Sears might be going belly up

[Red Tractors]

Sad, and the morons cheer as vestiges of our culture fall before them.


(My apologies if "Morons" seems a bit harsh, but it was the most polite word I could think of.)

 

[David Conwill]

Sad, and the morons cheer as vestiges of our culture fall before them.

We had a beautiful, rambling old New England-style factory building right on the lake in the town where I grew up. It was a leather tannery from the 1880s to the 1990s. When it closed, there was speculation that it might be turned into loft condominiums, but ultimately the owners decided they could realize a better return on their investment by imploding it and replacing it with ultra-high-density condos (the area is very resorty, these days, and not at all industrial).

The Youtube videos of the demolition are of course accompanied by quite a bit of cheering. I wonder if those people cheer as they look at the big pile of rubble that sits there almost five years later? It was only 120 years of White Lake history that was demolished and replaced with NOTHING.

-Dave

 

[rue]

I'm really sorry I watched that video

 

[LizzieMaine]

If there's one thing the world needs more of, it's luxury condos.

 

[sheeplady]

but ultimately the owners decided they could realize a better return on their investment by imploding it and replacing it with ultra-high-density condos (the area is very resorty, these days, and not at all industrial).

I've got a theory that many of these owners are lying about replacing the building with something else. They can't sell it, they can't pay the taxes/ insurance on it, so they sell a story about rebuilding something new (which the politicians go all gaga over because it will generate tax revenue), and get the ok to tear it down. Once it's down, it's down, and they can wipe their hands clean, pay a lot less taxes and insurance (especially if it is an eyesore), and hope for the day that some sucker will come and buy the lot.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

In Maine there was a vacation spot/restaurant called The Cascades, and it had been around for a very long time. It was sold and demolished to build something New and Current, I don't know what, but it's been a vacant lot since the mid 2000's.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Sad, and the morons cheer as vestiges of our culture fall before them.


(My apologies if "Morons" seems a bit harsh, but it was the most polite word I could think of.)

Apology accepted for using word that is only a bit harsh.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

They're demolition crazy, in nearby Portage. A recent one was the Woolen Mills, built in the 1880s on the Portage Canal. We looked into buying it, as we invest in real-estate quite often. They jagged us around and we backed out. There were plans drawn up to make it into a condo complex. Ultimately, it was torn down and turned into 'green space'. Where a beautiful symbol of Portage history once stood is now some grass and park benches along a cesspool of a canal.

We had a beautiful, rambling old New England-style factory building right on the lake in the town where I grew up. It was a leather tannery from the 1880s to the 1990s. When it closed, there was speculation that it might be turned into loft condominiums, but ultimately the owners decided they could realize a better return on their investment by imploding it and replacing it with ultra-high-density condos (the area is very resorty, these days, and not at all industrial).

The Youtube videos of the demolition are of course accompanied by quite a bit of cheering. I wonder if those people cheer as they look at the big pile of rubble that sits there almost five years later? It was only 120 years of White Lake history that was demolished and replaced with NOTHING.

-Dave

 

[David Conwill]

I've got a theory that many of these owners are lying about replacing the building with something else. They can't sell it, they can't pay the taxes/ insurance on it, so they sell a story about rebuilding something new (which the politicians go all gaga over because it will generate tax revenue), and get the ok to tear it down. Once it's down, it's down, and they can wipe their hands clean, pay a lot less taxes and insurance (especially if it is an eyesore), and hope for the day that some sucker will come and buy the lot.

There is a school of thought in preservation that demolition should only be allowed when the property owner can present clear plans for a replacement, and post a bond of some decent percentage of his construction price. The bond would be forfeit in the event no construction occurs within a reasonable time frame.

I’m 100% in favor of that. There’s no penalty for property owners who follow through on their construction plans, but it helps compensate the community for ripping unnecessary holes in its fabric.

Sadly, that will never fly in Michigan’s current climate. They can’t tear down Flint, Saginaw, and Detroit fast enough to suit most people.

-Dave

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

A significant portion of the old downtown Santa Ana area disappeared in the redevelopment boom of the '80s and '90s and about one-third of old downtown L.A. was long ago replaced by parking lots. I often enjoy surfing Google Earth and have noticed that, unlike Southern California, there are many other cities and towns throughout this country whose architectural heritage is still largely intact, at least to a much greater extent than here.

 

[David Conwill]

Downtown East Saginaw lost much of its old commercial district in a similar orgy of "urban renewal" in the 1960s and '70s. All those new parking lots didn't keep all the remaining businesses from fleeing to the area surrounding the new maul (er, mall), however, and they have hindered any kind of redevelopment of the old downtown since there are very few old buildings with character left.

Of course, none of this is Sears's fault, even though they were one of the first to move to Saginaw's mall.

-Dave

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Downtown East Saginaw lost much of its old commercial district in a similar orgy of "urban renewal" in the 1960s and '70s. All those new parking lots didn't keep all the remaining businesses from fleeing to the area surrounding the new maul (er, mall), however, and they have hindered any kind of redevelopment of the old downtown since there are very few old buildings with character left.

Of course, none of this is Sears's fault, even though they were one of the first to move to Saginaw's mall.

-Dave

I was looking at Saginaw on Google Earth just now. You're right, it looks really stark. The saddest sight was Potter Street, by the train depot, with the old boarded up buildings, including the depot.

 

[David Conwill]

Potter Street has the added disadvantage of being separated from the bulk of the downtown by I-675, which is a greater psychological barrier than it is physical (although the fact that it is elevated on mounds rather than pylons makes it worse than, say, US 131 in Grand Rapids). Believe it or not, there is a really active group working on preserving the old train depot. They work on cleanup and repair virtually every warm weekend, and have been raising the profile of the depot in the community, with the hope that someone will come up with a worthwhile reuse.

The city itself is no help, as they want to see the entire Northeast side returned to green space.

To me, though, the saddest part of East Saginaw is centered on the intersection of East Genesee, Lapeer, and Jefferson. East Genesee is the most frequently illustrated business district in old postcards, but you’d never know there was anything there now, so thoroughly did they erase the traces of commerce on the historic road from Flint and Detroit once known as “The Saginaw Trail”.

Try searching “Saginaw Tower Block” on eBay to see what I mean.

-Dave

 

[Tomasso]

Twenty years after Sears closed its State Street flagship store they opened a new flagship up the street in the former home of the Boston Store. A great old Chicago School issue from the venerable firm of Holabird & Roche, though only a fraction of the size of their former digs.

 

[Gregg Axley]

We have 1 of 8 (that used to exist) Sears catalog stores.
The building is vacant of course, since 1981. However it's in remarkable shape structurally, so much so that investers are looking to fill the 1.3 million square feet with apartments or an art college.
Here's a small article and a few pictures of it.
http://www.memphismemories.org/Areas/Midtown/ShoppingMidtown/Sears_Crosstown/Sears_Crosstown.php

 

[Widebrim]

A significant portion of the old downtown Santa Ana area disappeared in the redevelopment boom of the '80s and '90s and about one-third of old downtown L.A. was long ago replaced by parking lots.

Not to mention Bunker Hill, which, although by the late '50s was a ghetto area, could have have revitalized instead of leveled. Of what use is the (re-located) Bunker Hill trolley, other than to satisfy tourists and assuage the guilt of city planners? Those who work/live where Bunker Hill used to be certainly don't take it. At least the old Sears in Boyle Heights (district of L.A.) is still very much in business, thanks greatly to the Mexican immigrant/Chicano population that surrounds it...

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Twenty years after Sears closed its State Street flagship store they opened a new flagship up the street in the former home of the Boston Store. A great old Chicago School issue from the venerable firm of Holabird & Roche, though only a fraction of the size of their former digs.

Is that all Sears? I remember when the L.A. department stores such as Robinson's, Broadway, and May Company all had their flagship stores Downtown. I even remember the elevators had elevator operators.

 

[Tomasso]

Is that all Sears?

The store has maybe five floors including the basement. What goes on in the upper half above, I do not know.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The Original Sears Tower (1906)

925 S. Homan Avenue, Chicago

 

[Tomasso]

The Original Sears Tower (1906)

lol I guess it was...............