Lafayette Building Demolition

**DetroitZack** · November-18-09, 03:24 PM

A photo update from today...

**jtf1972** · November-18-09, 05:03 PM

I think the rounded front would have made a more interesting look to the building.

**Mackenzie68** · December-04-09, 06:26 PM

I just mentioned this building to dad who says his uncle, Jerome Jelinek, made the newspapers with this building. He was an electrician [[Local 58) and figured out a way to save "millions of dollars" when the building was being switched from dc power to ac in 1953. Something about reversing a drill motor to drill up instead of down to rewire the building while still the offices remained in use. The old wiring remained in place, helping support the current scrappers.

I never knew this before, thanks for this thread!

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-19-09, 12:35 PM

Someone said demolition resumed yesterday after nearly a month. Anyone been by to confirm?

**DetroitZack** · December-19-09, 12:59 PM

They were doing work on Thursday when I walked by. Here are 2 pictures.

**Gsgeorge** · December-19-09, 01:19 PM

Yuck, can't look at it.

Rideron · December-19-09, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Our good old transparent DDA/DEGC. I love how they made all information about the building available [[not) and had the decency to put up the fences on a busy news day [[not).

HEY! Important city business goin' on here!! Its of no concern to the people!!!

**Fnemecek** · December-19-09, 02:03 PM

Has the park that they're creating by demolishing the LB been named yet?

George Jackson Park does have a nice ring to it, but I think that's reserved for the Old Tiger Stadium site.

**DetroitZack** · December-19-09, 02:06 PM

How about Kwame Kilpatrick Park?

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-19-09, 02:34 PM

Oh, boy. They sure did tear into it Friday. I wasn't going to update the site till we launch the new one at the end of the year, but I'm going to upload a couple. Should be up under the Lafayette Building "demo gallery" in a few minutes. Most recent photos at the bottom.
Link: http://www.buildingsofdetroit.com/pl...demolitionpics

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-23-09, 01:35 PM

More photos added of Monday's demo work: http://www.buildingsofdetroit.com/pl...demolitionpics

**Fnemecek** · December-23-09, 05:32 PM

BoD,

I love you, brother, but you've got to get beyond this demolition thing. They're not just demolishing a historic landmark. They are building the new Kwame M. Kilpatrick Park, which will serve for generations as a monument to all that has been accomplished the Kilpatrick minions.

It is, after all, a place with no jobs and no history.

The former LB site: future home of the Kwame M. Kilpatrick Park.

**ventura67** · December-24-09, 12:13 AM

Damn it, Damn it, Damn it!!! Another irreplaceable piece of Detroit's fragile urban fabric disappearing. A building whose likes will never be built again, a beautiful triangular corner that will never again be filled with significant architecture. One building does not make a city, but at this rate Detroit will be nothing more than islands of important buildings in a suburban field of parking and cheap, dull, unimaginative glass and steel postmodern buildings [[hello freaking Compuware).

I have spent significant time in downtown Grand Rapids lately [[going to grad school there). They have done an amazing job preserving their early 20th century buildings, and infill architecture is [[mostly) complimentary. There are still a few mothballed buildings awaiting renovation, but at least they held on to them until a time when they could be reused, and within the next half dozen years there will probably not be a single empty building, or lot, downtown GR. GR was not the same scale as Detroit but GR's downtown is at least as big now as Detroit's remnant, and is still growing.

Come on Detroit, you have irreplaceable buildings that will never be duplicated and more open land than any other city in the world- this is what you do????

Lorax · December-24-09, 10:38 AM

I agree with your post, Ventura, however, Grand Rapids has a police department, Detroit does not. In Detroit theses abandoned buildings, whether mothballed or not, will be stripped to the walls withing weeks, since what passes for a police force doesn't respond to property crimes.

Grand Rapids police force most likely will respond to property crimes, thus saving the historic interiors for future use.

It's an amazing difference, but it's the way of Detroit- and city hall is in on it, since demolition contracts for city-owned buildings is a cottage industry there.

Kickbacks are the order of the day, and city can't wait to get a building on the demo list, because those in charge will be having a very Merry Christmas!

**Whitehouse** · December-26-09, 11:11 PM

Now that the fate of this building is sealed, what about her nextdoor neighbour? On the opposite side of the street, next to the Book-Cadillac hotel, there once stood the Commerce Building. A building of the same era. That one also suffered the same fate. But what about her replacement? I haven't seen that much pictures of it but it looks like a building which fits right in it's place.

[[From Faded Detroit.)

Although I think the facade could have been made more playful and with some ornamental elements, all in all it's better than a vacant parkinglot. [[What's with that signage? Is there a movieshoot going on here? A lot of Communist-ish banners.)

MichMatters · December-27-09, 12:22 AM

It's the B-C's parking garage. You new to the place?

**gumby** · December-27-09, 12:31 AM

Wrong "new" there michmatters.

The banners on the parking garage were for the shooting of the remake of "Red Dawn"

MichMatters · December-27-09, 04:01 AM

Thanks for telling me about the typo.

**Whitehouse** · December-27-09, 12:46 PM

I was aware it is going to be the Book's parking. At least this saves some space. That "Police" signage should be left there, to give that corner some attitude, although not the correct building.

Retroit · December-27-09, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Has the park that they're creating by demolishing the LB been named yet?

Park Inglot.

**Huggybear** · December-27-09, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by Lorax

Kickbacks are the order of the day, and city can't wait to get a building on the demo list, because those in charge will be having a very Merry Christmas!

How is your investigation going from Florida? I assume that since you have been making allegations about kickbacks for the better part of a year that you can update DetroitYes on what prosecutors and federal agencies you have reported this to. Hopefully, you also reported this directly to Mayor Bing's office, since he is cleaning house at the city.

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-27-09, 10:27 PM

Video from this week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRdMYy5q_nA

As you can see, they've been moving slowly. Not that I'm in a hurry, mind you.
It sure seems like they've dug a huge hole where the middle of the V was and they're going to pull the towers down into that hole. Hard to see in the video [[shot with my camera, not a video camera) but they're going pretty deep into each floor instead of just going top down.

**spirit2028** · December-28-09, 06:03 AM

I happened to be downtown on Saturday and heard some rumbling so I figured they were working on the Lafayette Building. Here is a short video just shortly after a huge chunk had come crashing down. They stopped work for awhile as they assessed the situation but I was still a little wary of traveling eastbound on Michigan Avenue. They have a buffer of the sidewalk and 1 lane of traffic blocked off. They may want to consider extending that buffer zone just to be on the safe side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJmvQHKcKM

**Whitehouse** · December-28-09, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by spirit2028

I happened to be downtown on Saturday and heard some rumbling so I figured they were working on the Lafayette Building. Here is a short video just shortly after a huge chunk had come crashing down. They stopped work for awhile as they assessed the situation but I was still a little wary of traveling eastbound on Michigan Avenue. They have a buffer of the sidewalk and 1 lane of traffic blocked off. They may want to consider extending that buffer zone just to be on the safe side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJmvQHKcKM

Wow!

Could be the upper left part of the building. In the video above you that part is still intact. Love that airco fan which is spinning defiant.

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-28-09, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by spirit2028

I happened to be downtown on Saturday and heard some rumbling so I figured they were working on the Lafayette Building. Here is a short video just shortly after a huge chunk had come crashing down. They stopped work for awhile as they assessed the situation but I was still a little wary of traveling eastbound on Michigan Avenue. They have a buffer of the sidewalk and 1 lane of traffic blocked off. They may want to consider extending that buffer zone just to be on the safe side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJmvQHKcKM

HOLEE SCHITT! Amazing video! Wow! I haven't seen a dust cloud like that since Hudson's! Care if I link to it?