Nearly two years ago, my friends and I got legal permission to explore the abandoned Broderick Tower in downtown Detroit.  We returned several times for photos.  The rooftop (35 floors up) offers spectacular 360 degree views of the city.  The tower is now undergoing renovations.

 

Excuse some of the poor photo quality.  These were taken 2 years ago from an average digital camera that would be 5 years old by now.

Exterior of the 35 floor Broderick Tower

 

The only light in the whole building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**BONUS IMAGE**

It isn't a Detroit thread without a parking structure present!

 

 

Heartbreaking and beautiful. For better or for better these buildings are coming back and this desolation is disappearing. But blessed are us few who've had the opportunity to explore them. What a strange strain of homesickness. Brilliant shots. Thanks, Hayward.

Looks like some other people got, err, permission to enter the building as well.

What a travestry for that bldg to ever get to that state!!!  Good to hear that it is seeing life again.

Pretty good photos, I think.

 

It's good that the building is being renovated. It's a handsome structure, and it would be a shame to see it demolished.

 

It'd be interesting (or maybe hearbreaking) to see similar views of the city from the years when Detroit was prosperous.

what an awesome opportunity. great job.

 

hmm, looks like some people beat you there - hehe.

 

did you happen to run into "the crow"?

if by crow, you mean Robert Wyland (i hate his pretentious use of only his last name) (wait, in fact, I hate him) (you know his crappy murals are nothing but an advertisement for his crappy galleries) (i mean seriously whens the last time you saw a blue hump back whale in Lake erie?) (god, what an asshat)

detroit makes me sad.

if by crow, you mean Robert Wyland (i hate his pretentious use of only his last name) (wait, in fact, I hate him) (you know his crappy murals are nothing but an advertisement for his crappy galleries) (i mean seriously whens the last time you saw a blue hump back whale in Lake erie?) (god, what an asshat)

 

:?

 

however, i googled him & i can see the aggravation is justified.

 

 

 

The owner is paying for some of the renovations by advertising.  They covered up his ugly whale mural with a jeep ad.

 

Yeah it's pretty depressing to see the damage.  People broke in through a seventh floor window from the neighboring building.  At one point, a group of people set the top floor on fire, but due to the fireproof nature of the building, it didn't get far. 

 

As far as permission goes, we did not get it directly from the owner, Mike Higgins, rather the building manager.  At the time he was operating a bar on the ground floor and would let anybody who asked go up as long as they signed a few forms.  He eventually left for Pittsburgh and the bar closed.  Although I haven't been up in the tower since, I've heard not a whole lot has changed in terms of damage.  What has architectural value inside the tower is still salvageable.

^I'll bet you a nickel there's not a penny's worth of copper left in that building. Then I'll sell you the nickel for 6 cents.

^I'll bet you a nickel there's not a penny's worth of copper left in that building. Then I'll sell you the nickel for 6 cents.

 

Is that some sort of riddle??  :laugh:

The whole situation is puzzling:

 

U.S. Mint Bans Melting Pennies, Nickels

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

AP Economics Writer

December 14, 2006, 12:26 AM EST

 

WASHINGTON -- Given rising metal prices, the pennies and nickels in your pocket are worth more melted down than their face value -- and that has the government worried...

 

http://www.newsday.com/business/investing/wire/sns-ap-mint-coins,0,606429.story?coll=sns-ap-investing-headlines

^Oh...I've heard the news about the situation...but I was simply making an observation that your post looked like some sort of a riddle.

What a shame, because someone left 16 pennies on the top of the parking machine the other day.  I could have been a penny richer.  (Or poorer if you count the cost of melting them)

 

  Just out of curiousity, do you have any idea how many buildings are in similar condition in downtown Detroit or any other place for that matter? Maybe a better question is what percent of buildings.

 

  Detroit is the current whipping boy for examples of abandonment. Every major city in the U.S. has at least something in that condition. Sometimes buildings are closed or vacant but at least someone still has the money to keep the weather out. To see a 35 story skyscraper with open windows and vandalism is a bit shocking.

 

 

ask us again in three years, we'll have a few done by then.

Would you say the casinos have helped spark downtown revitalization?

 

This “snow covered twilight” pic is awesome.

Would you say the casinos have helped spark downtown revitalization?

 

no, except to help the city's dire financial situation. Which still needs a ton of help.

They aren't helping downtown become "vibrant,"  but they do pay for nearly half(?) of the city's yearly budget.

They aren't helping downtown become "vibrant,"  but they do pay for nearly half(?) of the city's yearly budget.

 

So basically, the casinos are helping Detroit cover the mortgage payment.

Hehe Detroit needs casinos just to keep its sh*tty quality of life at equilibrium hehe

Will Michigan Central Station ever get renovated? Michigan Central Station is a great building I hate to see it sit there abandon and fall towards disrepair!

Renovation concepts have been explored, but they are all very expensive.  To renovate the building alone would cost $300-500 million.  That's a lot for a developer to handle alone, especially since the building sits outside Renaissance zones.  Another issue would be the operating cost.  It's a big space to heat, and what for?  There's not a whole lot that can fit into the building that was designed specifically to be a train station.  Museum, police station, hotel, casino, luxury living  - - all concepts explored, but likely not feasible.  The building will be around for some time.  First off, it's privately owned, so the city cannot demolish it.  Even if they tried, the type of reinforced concrete defies explosive demolition.  Explosives strong enough to even dismantle the structure would cause serious physical and environmental damage to the surroundings.  Conventional demolition is far to costly...to the point at which it was equating renovation costs.  No one has the finances to demolish the structure, nor willing to be subject to harsh criticism for leveling an architectural gem.

 

Structurally, the building is in excellent shape.  Before 2001 it had asbestos abatements where up to 90% of the hazardous materials inside were removed.  The rest is in the floors and ceilings which pose no imminent health risks. 

 

Aesthetically, the building is in rough shape.  The North facade needs a lot of repairs.  Since this side receives very little sunlight, water does not dry fast enough and seeps into the cracks of the masonry.  In minor instances, the mortar deteriorates.  In major instances, the wall ties rust through and the facade breaks off.  The South side has received little damage.  The interior is a mess.  Vandals destroyed the marble on the upper floors, and what was left was stolen by scrappers.  The lower floors, which people consider to be the most beautiful is made of false marble.  You can actually see the veneers peeling off.  Year by year, more of these coated tiles fall off the walls exposing the terra cotta bricks underneath.  This isn't is a big deal as long as they aren't exposed to water.  People always believed the domes would collapse soon in the grand entry, but they won't.  They aren't self supporting, rather held up by massive steel roof trusses, which are in good shape.  The domes are made of reinforced concrete and terra cotta blocks, and there are no visible damage or water present in the attic.

 

 

 

Hehe Detroit needs casinos just to keep its sh*tty quality of life at equilibrium hehe

 

this coming from.....

...DAVID!

Thanks for the reply about Michigan Central Station. I’m still going to keep hoping that something good will get done with the building. It’s a beautiful Structure with a lot of history. Detroit should get ideas and learn from the people who restored the train station in Cincinnati!!  Here is a little info on Cincinnati Union Terminal hope you like it!

 

  Cincinnati's magnificent art deco style railroad terminal building, now the home of Cincinnati Museum Center, was dedicated on March 31, 1933. Union Terminal was first proposed in the early part of the 20th century as a solution to the chaotic existing railroad system, which consisted of seven lines operating out of five stations. Initial planning began in the early 1900s, but floods, inter-railroad squabbling and World War I delayed the plan until the late 1920s.

 

The construction of Union Terminal was a cooperative project of seven railroad companies that served the city from five different terminals. Union Terminal centralized the freight and passenger operations of the Big Four (later the New York Central), Pennsylvania, Chesapeake & Ohio, Norfolk & Western, Southern, Louisville & Nashville, and the Baltimore & Ohio railroads.

 

New York architects Alfred Fellheimer and Steward Wagner, recognized leaders in the planning of urban railway stations, were hired to design the Union Terminal building. Their first designs were classical until 1930 when Paul Phillipe Cret, a friend of Steward Wagner, was engaged as a consultant in 1930 and influenced the art deco style of the building. Construction began in August 1929 and was completed March 31, 1933.

Cincinnati Union Terminal stands on a prominent location one mile northwest of the center of the city on land that once was Lincoln Park. Visitors approach the massive 10-story, arched, limestone and glass east facade of the building from Western Avenue and Ezzard Charles Drive through a quarter-mile plaza. The building is flanked on either side by curving wings. An illuminated fountain, cascade and pool are in the center foreground. On either side of the main doors, bas-relief figures designed by Maxfield Keck symbolize Commerce and Transportation.

During World War II, Cincinnati Union Terminal experienced unprecedented success. As a major transfer point for soldiers, the station served as many as 34,000 passengers on some days. But in the 1950s, the sudden expansion of interstates and airlines led to the rapid decline of the railroad industry. By the early 1970s, only two trains a day passed through Union Terminal and in 1972, train service was halted completely.

In 1975, the City of Cincinnati bought the terminal and ran advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, which read, "World-famous Cincinnati Union Terminal for lease—$1 per year." In 1980, a Columbus developer converted the terminal into a shopping mall. The recession of the early 1980s caused the project to fail.

During the mid-1980s, the administrators of the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and the Cincinnati Historical Society developed plans for a joint museum project. The spaciousness of Union Terminal, coupled with its history and design, made it the top choice as a location for the project. In 1986, Hamilton county voters approved a $33 million bond issue for the restoration of the terminal. The State of Ohio and the City of Cincinnati also contributed to the restoration with grants of $8 million and $3 million, respectively. In one of the city's most successful capital campaigns ever undertaken for a Cincinnati cultural organization, more than 3,000 Cincinnati individuals, corporations and foundations contributed to the building's renovation.

In November 1990, Cincinnati Union Terminal reopened as Museum Center, an educational and cultural complex featuring the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, the Cincinnati Historical Society Museum and Library and the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX ® Theater. On July 29, 1991, train service was officially restored to the terminal. The success of the Union Terminal renovation made it possible for Amtrak to schedule a Cincinnati stop on its Chicago-bound route from Washington, D.C. The Cincinnati History Museum, Cincinnati Historical Society Library, the Museum of Natural History & Science and the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater merged operations in January 1995 as Cincinnati Museum Center, and welcomed the Children's Museum of Cincinnati in July 1997. The Duke Energy Children's Museum at Museum Center opened as the Cinergy Children's Museum in October 1998. Since its opening in 1990, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal has attracted more than one million visitors each year.

 

· Union Terminal cost $41 million , including purchase of ground and readjusting railroad facilities. (most expensive train station ever built)

· Union Terminal takes up an area of 287 acres with 94 miles of track laid.

· 22 distinct buildings were constructed including 224,534 cubic yards of concrete poured, not including 100,500 square yards of paving, 8,250,000 bricks and 45,421 net tons of steel used in bridge and building construction.

· The Cincinnati Union Terminal Company, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and the City of Cincinnati built the Western Hills Viaduct for a cost of $3.5 million. The viaduct is 3,500 feet long—2,800 feet of double-deck construction.

· The Rotunda interior dome spans 180 feet, with a clear height of 106 feet. (largest free-standing half dome in the world)

· The station could accommodate 17,000 passengers and 216 trains—108 in and 108 out—daily

· The last passenger train left Union Terminal Saturday evening, October 28, 1972. Passenger service resumed when Amtrak began operating at Union Terminal on July 29, 1991.

 

Detroit get some ideas……!

 

Cool thread.  Thanks!

 

Not a lot of lights on in the photograph....

 

When I see a photo spread like this, it reminds me that this country isn't as great as it thinks it is. No truly great nation would let one of its largest cities suffer such a horrible fate. And Detroit doesn't have a monopoly on this kind of urban decay. It's just the largest example.

Well, it was taken on a Sunday evening, during twighlight.  I agree that's it's no excuse to not turn on the lights for show, but part of it has to do with my photography in that many of them just didn't show up except for the blaring atrium of the Compuware building.  the GM building is usually lit up like crazy any other day.  Almost every single floor is lit everytime I drive by.  It's a bit more spotty with the older buildings.  A lot of them don't offer class A office space, so they lease to small businesses who pay their own electrical bills.  When no one is in the office (like on a Sunday), the lights are off.  I have photos from this same location that show the city all lit up nicely, but my camera at that time wasn't that great, and I didn't have a tripod so they are all blurry.  But I think Detroit can do better with its lighting.  Hopefully that will come when the Michigan economy improves.

 

EDIT Found one:

Not bad for a struggling city on a Sunday night.  A few of the darkest buildings are vacant.  Again, sorry for the poor quality.

Nice photo. Good to see more lights on.