Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Harmonie Park

They call it Buck Park these days, but the former Harmonie Park is alive again with music. The Arts League of Michigan, which now calls a neighboring building home, has seen to it that there is live music in the park on a regular basis. One of my favorite parts of their involvement is the Wednesday concert series they've helped orchestrate.

The series is actually put on by Springfed Arts, a Royal Oak-based singer/songwriter/poetry collective, but many attendees are from the neighboring Arts League. Anyways, this series happens at lunchtime on Wednesdays in the park and features area singers/songwriters belting out tunes. Some of the singers are funny and some are bad, but some are well worth the price of admission (free!).

The crowd that gathers to hear them is equally worth watching, what with its ragtag mix of office workers, arts aficionados, the homeless, and other stragglers. Its no Abbey Road, but its certainly an engaging and enriching experience that I recommend you check out next time you are downtown on a Wednesday.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Broderick Tower Renovation Continues

The long vacant David Broderick Tower (aka: Eaton Tower) continues its transformation from single use commercial to mixed use residential. Construction crews have positioned an impressively long yellow trash chute up the side of the nearly 40-story tower to assist with removal of all the debris that needs to be removed from the tower. You can see that chute and the tower in the picture below.


I'm a fan of public art, but a little voice inside of me keeps hoping that they remove those whales from the tower before opening to the public. The cognitive dissonance caused by the presence of salt water creatures in a fresh water place makes me squeamish.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Madison Theater Building Continues Renovations

Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans, a major mortgage company, recently acquired the former Madison Theater Building at Broadway and Grand Circus Park, as part of his ongoing real estate binge. The building, pictured below, has been under constant construction ever since.


Skidmore Design, a firm started in Detroit but since located in Royal Oak, will be moving into the building, which already houses StubHub, a ticket broker, and Angelina's Bistro, an Italian restaurant. Dan Gilbert-affiliated companies are sure to occupy the rest of the building soon.

Friday, June 17, 2011

It Gets Better from Here

Welcome to my new blog - Here Is Detroit - where I will chronicle the continuing growth and development of my hometown, Detroit, Michigan. Thank you for stopping in to read about the many positive happenings in the Motor City.

Detroit has received much negative press during the past few decades, due to the numerous socio-economic challenges it is battling. The city is definitely moving in the right direction, though, having gained the interest of businesses that previously located in  the suburbs, a growing population of young and energetic leaders, and national media outlets interested in the city's revitalization.

On this page, I hope to chronicle efforts to build the city and to make it a better place to live, work, and play. As evidence of what I'm talking about, I'll end this first post with a picture of a building rehabilitation on Library Street, in downtown. I took this picture today at lunchtime, which involved a sunny stroll from Grand Circus Park to Campus Martius and back.