Corktown

Tweet of the Week: Safety first, Detroit Zoo, and the happy feet skaters triumph

I'm not sure if you've heard but the Red Wings lost the Stanley Cup to the Pittsburgh Penguins. And though we here at Model D love Pittsburgh, especially our sister pub Pop City, we hate the taste of humble pie. We'd much rather have a Coney.Anyway, let's put the ice behind us and get on with the water. It is summer, after all. Let's also drop in on the Detroit tweeters. And find out what's up.Here are this weeks memorable tweets:@ClariceTinsley: Hello Twittizens...70 & sunny in Detroit. FOX 2 is showing the Red Bull Air Races over the Detroit River. Great action & gorgeous sight.Twittizens? That's funny... So, even if you didn't get a chance to see the air races in person, you probably heard them. Whether its downtown, or around town, we love a good excuse to get out and enjoy the city, as long as it doesn't have you running for cover.@heathermarie356: is at the Detroit Zoo with my BFF & 2 nieces! Beautiful day!It seemed like the whole city was basking in the gorgeous weather we've had this past week...Including this next tweeter, who was getting ready for what sounds like some serious porch-sitting:@ChrisJMiller: Just finished rebuilding the porch on this house in Detroit. No one will fall off it now, railings are good.Good work, Chris. Safety first!And special props to this weeks all-star tweeter, for keeping a winning attitude even after the Wings' bummer of a loss last weekend.  Believe it or not, Detroiters can dish out complements as well as we take them...@ktpupp: Oh BTW, good morning Detroit! Met some really cool Penguin fans last night. They praised the Wings & look forward to a rematch next year!Still... It would have been nice to beat them to a pulp. In terms of hockey. Don't take the literally Pittsburgh... we're not that aggressive and weird here in Detroit.Follow Model D on Twitter here.Keep readin'. Keep tweetin'. And see you next week.

Song, video celebrates all Detroit has to offer

A couple put together a video celebrating the city's gems. It has a country twang, but we're not talking about John Rich's "Shuttin' Detroit Down." That's for the birds.Check the video out here.

‘Home Is More Than Our House’: WDET’s coverage of facing Detroit’s mortgage crisis

WDET and Model D have partnered to focus on Detroit's foreclosure crisis and different ways people and neighborhoods are dealing with the issue. This week WDET reporter Zak Rosen will produce a piece on the citizens on the North End of Detroit are teaming up with the Greening of Detroit to reclaim 134 abandoned lots. Look for his work on the WDET "Home is more than a house" blog here. Next week Model D will take a look at how realtors are selling homes in Detroit to Detroiters.

Is the Michigan Central Station an eyesore or an opportunity?

Does the MCS offer opportunity? Or is it just an eyesore? We've been asking that question for years now... but, maybe, just maybe, we'll get an answer soon.Excerpt:Stamper says some people want the depot razed because it's a visual rendering of the decay of Detroit. But in spite of the problems, many Detroiters still find the depot beautiful and inspiring. Hundreds of them protested the council's decision, including Tim McKay."I see this train station every day of my life," McKay says. "I live here, work here. This building represents a bygone era. It also represents a great opportunity."McKay says the residents of Corktown, the neighborhood that houses the building, want to use the station as the backdrop to a city park. He envisions it as a viable green space that could be used by all.And the International Bridge Co. has some ideas in the works as well; Stamper has submitted a proposal to the government to use part of the depot as a facility for Homeland Security."We want to refurbish just the historic part," Stamper says. "The main entry, main lobby of the depot. The tower would come down."Read the entire article here.Another piece on the MCS from NPR here.

Roosevelt Park planting aims to reflect Michigan Central’s stature

LISC accepting nominations for CDC of the year

Up and down times for Tiger Stadium

The Tiger Stadium's stay of execution was lifted Monday according to the Associated Press but Freep writer Bill McGraw wonders if the fight over a stadium that is already 75 percent gone worth the energy, considering abandonment is a problem throughout the city.Excerpt:If we are going to worry about Michigan and Trumbull, why not such endangered corners as Sawyer and Ashton, W. Robinwood and Charleston, and W. Warren and W. Grand Boulevard, where a library sits crumbling and abandoned? One sign fastened last week to the fence that surrounds Tiger Stadium made a similar point. The sign said: “Demolish the DANGEROUS burnt-out homes on MY STREET before an HISTORIC LANDMARK.”Read the entire article here.

Charter Reform Spells Change for Detroit

They say good things take time, and this will. Revising the city's charter could spell great things for Detroit. But what type of change will come of it, and who will make those decisions? Voters, a lot of that is up to you.

New hope for Detroit’s Michigan Central Station?

Will this be the plan to save MCS? Preservationists hope.Excerpt:“With more than 500,000 square feet of space on nearly 14 acres in proximity to critical state, regional and international infrastructure facilities, the Central Depot property has great potential to house a complimentary set of homeland security, intermodal transportation and economic development-related functions,” write the five state senators.  “The property is ideally located in an area of unique intermodal convergence that includes the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, connections to three interstate highways, the Detroit-Wayne County Port and several freight lines.” (More pics after the jump.)...The timing of the senators’ plea, though, is interesting. Just last week, the Michigan Messenger reported that the Canadian Pacific Railroad is seeking $400 million to build a new freight rail tunnel under the Detroit River and likely emerging in the middle of Michigan Central’s rail yard. While building the tunnel would not necessarily save the structure, the proposal does seem to buttress the case made by preservationists that the complex still has economic value and is worth rehabilitating.Read the entire article here.