Lafayette Building (Detroit) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lafayette Building |
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| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Location | 144 West Lafayette Boulevard, Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Completed | 1923 |
| Demolished | October 12, 2009-February 24, 2010 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 55.5 m (182 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Charles Howard Crane; Elmer George Kiehler; Kraemer Design Group |
The Lafayette Building was a tall office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1923 and stood on a triangular piece of land. This unique shape was similar to the famous Flatiron Building in Manhattan.
The building had 14 floors, with one floor underground and 13 above ground. It was designed in the neo-classical style by C. Howard Crane, who also designed many theaters in Detroit. The building was mostly made of brick, limestone, and terra cotta.
After many years, the building was closed in 1997 because fewer businesses wanted to rent offices there. It stayed empty for a long time. Demolition of the Lafayette Building started in October 2009 and finished on February 24, 2010.
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History of the Lafayette Building
The Lafayette Building was an important part of Detroit's history. In the 1970s and 1980s, several important legal offices were located there. This included parts of the Michigan Supreme Court.
People who wanted to save old buildings tried to protect the Lafayette Building. They wanted it to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This would have given it special protection and made it easier to get money for repairs. However, their efforts were not successful.
Some people believe that the focus on saving another historic building, the Book-Cadillac Hotel, took away support from saving the Lafayette Building. This made it harder to find someone to buy and fix up the building.
Plans to Redevelop the Building
Many groups had ideas to give the Lafayette Building a new life. On December 15, 2005, a company called Peebles Atlantic Development Corporation announced a big plan. They wanted to turn the building into fancy apartments, called condominiums.
This plan would have cost over $40 million. It included fixing the outside of the building to look historical again. The inside would have been updated with 125 modern apartments, a fitness center, and shops on the ground floor. Work was supposed to start in 2006 and finish in 2007. However, the company could not get the money, and the building remained empty.
Other developers, like The Ferchill Group and Dan Gilbert from Quicken Loans, also looked into saving the building. But they decided it would be too expensive to fix up. Some people thought that the money used to tear down the building should have been used to save it instead.
In 2007, the City of Detroit even offered the Lafayette Building to Quicken Loans for just $1. This was part of a bigger plan to redevelop downtown Detroit. Quicken Loans considered using the building for offices, shops, and homes. But these plans also fell through when Quicken Loans decided to move only some of its staff downtown.
The Demolition Process
By 2009, the Lafayette Building had been empty for more than ten years. It was heavily damaged by vandals, and even trees were growing from its roof. On March 26, 2009, Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) announced they were looking for companies to tear down the building.
However, many people wanted to save the building. Because of this public outcry, Detroit Mayor Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. temporarily stopped the demolition plans. The future of the Lafayette Building was still uncertain.
On June 25, 2009, the DDA voted again, and this time they decided to tear down the building. They gave the demolition job to a Detroit company called Adamo Demolition. The cost for tearing down the building was about $1.4 million.
Another local developer tried to save the building in July 2009. They asked for two weeks to check the building's structure. But on August 15, 2009, it was announced that their efforts failed, and the demolition would go forward.
Demolition officially began on October 12, 2009. The work was slow, continuing through the end of 2009 and into early 2010. Finally, on February 24, 2010, at 4:30 AM, the last part of the 14-story building collapsed. This left only a pile of rubble.
The demolition was completed, and the site was turned into a small park with grass and landscaping. This park will stay until new buildings are developed there in the future. Nearby historic restaurants, like the Lafayette and American Coney Island, were not affected by the demolition.
See also
In Spanish: Lafayette Building para niños
