Results for “gilbert leong”

The Metropolitan is in NO WORSE shape than the Book Cadillac was, or the Broderick tower….guess everyone missed those photos. As well, the Fort Shelby was vacant for decades too…..NOTHING is beyond repair if it’s still standing. Why is that beyond people’s understanding? It’s also cheaper ALWAYS to rehab than replace with another building the same size and quality. ALWAYS. I find it interesting the city has the funds to to this, on the eve of bankruptcy….or perhaps Gilbert or another billionaire have gotten their buddies at the DDA to secure public funding to remove the asbestos before handing it over for a dollar.

guest 55: I don't work for Gilbert, I make above median salary, am in my 30's, live downtown & am THRILLED. People downtown LOVE campus Martius. It's always packed & it's relatively limited in size. There's plenty of demand for additional pedestrian friendly (exclusive) spots for the (increasing # of) city workers & residents to enjoy. Grand Circus Park as it stands has no real draw & is awkwardly laid out as a thoroughfare. Gilbert's plan will transform it into its full potential in no time. PLENTY of demand: Kales, Broderick, Fyfe, Detroit City Apts & future Whitney residents + Detroit Opera House, Ford Field, Comerica Park, Mdison workers….it’s so obvious. This is FANTASTIC!

LOL at the people saying "no one’s done anything with these empty lots, let Ilitch develop them and tear down everything else… You guys know that he has owned all this land and he is the reason it has sat vacant for so long…he’s torn down more historic structures than anyone else in the city, and 90% of the time it’s for a surface parking lot which kills the character and walkability of an area while lining his pockets in the simplest way possible.

Gilbert has done more positive things for downtown in 1 year than Ilitch has ever. The Fox would have been much more of an "anchor" development had the entire "Foxtown" area not been demolished for gravel Olympia Parking lots.

I would say #8 is correct, because Curbed Detroit commenters tend to live in opposite-land. Every post, I hear Detroit (city) is booming, the suburbs are dying, rents downtown are exploding, Birmingham is becoming the ghetto, Midtown is chic, Corktown is some huge thing, etc. This is all counter to reality.

And, generally speaking, it’s extremely foolish for downtown Detroit to be completely dependent on a single individual. Even if you think Dan Gilbert is a God, you’re totally dependent on this person’s continued success and commitment to Detroit. If he gets hit by a bus tomorrow, or decides to save Toledo instead of Detroit, then downtown is sunk.

@guest #7: Agreed. Architects are their own worst enemies. Back in the days of Cass Gilbert and Carrere & Hastings, no developer or client ever said "I could do that." Architects were respectable and decently paid professionals because they had a rare skill and created products people actually wanted (and still love today). Not so now where a developer / client wants an architect as a cheap drafting service to figure out some crude box that the public thinks is progressive design. To assuage their egos, architects tell themselves they are artists, sculptors, theorists … etc. Good luck with that. But learn how to draw the Orders and you can actually make real money in this profession. It’s a fact.

Per the article:

"In May, the Michigan legislature passed incentives that could generate up to $1 billion in subsidies for the billionaire… Gilbert is also exempt from paying an estimated $60 million in sales tax on construction materials."

"The yet-unnamed project is expected to cost $900 million."

So here we have $1.06 Billion in subsidy and a project cost of $900 Million. Perhaps I’ve missed some of the news about this site that accounts for the numbers you’re citing, but $900 Million is less than 1.06 Billion. We can argue about whether this $1.06 Billion of public investment-and let’s be clear, it IS public investment- is a good and appropriate use of public resources, but unless there’s a better source with better numbers, I have to conclude we’re giving Danny more money than it’s going to cost him.

Agreed….even though the lasting impact of continued tax revenue generated would supersede the initial cost structure spent from Wayne County, on paper it needs to look like an even more beneficial alternative. Gilbert needs to limit the County’s exposure to the top end of $317 million, and also add a some more sweeteners, such as expanding the size to 2500 beds. We all know that there are cost savings with integrating a brand new state of the art facility, and the deferred maintenance ongoing with the current complexes, but this proposal needs to satiate the county and eliminate any chance of them making a foolish mistake that would prevent a substantial benefit to Detroit for generations. Essentially, make the deal an even better deal they cant refuse.

The Crain’s article mentions that they are trying to appeal to prospective tenants who may want a diverse set of floorplans from which to choose; that they want to make the building competitive with the ones prospective tenants have to choose from in Chicago and other first tier cities. Otherwise, it appears that the project is still being built on spec. Normally, you’d line up anchor tenants, obtain financing on that basis, and then build. I believe that Gilbert said in an earlier article that he saw no problem with building on spec, since the demand would be there eventually and that there’s a civic psychological boost in seeing cranes on the skyline.

I think Comet has already sold and is just riding it out until they have to shut down. Not positive. Based on the Ilitches lack of development over the years, this really should be no surprise to anyone.

One time I had an idiot argue Ilitech V Gilbert and based his argument on Mr I. bringing Stanley Cups, Miggy and other athletes to the table.. His name was Keith, what an idiot.

This could be an amazing development to bridge the gab between downtown/midtown/cass corridor but as the project moves forward it’s becoming more apparent that it’s probably going to be half of what was promised.

When did Stern ever do anything remotely as inspired as Gilbert did in using Gothic (then one of the only styles at hand) to solve once and for all the problem of vertical expression in a skyscraper? You have to be kidding to place Stern on any kind of significant level as an architect. Vincent Scully said Sullivan led the way into the promised land, only to perish in solitude before the caravan could catch up to him. Stern still hasn’t caught up to Sullivan. As the great architecture critic and historian Reyner Banham said almost half a century ago, Stern’s buildings are to architecture what a female impersonator is to a woman.