Detroit- Super Bowl Smash
With an estimated 100,000 out-of-towners in the city and viewers in 200 countries, more eyes were on Detroit Sunday than any day in its history. Detroit, a symbol of American industrial strength and a symbol of urban decay, has an inferiority complex. Since the NFL awarded Detroit the game in late 2000, the city was preoccupied with getting itself an image make-over prior to the influx of out of town visitors.
City officials and Super Bowl planners did their best to provide a favorable impression of the Motor City. Their solution: Extreme makeover! A plan was formulated to remove eyesores and symbols of a downtown abandoned. In other words, fake a lively downtown. Preparations for the Super Bowl ranged from knocking down multi-story skyscrapers to propping others up visually with new facades and fake storefronts, from paving roads and landscaping boulevards to adding kiosks to help tourists navigate downtown. Some derelict buildings were carefully shielded from view by huge canvas tarps.
Unfortunately, some significant structures were taken down. The Madison-Lenox Hotel located a block and a half from Ford Field was demolished in 2005 to make way for a parking garage despite the best efforts of preservationists. Also demolished was Detroitis Statler Hotel, a 1,000 room behemoth opened in 1915. Most startling was the destruction of the Donovan and Sanders Buildings, former headquarters of Motown Records. What was once destined to become a museum was knocked down in December so it could be used for a parking lot during the game. No wonder the National Trust for Historic Preservation has downtown Detroit on its endangered list.
Like Buffalo, a tremendous amount of development has taken place during the last few years in Detroit. Lofts are going up downtown and young suburban professionals are heading back into the city. There have been 140 construction projects, 7,000 new homes and 35 new downtown restaurants opened in the last three years. Unfortunately, planning decisions surrounding the Super Bowl have placed short-term gain over long-term planning. Historic architecture was lost for revelers who stayed an average of four days. One commenter on the Discuss Detroit blog summed up the loss of the Motown Records building this way:
I find this demolition even more senseless than that of the Madison-Lenox in that neither of these were in danger of collapse, and the excuse that it was needed for parking is just ridiculous when you consider the COUNTLESS empty lots just north and west of this complex.
God forbid someone has to walk past two vacant buildings on their way to Ford Field, huh? The area is going to look completely naked, now, and EVERYONE will notice.
If the SuperBowl ever comes calling in Buffalo, donit answer.
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david s
We better hurry up and tear some stuff down. Detroit is going to have more shovel ready sites than Buffalo. We should don't want to fall behind Detroit in the race to eliminate everything.
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Wilkeson
Not to worry. Our leaders very wisely put the Ralph in Orchard Park so there wouldn't be any pressure on downtown buildings should "Buffalo" every host the superbowl.
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EB Blue
I was in Detroit for the Superbowl and parking was abundant and cheap only blocks from the stadium. I paid only $10 for the entire day!
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mark
I'm sure we could have a downtown stadium, and host a super bowl without having to destroy a bunch of historic buildings-it sounded like it was more the city's choice rather than the NFL making them-but i could be wrong.
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david s
But what about the shovel ready sites. We will never reach Detroit's level without the shovel ready sites. All the obstructionists are keeping us from having more shovel ready sites.
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willy
is it of the opinion from the general population that buffalo is better off than detroit? i sure hope so...
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Lou
Detroit has all the attractiveness of downtown Niagara Falls,NY before the Seneca Casino. Isnt it ironic how the city that was once built by the capitals of the auto industry (and its suppliers) has as much respect for and desire to keep its historical buildings as its auto industry is to respect and keep its history of cars.
Well, it means that Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago will be the only Great Lakes cities that respect their past while embracing their future.
While I deplore the decades of lost economic growth and the toll it has taken on our families and communities.....we should be greatful that it slowed Buffalo down from tearing down so many of the buildings that we are now saving. Buffalo is going to have a large swath of a historical district moving north and a downtown with large swaths of land open for high density expansion to the south and to the east.
In short, the future of Buffalo may resemble for of Montreal and Quebec and european cities with old districts and new districts. The historical districts are marking old Buffalo and the east and south sides are marking New Buffalo. Yes, Buffalo is going to pave the way for having the best of both old and new.
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9thFloor
I find that much of detroit's blight can be summarized by looking at a website known as forgottendetroit.com. Some of the content of this site makes me happy that we in buffalo are able to retain and stablize some of our most important structures.
Look beyond the glitter and shine of a superbowl and you see the failure of detroit to retain and celebrate its most signature structures. All of a sudden the fabric of urban character is torn.
We all like to complain, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
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Lou
No the grass isnt greener. Id much rather be from Buffalo than Detroit.
Starting with the Sheas, Buffalo has grown to appreciate its architectural heritage. The Sheas has taught us to morn the loss of the Larkin Administration Building and the DL&W Concourse and the Buffalo Savings Bank and St Pauls Cathedral, the Iraquois Hotel the Bank that was at the present main place mall and many other lost structures including the German Catholic Orphanage which would have made great apartments for the Olmstead designed Humboldt Park.
However, beginning with the Sheas.....we have saved the Central Terminal, the Greystone, AM&As, the Statler, the Richardson, the Sullivan Prudential Building and many others. Unfortunately
I think that the lesson that has yet to be learned by Buffalo (but has been learned by Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland) is that new downtown structures must be as architecturally significant as the surrounding structures if not more so.
One has only to look at the HealthNow Office Complex to reallize what a total architectural abortion this building is compared to City Hall, the waterfront townhomes and the Wright designed Boathouse that are adjacent to it (just like the hotel that looks like a prefab trailer sitting under the skyway is an architectural abortion too)
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gplatt
lets not get crazy- the waterfront townhomes do not represent great architecture
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GratePhan
Buffalo can't host a Super Bowl, we don't have a dome stadium. Do you expect all those VIPs to sit in the cold? :-) When we build a stadium downtown in a few years, with a dome or retractable roof, then we can host a Super Bowl.
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John
No doubt..After checking www.forgottendetroit.com, I'm glad Buffalo doesn't have the type of eye sores, high rises and emptyness as Detroit has in their downtown center. Buffalo is much better and more vibrant.
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