Detroit: Then, Now, The Future

[Cismontane]

But, I thought Mitt Romney single-handedly "saved" Detroit? What could there possibly be left to do?

[DetroitPlanner]

But, I thought Mitt Romney single-handedly "saved" Detroit? What could there possibly be left to do?

Mitt did not even know his boyhood mansion was ripped down because it was left as an eyesore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNc_buB_rQ8
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...d_home_to.html

He blamed the liberals.

[WSU MUP Student]

Noted Urban Planner Coming to Detroit (And it's not an article about me going downtown yesterday evening for bowling night!)

Maybe something really will come of Detroit's downsizing plan. The Kresge Foundation has already hired a planner that will be paid by the foundation but work for the city's planning and economic development department. I can imagine others in the city (either regular citizens or folks in the city government) who might feel this is some sort of conflict of interest by having an outsider, paid for by a suburban foundation no less! gasp! working in such a capacity....

It looks like this plan is still slowly chugging along. The Detroit Future City publicly released its plan yesterday and today the Kresge Foundation announced they are pledging $150 million towards implementation. That could go towards a lot of property buyback and demolition.

I have yet to read the full 347 page plan but hope to go through a lot of it on my down time at work over the next couple of days.

[Veloise]

Nice piece by one of my favorite Freepsters.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2013301130166

[WSU MUP Student]

I don't usually like to promote ruin porn, and I think the article that accompanies the photos purposefully glosses over the fact that Cass Tech as an institute still flourishes, albeit in a new building, but this is indeed a pretty cool idea for a series of photographs:

The Life and Death of an Iconic Detroit High School

Full photo series at Detroit Urbex

[DetroitPlanner]

At least Cass Technical H. S. was replaced and not closed.

My Uncle was a Graduate of that school. I wanted to go too but the 'rents wanted me to go to a Catholic high school instead. A lot of good that did!

[WSU MUP Student]

At least Cass Technical H. S. was replaced and not closed.

My Uncle was a Graduate of that school. I wanted to go too but the 'rents wanted me to go to a Catholic high school instead. A lot of good that did!

My dad had an opportunity to go to Cranbrook as a resident student for free through high school thanks to the Episcopal diocese in the early 1950s but his parents turned it down because he was invited to go to Cass Tech for a few classes a day each year and they thought that would be a better opportunity. I think that is a pretty good testament to how strong of a school that was... and still is. The few young adults I've met that went to Cass Tech over the past decade have all seemed very smart and very well grounded.

I remember going in there in 1996 as a high school senior from the sticks for a competition I was in and just being in awe of the architecture and the facilities. I never knew high schools like that actually existed outside of the movies or television. FWIW, I've been in the new version as well and it too is quite impressive in its own right.

[Dan]

At least Cass Technical H. S. was replaced and not closed.

My Uncle was a Graduate of that school. I wanted to go too but the 'rents wanted me to go to a Catholic high school instead. A lot of good that did!

It's too bad the old Cass Tech buikding wasn't rehabbed or saved. Buffalo Public Schools is taking a much different approach; they're putting billions of dollars into renovatilns and uogrades of their older school buildimgs. Space is an issue; there's not nearly the same amount of vacant land as in Detroit. Also, there's a heightened awareness of Buffalo's historic building stock, and a greater value is placed on preserving older structures even when it might make more economic sense to build new.

I attended Hutchinson Central Technical High School, tbe Buffalo equivalent of Cass Tech or Brooklyn Tech. Hutch Tech is in downtown Buffalo, was built in 1917, and is very similar to Cass Tech. Instead of relocation and demolition, the school was rehabbed. I took a tour a few years ago, and the result is spectacular. Square footage was greatly expanded in the existing building footprint, yet the appearance from the street remains intact.

[btrage]

Kwame and his boy Bobby guilty. Hopefully this is part of a new chapter for the City.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

[OfficialPlanner]

Kwame and his boy Bobby guilty. Hopefully this is part of a new chapter for the City.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

I doubt it. It's going to get a lot worse before getting better. There is going to be HUGE pushback when the emergency financial manager is appointed, and some very painful reforms will have to be made before recovery can begin.

[DetroitPlanner]

The guy who I blame for me having to move out is done. I am elated with this. I only wish I had some safety in my old hood for those still trapped there.