. Woodward wasn't as interesting to me as some of the side streets though. It was a little too modernized and clean-looking. I moved eastward and found a real gem; and old theatre!
The National, I later read, is the only survivor from Detroit's original theatre district. It dates from 1911, and was designed by Albert Kahn, better known for his revolutionary factory designs for the big 3. The facade of this theatre is just so beautiful; it really pains me to see the rest of the building in such a state. There have been several plans for redevelopment, but none of them have taken hold yet.
National Theatre, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
From there, almost kitty-corner to the old theatre, was the Wayne County Building. This amazing example of the sort of neo-classical work you see so often in and on old public buildings is for sale! It's hard to imagine a building like this not in use, or somehow made into a museum, or, or something. This building was constructed just a few years before the National, and I like to imagine public officials from the Wayne County Building walking among the horse-drawn wagons in the streets, over to the National to take in a show or a talky.
Wayne County Building, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
From there, I went toward the river, where I found The Spirit of Detroit. This statue is iconic as a symbol of the city itself. The people in one hand represent the noble relationship of the family, and the sun represents the power of God. The verse on the wall behind the statue is from the biblical book of Corinthians.
The Spirit of Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
And from there, I walked westward across Woodward and came upon one of the most amazing buildings I've ever seen.
I used to think how awesome it is to work in a building like the Merchandise Mart. And you know, it really is. I'm in a landmark, Art Deco high-rise from the end of the roaring '20s. It's a building with class and history, and that's neat.
But then I saw buildings like this one. I imagine stepping through the doors every morning and walking through an actual work of art and how amazing it would be to see this place every day and get to know it better.
Maybe if I was there every day, I'd get bored of it. But I don't think so.
I was blown away by this building. Just floored. My pictures aren't adequate to the experience of seeing it first hand. If this building was in Chicago, I'd be here week in and week out, trying to get better pictures, waiting for the right light. I wasn't sure I'd ever see a building as flat-out awesome as New York's GE Building; then I found the Guardian.
The Guardian was built in 1930 at the height of Art Deco. As well as the beautiful geometries of that movement, it was heavily influenced by Native American designs and art. This could probably never be built today, and there's a lot of cultural appropriation happening here. But damn, it's pretty.
This building was built in 1930 by the Union Trust Company and is known as "The Cathedral of Finance".
Native American Bas-relief on the Guardian Building, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
I did go inside and take pictures of the lobby, and that lobby measured up in every respect to the exterior. It was amazing. I just haven't edited my pictures of it yet. Honestly, they just don't measure up to my memories. I will edit them and post them though. The space was like nothing I'd ever seen before.
Once I was done in there, I walked across Jefferson to Hart Plaza. The plaza is a place that I had no idea existed prior to this trip. It's a wide plaza with a sunken ampitheatre, a large fountain, and some interesting climbable block sculpture. I was enjoying exploring it when I was called by a young guy who asked me how much I charge for a photo shoot.
I explained that I'm not really good with people, but that if he really wanted me to, I could give it a try and I wouldn't charge anything. So he got his friends together and I spent half an hour to forty-five minutes shooting pictures of them in front of the fountain or on the blocks in various poses. He's a singer, and his friends dance, and they all perform together. It was so neat to meet a group of creative folks like that, and my impromptu photo shoot was a lot of fun. I really need to burn a CD for them and get it shipped soon. I haven't managed to yet.
And finally, with my light waning, it was time to get back to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
red_ceilidh's place for the night. As usual that trip, she and I looked at the pictures I'd taken, chatted, and were accosted by wonderful cats and one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met, Sienna the Pit Bull.
Well, I'll write about the next day once I have my pictures from it up. Deal?
I started the day with a trip to see the area around Michigan Central Station. That part of Michigan Avenue is heavily blighted, and has a large number of vacant, abandoned buildings on top of the station itself. I was intrigued by one building in particular, an old brick structure standing forlorn on a corner, signs for a church painted crudely across it's ornate facade.
Vintage Brick Building on Michigan Avenue
© Stormdog 2010
I moved on from there to see Michigan Central Station itself. MCS has long been my favorite abandoned building, and one that symbolizes the state Detroit finds itself in these days. Large parts of the city are in the same, unfortunate condition.
The Imposing Train Station
© Stormdog 2010
I parked in a nearby neighborhood and looked for a better angle on the station, though there wasn't really one to be had. I did find an old, decaying sign advertising parking for the old Tiger Stadium, a structure which was demolished years ago.
Tiger Stadium Parking
© Stormdog 2010
From there, I drove toward downtown Detroit. When I lived in the area, I never really took time and walked around the city proper. I was planning to remedy that this trip. I ended up near a giant casino (not very interesting) and the headquarters of DTE Energy (which was more so). I really love the landscaping of this building. The bands of colors in the shallow pool out front, and the pretty little waterfalls that feed it.
DTE Headquarters
© Stormdog 2010
I drove a bit more, looking for parking space near enough to downtown to walk. I found one next to the Grand Army of the Republic building. This striking castle-like structure was built in 1899 for the GAR, an organization of Civil War veterans.
Grand Army of the Republic Building
© Stormdog 2010
Also in the area were two old, vacant theatres (the Michigan, now a parking garage, and the United Artists, simply and sadly decaying). I made a couple circuits of the buildings, hoping to find a way in, but was unsuccessful.
By that time I was getting pretty thirsty. It was a hot, dry day and I needed something to drink! I guessed that there'd be drinking fountains at a public bus station. I was right! I also saw one of the most unusual structures I've seen in person to date. The Rosa Parks Transportation Center. It's different, and more than a little outside the box. I like it.
Rosa Parks Transportation Center
© Stormdog 2010
Making my way to one of the centers of downtown Detroit, Woodward Avenue, I found a couple of beautiful structures. The Fox Theatre, a beautiful, and lively, old movie palace from the '20s, and the considerably older St. John's Episcopal, dating from 1861. Wow; there are some truly beautiful churches, and buildings in general, in Detroit! I was really surprised at how many amazing old buildings were around everywhere!
St. John's Episcopal Church
© Stormdog 2010
Fox Theatre, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
Right across Woodward from the Fox was the new home of the Detroit Tigers, Comerica Park. A big, impressive tiger guards the entrance, and tiger heads holding baseballs in their mouths are all about the structure. It was neat, though very modern looking. I wish I could have seen old Tiger Stadium in person before it met the wrecking ball.
Comerica Park
© Stormdog 2010
Walking further into downtown, I found some magnificent buildings like the ornate, neo-classical Detroit Free Press Building (abandoned) and the looming, lavishly adorned tower of the Book Building (also abandoned) with its funky fire-escape winding down the outside (The designer did not include fire routes out of the building, so one was tacked on later. Oops.). The number of real, landmark structures standing vacant is really saddening. At the same time, there's been a lot of renovation and rehabbing done lately, so I'm holding on to hope!
Detroit Free Press Building/big>
© Stormdog 2010
The Book Tower, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
I tried to explore the nearby Book Cadillac hotel (now the Westin Something-or-other) but didn't get very far. This is a fairly high-end hotel, and the elevators would not take me anywhere beyond the second floor mezzanine without a key-card. Oh well. Instead, I climbed up the parking garage stairs and took some shots looking out across the city from six floors up of buildings arrayed in front of me, rooftop graffiti, and fire escapes. I love old-style fire escapes. (When I was little, I played with a graphics cartridge [yes, a cartridge] on the Commodore 64 called Ranch. I remember drawing buildings and putting fire escapes on them, even on regular two-story houses, just because I thought they were so cool. I must have been in early elementary school. I was an odd child.)
From there, I walked north along Woodward, passing a really beautiful church just bedecked with bronze bas-reliefs. Woodward wasn't as interesting to me as some of the side streets though. It was a little too modernized and clean-looking. I moved eastward and found a real gem; and old theatre!
The National, I later read, is the only survivor from Detroit's original theatre district. It dates from 1911, and was designed by Albert Kahn, better known for his revolutionary factory designs for the big 3. The facade of this theatre is just so beautiful; it really pains me to see the rest of the building in such a state. There have been several plans for redevelopment, but none of them have taken hold yet.
National Theatre, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
From there, almost kitty-corner to the old theatre, was the Wayne County Building. This amazing example of the sort of neo-classical work you see so often in and on old public buildings is for sale! It's hard to imagine a building like this not in use, or somehow made into a museum, or, or something. This building was constructed just a few years before the National, and I like to imagine public officials from the Wayne County Building walking among the horse-drawn wagons in the streets, over to the National to take in a show or a talky.
Wayne County Building, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
From there, I went toward the river, where I found The Spirit of Detroit. This statue is iconic as a symbol of the city itself. The people in one hand represent the noble relationship of the family, and the sun represents the power of God. The verse on the wall behind the statue is from the biblical book of Corinthians.
The Spirit of Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
And from there, I walked westward across Woodward and came upon one of the most amazing buildings I've ever seen.
I used to think how awesome it is to work in a building like the Merchandise Mart. And you know, it really is. I'm in a landmark, Art Deco high-rise from the end of the roaring '20s. It's a building with class and history, and that's neat.
But then I saw buildings like this one. I imagine stepping through the doors every morning and walking through an actual work of art and how amazing it would be to see this place every day and get to know it better.
Maybe if I was there every day, I'd get bored of it. But I don't think so.
I was blown away by this building. Just floored. My pictures aren't adequate to the experience of seeing it first hand. If this building was in Chicago, I'd be here week in and week out, trying to get better pictures, waiting for the right light. I wasn't sure I'd ever see a building as flat-out awesome as New York's GE Building; then I found the Guardian.
The Guardian was built in 1930 at the height of Art Deco. As well as the beautiful geometries of that movement, it was heavily influenced by Native American designs and art. This could probably never be built today, and there's a lot of cultural appropriation happening here. But damn, it's pretty.
This building was built in 1930 by the Union Trust Company and is known as "The Cathedral of Finance".
Native American Bas-relief on the Guardian Building, Detroit
© Stormdog 2010
I did go inside and take pictures of the lobby, and that lobby measured up in every respect to the exterior. It was amazing. I just haven't edited my pictures of it yet. Honestly, they just don't measure up to my memories. I will edit them and post them though. The space was like nothing I'd ever seen before.
Once I was done in there, I walked across Jefferson to Hart Plaza. The plaza is a place that I had no idea existed prior to this trip. It's a wide plaza with a sunken ampitheatre, a large fountain, and some interesting climbable block sculpture. I was enjoying exploring it when I was called by a young guy who asked me how much I charge for a photo shoot.
I explained that I'm not really good with people, but that if he really wanted me to, I could give it a try and I wouldn't charge anything. So he got his friends together and I spent half an hour to forty-five minutes shooting pictures of them in front of the fountain or on the blocks in various poses. He's a singer, and his friends dance, and they all perform together. It was so neat to meet a group of creative folks like that, and my impromptu photo shoot was a lot of fun. I really need to burn a CD for them and get it shipped soon. I haven't managed to yet.
And finally, with my light waning, it was time to get back to
red_ceilidh's place for the night. As usual that trip, she and I looked at the pictures I'd taken, chatted, and were accosted by wonderful cats and one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met, Sienna the Pit Bull. Well, I'll write about the next day once I have my pictures from it up. Deal?
