Grosse Pointe Park fighting preservationists to tear down buildings

Preservationists cry foul over Grosse Pointe Park's plans

Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News

Detroit --Grosse Pointe Park is battling preservationists in court over its plans to demolish two dilapidated buildings the city owns in Detroit near the border.

Grosse Pointe Park bought the vacant two-story brick buildings in 2004 for about $495,000 to spruce up the entryway into the suburb at Jefferson and Alter, city officials said.

The plan was to tear down the buildings and develop the property with Detroit's Department of Transportation, making it into a new bus turnaround with a bathroom for bus drivers.

But Detroit stopped the demolition process in late 2007 and has created a historic designation for the area, which has since caused both the Detroit Historic Commission and the State Historic Preservation Review Board to rule the buildings should be protected.

Grosse Pointe Park maintains they are a safety hazard and filed an appeal in Wayne County Circuit Court of the state's decision late last month.

"It's frustrating that we haven't been able to make progress," said City Manager Dale Krajniak. "Adding another vacant building ... is of absolutely no benefit to either community."

Detroit officials had no comment on the pending lawsuit, but officials with the Jefferson East Business Association say it would be better for the neighborhood to save the buildings, saying the storefront style is a plus.

Experts say the area -- the Jefferson-Chalmers Historic Business District -- is one of the city's few remaining early 20th century commercial centers that have survived mostly intact.

"Having another parking lot was not what we really wanted there," said Josh Elling, the group's executive director. "It's worth saving the building. The minute you tear it down, you lose the potential for a variety of tax credits."

The structures were built around 1918. One of them once housed the Deck Bar, one of Detroit's first gay bars, which opened in 1957.

Krajniak said finding a developer is unlikely, in part because rehab would be costly and there is no off-street parking.

Grosse Pointe Park was in talks with DDOT to create a turnaround for their buses. DDOT already has a turnaround nearby in the suburb.

Detroit would have given that land to Grosse Pointe Park, and, in exchange, the suburb would have torn down the buildings and paid to create the turnaround, with an office and bathroom for drivers, Krajniak said.

Grosse Pointe Park planned to market the old turnaround to developers.

The city halted Grosse Pointe Park's demolition permit, saying it had been granted improperly, according to court filings.

Krajniak said they would still like to work out a similar deal with DDOT but if not, the building should be removed.

But Kristine Kidorf, a preservation consultant who has spoken out against demolition, said removing the buildings would be a loss and that there could be interested developers if the buildings were better marketed.

"They contribute to the streetscape and the quality of life," Kidorf said. "I don't understand why (Grosse Pointe Park) wants to demolish them."