Corktown

Michigan Central Station owner proposes plan to U.S. for redevelopment

Detroit's Michigan Central Station may get new life through billionaire's proposal.Excerpt:Moroun's Detroit International Bridge Co. issued a statement Friday saying it would submit its proposal to the General Services Administration next week for GSA to "acquire and develop" the site.Amid some confusion over whether that would involve an actual sale, a spokesman for Moroun said later Friday that the bridge company would lease the station but retain ownership.Moroun's offer came in response to a recent government solicitation of bids to lease almost 50,000 square feet of space in the Detroit area to house Department of Homeland Security offices for Customs and Border Protection personnel.Read the entire article here.

Preservation Magazine: Detroiters redefining the city block by block

Preservation Magazine writes about Detroiters who are working to redefine, revitalize, and rebuild the city.Excerpt:Mosey has an apartment and works nearby in Midtown, a thriving neighborhood anchored by Wayne State University, the Detroit Medical Center, and most of the Motor City's cultural institutions. Often called the district's unofficial mayor (she's president of the University Cultural Center Association, which works to develop and improve the neighborhood), she gestures proudly to the crowd. "These are all the people who actually do the work," she says. They saved neighborhoods such as Midtown and inner-city Corktown, predicted to die after the Tigers left Tiger Stadium in 1999. They helped rescue historic Brush Park, renovating 1870s mansions so that they no longer provide an enticing backdrop for out-of-town photographers looking to contrast crumbling relics against gleaming glass towers. "These are the people responsible for Detroit's transformation," Mosey says.Read the entire article here.

Women’s culture zine creates city guide to find Motown’s ‘real beat’

Venus Zine, a women's culture site, does a city guide to Detroit and captured it quite well.Excerpt:Detroit’s culture and cadence have long been defined, respectively, by its now infamous car industry and its prodigious music legacy. Nearly every American genre shares its roots with Detroit’s musical traditions. From J Dilla and Marvin Gaye to MC5 and Derrick May, Detroit’s creative footprint spreads far and wide.A city whose reputation often precedes it, Detroit seems to be in a constant process of revitalization. In recent years, the city has poured funding into the downtown neighborhood to bring residents back within city limits. The money went, in part, to new baseball and football stadiums and three new casinos. However, these places do not house the essence of this shrinking city. It is within the neighborhoods, music venues, and markets that you’ll find the real beat of Motown.Read the entire guide here.

2 casual restaurants open at Motor City Casino

3 Cheers for Detroit’s Local Currency

Detroit Cheers is a new local currency -- the city version of exchanging grain for flour or darned socks for a loaf of bread. Only it's more like beer for pizza, or housewares for a bike tune up.

Earth Day Roundup: Detroit’s Green Stuff

No, it's not St. Patrick's Day. It's a completely different kind of green. Wednesday is Earth Day and Detroit will have its fair share of happenings. From Green Drinks at the Majestic to a presentation from award-winning scientist, broadcaster, and sustainable ecology expert David Suzuki, the city will be a-buzz with all things green.

Former Detroit Tiger, 1970s baseball sensation, and Rolling Stone cover man, Mark Fidrych, dies

One of Detroit Tigers' and all of baseball's brightest personality, pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, died last week. He was 54. He was rookie of the year in 1976 and made it to the cover of Rolling Stone in '77. Additionally, Fidrych is the subject of a documentary that was just completed the day of his death.Excerpt:Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych, 54, died after an apparent accident on his Northborough, Massachusetts farm, ESPN reports. Fidrych, or “The Bird” as he was called because of his blond curly hair and resemblance to Sesame Street’s Big Bird, became the first baseball player ever to grace the cover of Rolling Stone after a 1976 rookie season in which Fidrych was named both American League Rookie of the Year and an AL All-Star while playing for the Tigers (read the story: The Tale of the Bird).Read the entire article here.Read about the documentary about the Bird here.

State land bank going green, offering vacant lots up as community gardens

Fate of Michigan Central Depot sparks Detroit’s latest demolition/preservation debate

City council wants the train station gone but its history and its potential may beat them out.Excerpt:These buildings should be preserved so in the near future they may be used in a manner that will allow for an economic gain for Detroit. There have been many options on the table pertaining to the depot , and both sides should come to an agreement, for the betterment of Detroit. Think about this decision a year from now. Suppose the building was demolished, does Detroit plan on rebuilding on that tract of land? Or will the tract sit there, empty, collecting filth and garbage. On the same day council decided to move forward with a plan to demolish the building, Mayor Ken Cockrel visited with community groups and promised to clean up the 7 Mile area. Council President Moncia Conyers proposed that the building be demolished and a shopping mall be erected on the spot. Maybe Conyers did not get the memo, but the economy is preventing Metro-Detroiters from doing much shopping lately.It is difficult not to drive past the Central Depot and reflect on what Detroit once was. . The Council will be quick to point to the fact that the building will be demolished at the expense of Mr. Moroun, however the citizens of Detroit will be paying a lot more. Once that building falls all that was Detroit, and all that Detroit hopes to be falls too. The morale of Detroit is down, and knocking down a symbol of this great city will knock the morale down further.Read the entire article here.A few other stories about the Detroit icon:Detroit News editorial here and a story about the demo here.The Freep asks if it is an icon or an eyesore here and what could happen to its neighbors here.Another Freep editorial tells the city and owner Matty Moroun to do something about the blighted train station here.Photo essay can be found in this Freep story here.