# Major trouble ahead in Detroit!



## Beetle (Feb 25, 2007)

Detroit is falling apart rapidly. One of the iconic buildings downtown is in a dangerously bad shape. The *Wurlitzer Building* has some masonry buckling out on the top floor.









_(Copyright Onlyindetroit.)_

Wikipedia:


> The Wurlitzer Building is a high-rise building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, located at 1509 Broadway Street. It stands at 14 floors. The building is currently unused, but at one time held offices. Those offices originally served the *Wurlitzer Organ Co.* An original Wurlitzer still resides in the Fox Theater. It was built in 1926 and is designed in the renaissance revival architectural style. It stands right next to the *Metropolitan Building (Detroit).* Detroit MI United States


Bear in mind, on groundlevel there *haven't* made anyone aware the top of the building is in that shape. On the Detroityes forum emerged some detailed shots from the top floors of the building. And these will scare the bejezus out of you!









_Masonry buckling out. (copyright Buildingsofdetroit.)_

On the top picture the situation looks bad but take a look at the other picture below!









_*YAIKS!!!* (Copyright Detroitubex.)_









_A picture of September 2009. See the progress the wall made on it's travel away from the building. (Copyright Detroitubex.)_

Looks like the whole top can come crashing down on unsuspected pedestrians below. That whole section would drop 46 meters down! And nothing has been done to prevent this from happening. The building has sat vacant for 30 years. In the meantime Comerica park has been build behind it. A baseball fan would die to live upthere with a view like that!

This is a lawsuit waiting to happen!


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## socrates#1fan (Jul 1, 2008)

Save the facade and rebuild the rest.


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

The top peeling away like that is a very bad situation. The minute the bricks start falling it'll get tagged for demolition. Even a therapeutic demolition would be an awful outcome. There's a lot of wealthy people around Detroit. Too bad very few of them give a damn about grand old buildings like this. hno:


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

That's really sad... Detroit has so much nice classic skycrapers and there all rothing away. How is currently with the cities economy? I only know detroit as the death city from 15 years ago...Any improvement?


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## Beetle (Feb 25, 2007)

A few months ago the Lafayette building was a victim of the wrecking ball. This week an apartment structure burnt down, which was attached to the Easttown theater. Although not firedamaged this instance, it still likely means this theater's fate is also sealed. 
And to top it off another big fire *this week* resulted in 6 firefighters being injured of which one is at risk of never walking again and being paralized from the neck down. 

These are bleak signs but there are some buildings downtown on which some work is done. Most notable the United Artists Building, a major skyscraper in Detroit. Things going on look very suspicious. No one really knows what's hoing on but all the windows have been replaced. Attached to that building is the UA theater. A movie gem from yesteryear. And if this also is being restored right under our noses, this will be a major surprise!

For more updates on that building *read this, entertaining, thread.*

Another major urban development is a lightrail project running along Woodward avenue which is picking up steam.


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

The Wurlitzer Building may be a candidate for demolition because its masonry facade could dangerously collapse into Broadway Street. And the United Artists Theatre has gotten some new windows, and is a candidate for restoration and adaptive reuse, but the theatre portion should be dismantled and a new podium is to be built. Also, two residential midrises should be built next to the building.


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## eddeux (Jun 16, 2010)

It's like Detroit is a guy who falls down only to get back up to get hit back down again by the same piece of swinging wood that got him the first time. 

Something's good got to come out of the demolition of these buildings you've mentioned Beetle. If not then what a shame. I hope the downsizing of the city doesn't mean more historical buildings lost.


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

^^I'm afraid it would. Historic schools and homes are being torn down. Downsizing a city that used to have a two million population is difficult. Are there any other major cities that are being downsized. Should have downsized St. Louis and East St. Louis.


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

The downfall of Detroit isn't fully stopped...

Some comparisons:
http://img.opposingviews.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gallery_image/gallery/020414/Moran.png


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## binhai (Dec 22, 2006)

?

Anyway this site is very good for tracking Detroit's accelerated decline in recent years: goobingdetroit.tumblr.com. Pretty much whole areas are becoming abandoned.


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Perhaps it's not such a bad thing if some of these clumsy post-war suburbs completely die out. Wiping out car-dependency and bygone non-urban structures.

They just need to make sure to save the really urban structures, especially the Art Deco and Art Nouveau gems of downtown. They're pretty unique even to the US of A. With so many creative people currently flocking to Detroit I'm sure they'll be able to make the turnaround in this decade.


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## binhai (Dec 22, 2006)

95% of Detroit looks like a post-apocalyptic suburb. Very low density, empty lots everywhere, very few retail anywhere, and obviously very car dependent. Only a small part I would really consider "urban" (but still has huge gaps because of all the abandoned buildings). Compare with the South Side of Chicago; obviously in decay but much more dense than Detroit.


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## nothatso (Oct 26, 2013)

BarbaricManchurian said:


> *95% of Detroit looks like a post-apocalyptic suburb.* Very low density, empty lots everywhere, very few retail anywhere, and obviously very car dependent. Only a small part I would really consider "urban" (but still has huge gaps because of all the abandoned buildings). Compare with the South Side of Chicago; obviously in decay but much more dense than Detroit.


Have you ever been to Detroit? This is a ludicrous exaggeration. The downtown area, for one, looks like any other North American city, only with fewer people. (due to it being built for 1.9 million people, but currently being home to ~700,000 people). The metropolitan area still has 4.3 million people and the CSA has in excess of 5 million. Abandoned areas exist, but not nearly as many as you claim. In fact the "post-apocalyptic suburb" area is only a small part of greater Detroit, and I can assure you it is not 95% of Detroit proper.

I don't particularly think this, which would appear to be more than 5% of Detroit proper, looks like a "post-apocalyptic suburb":








http://www.google.com/hostednews/getty/media/ALeqM5i70BohvoaFzTej_KGcgF5ze7RVrQ


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## binhai (Dec 22, 2006)

95% obviously is an exaggeration. But it's a huge portion, easily over 50%. Downtown is relatively dense, but the neighborhoods are for the most part single-family residential houses with rather big lawns. Commercial structures along avenues are almost all abandoned or demolished. I'm not trying to trash the city, I'm reporting on what I've seen on Street View, block after block after block (in some large areas). I'd love to visit sometime soon.

That picture probably shows less than 5% of the total land area of Detroit.


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