Posted June 9, 201213 yr Hey guys, in late April 2012, I went on my first true urban abandonment adventure in Detroit, I toured the abandoned Packard Plant, Highland Park, and other various areas in the city over two days, while staying overnight at the Book-Cadillac Hotel downtown and with the help of a good tour guide. ;)  Without further ado, here is my Detroit tour of Spring 2012...  Started just east of downtown on Larned...  St. Peter and Paul Jesuit Church, on E. Jefferson...  The handsome University of Detroit Mercy School of Law block...  Renaissance Center from E. Jefferson looking west...  Detroit Christ Church  Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Greektown, and Casino/Hotel from I-375...   Townhouses in Lafayette Park, east of I-375  Woodward Academy School...  Mies van der Rohe Lafayette Park townhomes... in Lafayette Park...  These townhomes are part of the historic Mies van der Rohe historic district... and everything was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s  1300 Lafayette Apartments...  Chrysler Elementary School and one of the Lafayette Towers...  Central Lafayette Park...   Lafayette Towers complex, these, along with Chrysler Elementary School, were filmed in 1965 during a presentation of the city in the documentary "Detroit on the Move" presented by the late former mayor Jerome Cavanagh.  The abandoned Packard Plant. The largest of Detroit's industrial ruins on the city's east side, built in 1911, closed in 1959, sitting abandoned, but wide open to scrappers, homeless, etc.  Inside the Packard...  The Packard's spectacular ruins...  "This is not an Exit" I love it! Even has a copyright date on it!  Inside the Packard Plant, on the 5th floor...  Looking towards downtown...  Midtown and the Fisher Building...   Downtown from the 7th floor...  Midtown...  Close up of the best skyline shot ever!  7th floor view of downtown...  Made it to the roof!  Looking southwest towards downtown from the roof... this is the best view of the Detroit skyline, PERIOD...  Closeup of downtown...  Midtown...  Sid Lives? Wonder if a Pittsburgh Penguins fan found his/her way up here and spray painting that after the Penguins won the cup at Joe Louis Arena in 2009.     I was certainly tired after this, for a while...  Made it to Highland Park, Michigan (an inner suburb), and got this picture of the abandoned Fire Station, slated for demolition  City Hall, also abandoned...  Both buildings are to be demolished, the police station across has already been demolished...  Model T Plant in Highland Park, where the assembly line was invented and the Model Ts were made back in tha day.  As you can see by this Michigan plaque, the plant was built in 1913.  Today, it sits vacant but still very much structurally sound and closed off...  The Dorothy Turkel House, built in 1955, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on Seven Mile. It is the only FLW-designed house in the city of Detroit.  Few shots of nearby Palmer Woods, probably Detroit's nicest neighborhood, and by nice, I mean REALLY NICE. There's more to come in my next photo tour...  Back south on Woodward, we find ourselves at another nice street, Virginia Park neighborhood, off Woodward on Virginia Park, north of Grand Blvd.   This building, on the city's southwest side server as the former headquarters of Smith Grocers (long gone)  After finishing Virginia Park, came across this building in Southwest Detroit at the corner of Vinewood and Toledo streets  Inside the building, work was being done inside, but stopped   On the roof...  This offers AMAZING views from the Southwest of the railroad and downtown!   Another awesome skyline shot, with the Michigan Central Station in the foreground!  Downtown Detroit, Southwest Detroit, and Windsor, Ontario  Ambassador Bridge to the right...  Midtown from the roof of the building...  Closeup of downtown and the MCS... I love this shot...  Thanks, guys, and hope you enjoy it!
June 9, 201213 yr Great work! I love that view toward MCS and downtown. I wanna check out the Charlevoix hotel downtown next time in Detroit since I heard it may be facing the wrecking ball soon.
June 10, 201213 yr Great stuff! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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