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| Up in the old hotel: what the Strathmore says about Detroit's growing pains | Up in the old hotel: what the Strathmore says about Detroit's growing pains |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The old Strathmore Hotel stands on West Alexandrine in Detroit’s midtown. A red-brick building, eight storeys high, casting its windowless gaze over a rapidly changing part of this city. Below lie some of the familiar indicators of urban gentrification: a hipster coffee shop, a craft beer saloon, and not so very far away, a Whole Foods. But in other regards, and certainly in the case of the Strathmore, there is a hope that in Detroit the process of renewal might be different than it has been for other cities. | The old Strathmore Hotel stands on West Alexandrine in Detroit’s midtown. A red-brick building, eight storeys high, casting its windowless gaze over a rapidly changing part of this city. Below lie some of the familiar indicators of urban gentrification: a hipster coffee shop, a craft beer saloon, and not so very far away, a Whole Foods. But in other regards, and certainly in the case of the Strathmore, there is a hope that in Detroit the process of renewal might be different than it has been for other cities. |
| The Strathmore was built in 1924, and for 40 years ran as an apartment hotel before being converted into a rental building. For the past decade, however, it has stood empty, ceilings sagging, plaster peeling, ivy winding its way around the window frames. At ground level it has been embellished with depictions of men in suits wearing gas masks, painted by street artists the Hygienic Dress League. Just below its roofline runs a crown of block-faced graffiti: PAIDAWAY it reads, EDDY and CASH4DROID. | The Strathmore was built in 1924, and for 40 years ran as an apartment hotel before being converted into a rental building. For the past decade, however, it has stood empty, ceilings sagging, plaster peeling, ivy winding its way around the window frames. At ground level it has been embellished with depictions of men in suits wearing gas masks, painted by street artists the Hygienic Dress League. Just below its roofline runs a crown of block-faced graffiti: PAIDAWAY it reads, EDDY and CASH4DROID. |
| Derelict buildings are of course nothing new in Detroit – throughout the city, from homes to factories, apartment blocks to movie theaters, they stand ravaged by time and fire and nature; websites, documentaries, coffee-table books and countless newspaper articles have been dedicated to their eerie magnificence. | Derelict buildings are of course nothing new in Detroit – throughout the city, from homes to factories, apartment blocks to movie theaters, they stand ravaged by time and fire and nature; websites, documentaries, coffee-table books and countless newspaper articles have been dedicated to their eerie magnificence. |
| Related: The two Detroits: a city both collapsing and gentrifying at the same time | Related: The two Detroits: a city both collapsing and gentrifying at the same time |
| But a year ago a study by the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force, an organization put together by the Obama administration, found that 78,506 buildings across the city’s 139 square miles were dilapidated, and 114,000 parcels of land were vacant. It advised the city to tear down 40,000 abandoned houses, restore thousands more, and spend approximately $1bn on demolishing or restoring its 559 deserted factory buildings if it wants to hold on to any hope of renewal. | But a year ago a study by the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force, an organization put together by the Obama administration, found that 78,506 buildings across the city’s 139 square miles were dilapidated, and 114,000 parcels of land were vacant. It advised the city to tear down 40,000 abandoned houses, restore thousands more, and spend approximately $1bn on demolishing or restoring its 559 deserted factory buildings if it wants to hold on to any hope of renewal. |
| The process of restoration takes not just money but time. In 2012 it was announced that the Strathmore was the latest of midtown’s wrecks to be tackled. “It’s a great, big hulking nothing,” said Robbert McKay, an historic architect with the Michigan state historic preservation office. “It’s three times taller than anything else around there, so something had to happen to it, because if it didn’t the renovation of that area would never have been complete.” Curbed Detroit put it more brutally, describing the building as “midtown’s biggest blight monster”. | |
| But its restoration was not an easy prospect. When Midtown Detroit Inc bought the property they noted that it had been through the hands of five different developers in the previous five years, all of whom found themselves flummoxed by the idea of how to renovate such a huge and devastated space. | But its restoration was not an easy prospect. When Midtown Detroit Inc bought the property they noted that it had been through the hands of five different developers in the previous five years, all of whom found themselves flummoxed by the idea of how to renovate such a huge and devastated space. |
| McKay’s involvement in the renovation of the Strathmore – and other projects – is an intricate and measured process. “Specifically I work with developers interested in the federal historic tax credit,” he explained. What this means, hopefully, is that in the rush to rejuvenate a bankrupt city, many of its stately buildings will be restored with care and attention to detail, rather than the bland bulk refits that have characterized many of the hasty warehouse conversions of major western cities. | McKay’s involvement in the renovation of the Strathmore – and other projects – is an intricate and measured process. “Specifically I work with developers interested in the federal historic tax credit,” he explained. What this means, hopefully, is that in the rush to rejuvenate a bankrupt city, many of its stately buildings will be restored with care and attention to detail, rather than the bland bulk refits that have characterized many of the hasty warehouse conversions of major western cities. |
| “In an ideal world I get involved as soon as a developer decides to start work on the building,” McKay explained. “Earlier is always better. I can spend two years working with the developer before it’s all approved. Some projects take five years, though the life cycle is usually two years in planning and financing and two years in construction.” | “In an ideal world I get involved as soon as a developer decides to start work on the building,” McKay explained. “Earlier is always better. I can spend two years working with the developer before it’s all approved. Some projects take five years, though the life cycle is usually two years in planning and financing and two years in construction.” |
| The first part of McKay’s task involves basic reconnaissance, he said: “I figure out what’s there, define that the building is eligible [for the historic tax credit], using tonnes of photos.” Along with Detroit-based architects Hamilton Anderson and Associates he consulted the Manning Brothers Historic Photographic Collection, a 250,000-strong archive of images from the vaults of a commercial photography company operating between 1906 and 1989 and capturing “virtually every office building, theatre, private club, store and major industry in the city of Detroit.” | The first part of McKay’s task involves basic reconnaissance, he said: “I figure out what’s there, define that the building is eligible [for the historic tax credit], using tonnes of photos.” Along with Detroit-based architects Hamilton Anderson and Associates he consulted the Manning Brothers Historic Photographic Collection, a 250,000-strong archive of images from the vaults of a commercial photography company operating between 1906 and 1989 and capturing “virtually every office building, theatre, private club, store and major industry in the city of Detroit.” |
| The next stage for McKay is working out “what do we do to make it a usable space, practical by today’s standards but without altering the sense of its history.” In terms of the Strathmore, he says, “There wasn’t a lot there, except the building’s exterior. But we have to use new materials that reflect what was there. It’s a negotiable process.” | The next stage for McKay is working out “what do we do to make it a usable space, practical by today’s standards but without altering the sense of its history.” In terms of the Strathmore, he says, “There wasn’t a lot there, except the building’s exterior. But we have to use new materials that reflect what was there. It’s a negotiable process.” |
| In the Strathmore’s case, the renovator’s trick of stripping back a building’s plasterwork to expose its brick walls is not permitted, as it would not be in keeping with the structure’s historic nature. However modern features such as hardwood floors and stone work-surfaces have been deemed acceptable. The building’s real feature will be its atrium: the Strathmore is a doughnut-shaped structure, with a central courtyard and glass skylight which the developers hope to make a community space and garden room. | In the Strathmore’s case, the renovator’s trick of stripping back a building’s plasterwork to expose its brick walls is not permitted, as it would not be in keeping with the structure’s historic nature. However modern features such as hardwood floors and stone work-surfaces have been deemed acceptable. The building’s real feature will be its atrium: the Strathmore is a doughnut-shaped structure, with a central courtyard and glass skylight which the developers hope to make a community space and garden room. |
| One of McKay – and Detroit’s – great successes has been the renovation of the David Whitney building, an historic Class A skyscraper in the city’s downtown area. Built in 1915, it was an impressive example of neo-renaissance style, with a terra cotta and glazed brick exterior, designed by architect Daniel Burnham. However, in 1959 many of its decorative elements were removed, its elaborate cornices making way for a plainer “modern top”. But then a renovation project was begun by the Roxbury Group. | One of McKay – and Detroit’s – great successes has been the renovation of the David Whitney building, an historic Class A skyscraper in the city’s downtown area. Built in 1915, it was an impressive example of neo-renaissance style, with a terra cotta and glazed brick exterior, designed by architect Daniel Burnham. However, in 1959 many of its decorative elements were removed, its elaborate cornices making way for a plainer “modern top”. But then a renovation project was begun by the Roxbury Group. |
| “The Whitney was a fun project because it’s at the other end of the spectrum [to the Strathmore],” explained McKay. “The lobby is spectacular, and there was lots of richness in its historic material. The building was historic, and although lots had been done to the exterior, they had documentation to show what was there before, including lions and pediments.” | “The Whitney was a fun project because it’s at the other end of the spectrum [to the Strathmore],” explained McKay. “The lobby is spectacular, and there was lots of richness in its historic material. The building was historic, and although lots had been done to the exterior, they had documentation to show what was there before, including lions and pediments.” |
| Related: Detroit's young gentrifiers face a daunting task in buying $500 homes: evicting poor residents | Related: Detroit's young gentrifiers face a daunting task in buying $500 homes: evicting poor residents |
| Indeed, the return of those lions has been a source of great professional pride for McKay. There are 26 in total, each three feet across, positioned 19 floors up, Unable to budget for the original terra cotta, McKay instead opted to use fiberglass, a material that is more durable, cheaper and considerably lighter – where the originals probably weighed 400-500lbs, their modern replacements weight just 120lbs. | Indeed, the return of those lions has been a source of great professional pride for McKay. There are 26 in total, each three feet across, positioned 19 floors up, Unable to budget for the original terra cotta, McKay instead opted to use fiberglass, a material that is more durable, cheaper and considerably lighter – where the originals probably weighed 400-500lbs, their modern replacements weight just 120lbs. |
| “In Europe, you’d use the original materials – but it can be very difficult in this country to get good terracotta,” says McKay. “Does it trouble me that we haven’t used the same material? It does when it’s down low. But these are way up, so no. People aren’t going to be able to appreciate the detail on them, but it means something to me. It was remarkable to see the lions fly up there.” | “In Europe, you’d use the original materials – but it can be very difficult in this country to get good terracotta,” says McKay. “Does it trouble me that we haven’t used the same material? It does when it’s down low. But these are way up, so no. People aren’t going to be able to appreciate the detail on them, but it means something to me. It was remarkable to see the lions fly up there.” |
| The model for the lion heads was created by Detroit sculptor Sergio De Giusti, then molded by the Plymouth-based company Glassline Inc, who specialize in fiberglass-reinforced plastic and have been as surprised as anyone to find a rush of commissions from Detroit. They have also been responsible for a new version of the Whitney’s original rooftop sign, 67-feet wide, as well as projects for the luxurious Book-Cadillac Hotel and the Buhl Building, both downtown, and new cornices for the Detroit Savings Bank in Capitol Park, among others. | The model for the lion heads was created by Detroit sculptor Sergio De Giusti, then molded by the Plymouth-based company Glassline Inc, who specialize in fiberglass-reinforced plastic and have been as surprised as anyone to find a rush of commissions from Detroit. They have also been responsible for a new version of the Whitney’s original rooftop sign, 67-feet wide, as well as projects for the luxurious Book-Cadillac Hotel and the Buhl Building, both downtown, and new cornices for the Detroit Savings Bank in Capitol Park, among others. |
| They owe much of this demand to the might of Michigan’s historic preservation office. “Detroit and Grand Rapids have two of the strongest preservation ethics in the state,” McKay explained. “Do we win all the battles? No. But we win most of them. Especially next to Chicago or New York or Philadelphia, we compare favourably.” | They owe much of this demand to the might of Michigan’s historic preservation office. “Detroit and Grand Rapids have two of the strongest preservation ethics in the state,” McKay explained. “Do we win all the battles? No. But we win most of them. Especially next to Chicago or New York or Philadelphia, we compare favourably.” |
| In Detroit, of course, these buildings – whether in boom-time or bust, have been a rich part of the city’s history, and residents feel too possessive of them, even in their dilapidated state, to see them entirely re-imagined without respect for their past. “People understand, I think, the value of real history,” McKay said. “You can make things look old, but there’s a difference between applied history and real history.” | In Detroit, of course, these buildings – whether in boom-time or bust, have been a rich part of the city’s history, and residents feel too possessive of them, even in their dilapidated state, to see them entirely re-imagined without respect for their past. “People understand, I think, the value of real history,” McKay said. “You can make things look old, but there’s a difference between applied history and real history.” |
| McKay describes himself as “optimistic” for the future of Detroit’s architecture. “I’ve been doing this for 17 years, and the Detroit that I visited in the first two weeks is so completely different to the Detroit that I see now,” he said. “I can’t go any place in the city where I can’t see a project that I’ve been involved with. And that’s what proves to me that this is a telling moment.” Already he sees the restoration spreading from Downtown – where he is working on “buildings that have been under-occupied, creating an environment for 20-30-somethings who want to be downtown and don’t mind that it’s a little edgy” – and further out into the city “up Woodward, around Michigan Avenue and East Jefferson Avenue. It’s getting stronger.” | McKay describes himself as “optimistic” for the future of Detroit’s architecture. “I’ve been doing this for 17 years, and the Detroit that I visited in the first two weeks is so completely different to the Detroit that I see now,” he said. “I can’t go any place in the city where I can’t see a project that I’ve been involved with. And that’s what proves to me that this is a telling moment.” Already he sees the restoration spreading from Downtown – where he is working on “buildings that have been under-occupied, creating an environment for 20-30-somethings who want to be downtown and don’t mind that it’s a little edgy” – and further out into the city “up Woodward, around Michigan Avenue and East Jefferson Avenue. It’s getting stronger.” |
| Some of that strength lies in the forms of public-private partnership that have funded many of these projects. The Strathmore, for instance, will take a budgeted $28m to turn into 129 apartments, 2,000 square feet of commercial space, a sum that has been provided by midtown Detroit Inc, a St Louis-based development partner McCormack Baron Salazar, and a long list of development organizations: US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Michigan state housing development authority; Michigan economic development corporation; city of Detroit; US Bank; Invest Detroit; Detroit Development Fund; Enterprise Community Partners; Ford Foundation; the Kresge Foundation; Hudson-Webber Foundation. | Some of that strength lies in the forms of public-private partnership that have funded many of these projects. The Strathmore, for instance, will take a budgeted $28m to turn into 129 apartments, 2,000 square feet of commercial space, a sum that has been provided by midtown Detroit Inc, a St Louis-based development partner McCormack Baron Salazar, and a long list of development organizations: US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Michigan state housing development authority; Michigan economic development corporation; city of Detroit; US Bank; Invest Detroit; Detroit Development Fund; Enterprise Community Partners; Ford Foundation; the Kresge Foundation; Hudson-Webber Foundation. |
| With midtown currently seeing a 97% occupancy rate, this seems like a sound investment – though the developers have been mindful to ensure the area does not become an elitist enclave: 60% of the apartments will stand at market rate, 40% will be offered for affordable housing rates. | With midtown currently seeing a 97% occupancy rate, this seems like a sound investment – though the developers have been mindful to ensure the area does not become an elitist enclave: 60% of the apartments will stand at market rate, 40% will be offered for affordable housing rates. |
| The hope is that any potential flashpoints between Detroit’s long-term residents and newcomers might be calmed by the wider benefits the redevelopments are bringing to the city. “People who’ve lived in Detroit bridle at all these affluent, largely white kids moving in,” said Michael Hodges, fine arts writer for the Detroit News, and creator of the photography website Unexpected Detroit. “They’re privileged, but they’re starting businesses and also they pay taxes – and Detroit desperately needs tax-bases. | The hope is that any potential flashpoints between Detroit’s long-term residents and newcomers might be calmed by the wider benefits the redevelopments are bringing to the city. “People who’ve lived in Detroit bridle at all these affluent, largely white kids moving in,” said Michael Hodges, fine arts writer for the Detroit News, and creator of the photography website Unexpected Detroit. “They’re privileged, but they’re starting businesses and also they pay taxes – and Detroit desperately needs tax-bases. |
| “I think Detroit’s getting hot enough to get investment now,” he continued. “The Free Press building [in Downtown] has been bought by Chinese investors. And now every year two or three major movies shoot here.” Films to recently shoot in Detroit include Batman v Superman, and the Transformers trilogy. | “I think Detroit’s getting hot enough to get investment now,” he continued. “The Free Press building [in Downtown] has been bought by Chinese investors. And now every year two or three major movies shoot here.” Films to recently shoot in Detroit include Batman v Superman, and the Transformers trilogy. |
| Hodges grew up here, then moved away for 20 years before returning in 1991. “It didn’t feel as hopeful then as it does now,” he said. “The current shift came with the 2008 financial collapse. Then the national attitude softened, I think, because the rest of the country was caught up in it too – until then it had been very contemptuous and scornful of Detroit.” | Hodges grew up here, then moved away for 20 years before returning in 1991. “It didn’t feel as hopeful then as it does now,” he said. “The current shift came with the 2008 financial collapse. Then the national attitude softened, I think, because the rest of the country was caught up in it too – until then it had been very contemptuous and scornful of Detroit.” |
| He sees echoes in his city now of New York, as it was when he lived there in the mid-80s, “when New York was still a wreck, before it became a playground for the filthy-rich, and I was fascinated by it.” A similar process seems to be taking place in Detroit, he said: “Some of the first people who moved downtown were artists and craftspeople – people who wanted space and didn’t want to pay high rents. Now you’ve started to see these kids moving in from the suburbs. It used to be that if you grew up in the suburbs and wanted urban grit you moved to New York or Chicago, but now it’s suddenly cool and sexy to say you’re moving downtown.” | He sees echoes in his city now of New York, as it was when he lived there in the mid-80s, “when New York was still a wreck, before it became a playground for the filthy-rich, and I was fascinated by it.” A similar process seems to be taking place in Detroit, he said: “Some of the first people who moved downtown were artists and craftspeople – people who wanted space and didn’t want to pay high rents. Now you’ve started to see these kids moving in from the suburbs. It used to be that if you grew up in the suburbs and wanted urban grit you moved to New York or Chicago, but now it’s suddenly cool and sexy to say you’re moving downtown.” |
| Not all of the restoration projects have been successful. “You do look at some buildings and think ‘This is not going to end well’,” McKay conceded, while Hodges admits that “some of the early renovations were done on the cheap. And Detroit is just so vast, it’s sometimes a little hard to imagine those outer neighbourhoods will come back.” But he sees good reason for hope for the city’s architectural future: “The process of rebuilding has not been as cruel as other cities, like New York,” he explained. “The ruins have shifted from being shameful to there being something inherently beautiful and profound.” | Not all of the restoration projects have been successful. “You do look at some buildings and think ‘This is not going to end well’,” McKay conceded, while Hodges admits that “some of the early renovations were done on the cheap. And Detroit is just so vast, it’s sometimes a little hard to imagine those outer neighbourhoods will come back.” But he sees good reason for hope for the city’s architectural future: “The process of rebuilding has not been as cruel as other cities, like New York,” he explained. “The ruins have shifted from being shameful to there being something inherently beautiful and profound.” |
| Both Hodges and McKay cite the Michigan Central Station as the structure they would most like to see restored. “It is a brooding, beautiful building,” Hodges says. “It was designed with the intention of making you feel small and insignificant,” McKay explains. “And it still does that. It was from a time when volume was king.” | Both Hodges and McKay cite the Michigan Central Station as the structure they would most like to see restored. “It is a brooding, beautiful building,” Hodges says. “It was designed with the intention of making you feel small and insignificant,” McKay explains. “And it still does that. It was from a time when volume was king.” |
| Related: 'Detroiters stay out': racial blockades divide a city and its surburbs | Related: 'Detroiters stay out': racial blockades divide a city and its surburbs |
| Opened in 1913, at the peak of rail travel in the US, it was then the tallest railway station in the world, a Beaux-Arts monolith that served some 200 trains each day. Its main waiting room was modelled on a Roman bathhouse, with marble walls and vaulted ceilings, and there was a Doric columned hall and a concourse with a copper skylight. With the rise of the automobile, however, the station drifted into disuse and decline, and in 1988, with the end of the city’s Amtrak service, it closed entirely. | Opened in 1913, at the peak of rail travel in the US, it was then the tallest railway station in the world, a Beaux-Arts monolith that served some 200 trains each day. Its main waiting room was modelled on a Roman bathhouse, with marble walls and vaulted ceilings, and there was a Doric columned hall and a concourse with a copper skylight. With the rise of the automobile, however, the station drifted into disuse and decline, and in 1988, with the end of the city’s Amtrak service, it closed entirely. |
| Since then it has seen a level of disrepair almost as magnificent as the structure itself. “The inside has been ravaged,” McKay says. “Mostly by suburban white kids in this destructo-Disneyland. It’s what 14- and 15-year-old kids do.” | Since then it has seen a level of disrepair almost as magnificent as the structure itself. “The inside has been ravaged,” McKay says. “Mostly by suburban white kids in this destructo-Disneyland. It’s what 14- and 15-year-old kids do.” |
| “I’ve been on every floor,” said Hodges. “The basement is inky black. There’s a lot of homeless people there. Running along the ceiling in the middle level there are conduits that held copper wire, and all have been stripped for their metal. So you keep running into these conduits in the dark.” Once, he says, a homeless man showed him around the building. “He took us to this manhole, and inside there was a perfectly clean skeleton of a dog.” | “I’ve been on every floor,” said Hodges. “The basement is inky black. There’s a lot of homeless people there. Running along the ceiling in the middle level there are conduits that held copper wire, and all have been stripped for their metal. So you keep running into these conduits in the dark.” Once, he says, a homeless man showed him around the building. “He took us to this manhole, and inside there was a perfectly clean skeleton of a dog.” |
| Today it sits sealed it off, and lit it up at night. Any restoration work relies upon the whim of its owner, Manuel Maroun (who bought the station in 1995, and also owns the Ambassador bridge – the main route to Canada) and so far has seen slow progress. Most recently an architectural company was commissioned to supply over a thousand new windows “sensitive to the historic value” of the building, but its total renovation is estimated to cost anywhere from $80m to $300m. “There was so much damage and it was such an elaborate building that it’s so complicated to restore it,” said McKay. “But the day that finishes, I will retire.” | Today it sits sealed it off, and lit it up at night. Any restoration work relies upon the whim of its owner, Manuel Maroun (who bought the station in 1995, and also owns the Ambassador bridge – the main route to Canada) and so far has seen slow progress. Most recently an architectural company was commissioned to supply over a thousand new windows “sensitive to the historic value” of the building, but its total renovation is estimated to cost anywhere from $80m to $300m. “There was so much damage and it was such an elaborate building that it’s so complicated to restore it,” said McKay. “But the day that finishes, I will retire.” |
| How soon, then, might we expect his retirement? “Well the Depot is now right on the edge of where things are starting to happen,” he said. “That building has become so synonymous with the decline of Detroit that for me to see it restored would be a beacon of how far we’ve come back.” | How soon, then, might we expect his retirement? “Well the Depot is now right on the edge of where things are starting to happen,” he said. “That building has become so synonymous with the decline of Detroit that for me to see it restored would be a beacon of how far we’ve come back.” |
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