My Detroit Journal

Wayne State University  approved the $65 million  Hilberry Gateway project in 2018, a  renovation of the Hilberry Theatre  (with the 350-seat Gretchen Valade Jazz Center and 110-seat Jazz Underground), development of a new venue (with a 550-seat main theatre and a 150 to 225-seat Studio Theatre) and outdoor performance and reception space between the two buildings. The Gateway will be the performance home for the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Music. Initial site work for the project included  moving the historic Mackenzie House , built in 1895, to a former parking lot at 2nd and Forest in 2019. Opening is set for  late 2022/2023 . Sources: DBusiness, Wayne State University, Crain's Detroit Business, Detroit Free Press     Now that's a crane!   May18, 2021           July 6, 2021 July 7, 2022 March 5, 2023  

    Well believe it or not it has been 6 years since I made a post about Detroit's progress. There are a couple of reasons. First I noticed that many of the things I was posting were already being covered by Curbed Detroit so I just started tweeting and posting their stuff. The other reason is that I retired and moved to Florida. Well after 5 long years we are now doing the snowbird thing and arrived back in Detroit on May 10th with the plan to leave about October 11th. There are 2 weddings we will be attending in September and October if they occur. The first is Brandon Lee, our nephew, and Megan Moss and the second is Jessica Payne, our goddaughter and Ned and I don't know his last name.     So hopefully I can find the time to post many of the changes that have occurred over the last 6 years. I am also going to start another blog to document the many changes that we have made on our house here in Detroit, name to follow. This is more of a journal for me, ...

A commons idea - Columns - Detroit Metro Times I'm kind of torn when I hear the word gentrification. I took a big step moving here. I thought I was doing a good thing with the idea of doing my part in helping Detroit recover from years of decline. I guess there might be some that don't see it that way. What do you think? Was I wrong or are these people just afraid of change?

  Slows To Go finally unveiled their new picnic tables outside the restaurant. They are very beautiful and HUGE as you can see. Probably created by some local woodworker. There are two of them. Come and check them out. And if you do stop by and say hi. I live one block west.

I just heard that the building that you see below that was recently demolished on Cass is going to be a 56,000 sq. ft. residential and commercial building called the Auburn. It is just north of Slow's To Go which is at the corner of Alexandrine and Cass.

Someone has begun construction on the old police station on Woodward Avenue. Anyone know what this is going to be?