By Dan Drotar, Preservation Committe Chair
An article from the San Francisco Enquirer was brought to my attention recently, and I feel it sums up the state of downtown and what we are up against. I would like to share some bits and pieces with you.
It starts:
The towers loom ahead as you drive down Woodward Ave., rising out of the morning haze like the Rockies from the plains. It is a thrilling sight. In places like this, Americans created the skyscraper city.
But, as you drive closer, you see windows boarded or broken, and sooty facades and deserted doorways. Suddenly, you are not approaching a skyscraper city, you are whistling past a skyscraper graveyard.
It goes on to describe our most prominent structures:
The David Broderick Tower
35 stories
It is locked and empty, its elevators picked over by scavengers.The Book Tower
36 stories
It is better known as a nesting place for falcons than for businesses. Its facade is two-toned; a cleaning project was discontinued for lack of funds, leaving the top darker than the bottom.The David Stott Building
37 stories
Had its electricity turned off last year after a former owner failed to pay the bill. Tenants took up a collection to raise the caretaker's back salary, then they moved out.The Penobscot Building
47 stories
Once the tallest outside New York and Chicago, it is now a leasing space at bargain rates to a less genteel roster of tenants.It goes on to say:
Most graveyards reek of the past, but this one seems like the future. In Detroit, the pre-1940 skyscraper - a soaring testament to American optimism and confidence- is devalued and possibly endangered.
What can be done to turn this around? I myself propose the automotive industry and its large conglomeration of suppliers adopt these structures. Imagine Detroit truly again becoming the Motor City, with these buildings becoming research and development facilities, training centers, and possibly headquarters. The ripple effect would do more for the city than new ballparks for the Tigers and Lions combined.
Or, we can do what photographer Camilo Jose Vergara suggested; "A skyscraper museum." He wants the abandoned highrises "stabilized and left standing as ruins," an American Acropolis.
The choice is ours.
On a lighter note, my associate Rebecca Binno has gone to New York. Becky lived and breathed preservation, and her shoes will be hard to fill. That is why I would like to appeal to our membership for much-needed help and assistance with our preservation committee. Please feel free to sign up if you're interested. I would really appreciate it. Thank you.