Downtown Detroit: Blight and Renewal
Published September 30, 2013 2:35 PM
|
Updated March 31, 2017 2:31 PM
1 Min Read
Welcome to Detroit
Detroits future is being determined not just in the federal court building, where in July it filed the largest municipal bankruptcy to date, but also in the citys downtown and Midtown, areas dotted with well-documented blight as well as signs of possible renewal.
Proposed Hockey Arena
A vacant swath of land along a thoroughfare on the edge of downtown is the proposed site of a new $650 million hockey arena and 45-block entertainment district to be owned by the Ilitch family. The family owns the Detroit Red Wings hockey team, which would play in the new arena, as well as the Detroit Tigers baseball team and its nearby downtown stadium.
Joe Louis Arena
City-owned Joe Louis arena is located near Cobo Hall, the citys convention center. Built in 1979, its been the home of the Detroit Red Wings for 33 years. Its fate if a new arena is built is uncertain.
DIA-Voters
Blue electronic signs thanking voters flank the entrance desk in the lobby of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Voters in the three-county region last year approved a property tax increase to fund operations at the historic museum. Emergency manager Kevyn Orr has hired Christies auction house to assess the city-owned art for possible sale to help pay off the citys debt.
Wayne County building
The historic, 110-year-old former Wayne County administration building is one of several vacant properties in downtown Detroit. The county relocated in 2009, and sued the owners in 2010 for overcharging for rent. The lawsuit has tied up a possible sale.
Westin
The Westin Book Cadillac hotel, across the street from the federal court building where Detroits bankruptcy is being heard, hosts many of the bankruptcy attorneys working on the case. It is also home for emergency manager Kevyn Orr, whose $4,200 monthly rent is paid for by a private non-profit fund set up by Gov. Rick Snyder.
federal building
The citys historic bankruptcy case is being overseen by US Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes in the Theodore J. Levin U.S. Courthouse in downtown Detroit.
Detroit Windsor tunnel
The busy Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, located in downtown Detroit at the busiest trade crossing in the U.S., is one of several city owned assets eyed for privatization. Former Detroit City Council member Gary Brown said recently that the city included $100 million in annual budgets two years in a row for leases of the tunnel that never materialized.
City Hall
Emergency manager Kevyn Orr and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing work at the citys government headquarters, the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, in downtown. The Spirit of Detroit bronze statue fronts the 20-story building.
Ambassador Bridge
A view of the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which serves as the main trade route between the U.S. and Canada. After years of bipartisan effort, Gov. Rick Snyder crafted a deal to build a second, publicly owned bridge a mile away.
Heidelberg Project
The Heidelberg Project, created by Detroit native Tyree Guyton, is located in one of the citys most rundown neighborhoods and is one of the citys strongest tourist draws. Guyton decorates the blighted houses, including burned structures, and street with found objects.
The Fist
A massive bronze fist titled Monument to Joe Louis. The 24-foot-long suspended sculpture is installed at one of the main entrances to downtown.
