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Detroit in ruins

W-D Forties

Practically Family
Messages
684
Location
England
I agree that if the buildings can't be saved that they should let people take what is salvagable, but in the case of this house:
IMG_3475-Copy.jpg


they won't let us take anything and we've asked several times. The owners built a huge brand new home up the hill from it and here that one sits rotting with beautiful things inside shakeshead

Thats just crazy, rue. What a terrible waste. Arn't you tempted to 'liberate' a few bits and pieces?
 

MissMittens

One Too Many
Messages
1,627
Location
Philadelphia USA
Yes and in fact we thought long and hard about it, but we can't bring ourselves to steal, even if is from morons that don't understand the value that's sitting under that dilapidated roof.

My advice for what it's worth:

Cold. Hard. Cash.

You'd be surprised at the difference in reaction if you pull out $200 at the exact time you ask them. Worked for me each time I tried it.
 

Doublegun

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Michigan
Back to Detroit, the estimated cost of renovating the Michigan Central Station was over $100,000,000.00 (that's one hundred million dollars) ten years ago.
 
Messages
13,376
Location
Orange County, CA

The decline in this country's auto industry, and related industries,is the most direct cause of these problems. Selling it all out to China has only made matters worse. Corporations have prospered, but the majority of American workers have seen their jobs sold out to communist China. Industry has, and always will be the backbone of any nation's economy. America seriously needs to reinvent it's industries, and fast! :confused:

It's bad enough that 90% of what's at Walmart is made in China but I've noticed that more and more of our food is also coming from there too! Even the most backward Third World country, in the very least, produces its own food.
 

Foofoogal

Banned
Messages
4,884
Location
Vintage Land
rue, possibly it has some history that they do not want or cannot deal with. Grandmas house, grandma dies, they want to freeze it like this. I know far fetched but I have seen things like this before.
A shrine mentality?

All so sad.
 

rue

Messages
13,319
Location
California native living in Arizona.
rue, possibly it has some history that they do not want or cannot deal with. Grandmas house, grandma dies, they want to freeze it like this. I know far fetched but I have seen things like this before.
A shrine mentality?

All so sad.

I wish that were the case Foofoo, but sadly no, they really are just morons. They just bought the property a few years ago and aren't from here, so they could care less about saving anything.
 

Doublegun

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Michigan
That's crazy! I can't believe they let it get that way in the first place. Was the train removed out of the area?

I'm not sure if any trains pass by the building anymore. I found the station via GoogleMaps with the hope of posting a link but I am just not smart enough. In terms of the cost (actual estimates range from $80M - $300M) - yes, they let it go too far but the other aspect is the size - it's HUGE (500,000 sq. feet) Info on efforts to restore : http://www.savemichigancentral.com/
 

DanielJones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,042
Location
On the move again...
I wish that were the case Foofoo, but sadly no, they really are just morons. They just bought the property a few years ago and aren't from here, so they could care less about saving anything.

It is a case of morons if putting cash in their pockets doesn't even interest them. Heck, I'd be happy if folks wanted to haul away stuff I didn't care about. Means I don't have to deal with it or put money out to dispose of it. Of course that house looks solid enough to retrofit and restore. They should think of subdividing the property & sell the parcel off to a contractor that can restore it. You might pose that idea to them. In the long run it'll put money in their pocket and help pay for they new home built. Plus, with the smaller acreage their property taxes go down. Imagine that, saving money. There must be a contractor in the area with the interest & skill to bring that phoenix back to life. Check the zoning and see it the morons could subdivide that property to save that home. What style that place has. It's a sham I dirt poor, I have grand ideas but no capital to go through with them.

Cheers!

Dan
 

bumphrey hogart

One of the Regulars
Messages
159
Location
cornwall,England
I agree that if the buildings can't be saved that they should let people take what is salvagable, but in the case of this house:
IMG_3475-Copy.jpg


they won't let us take anything and we've asked several times. The owners built a huge brand new home up the hill from it and here that one sits rotting with beautiful things inside shakeshead

Would I be right in thinking this is an old property in the US? Having never been it's difficult to get a real impression,especially when all you have to go off is hollywood, and of course I imagine everywhere is different.The older New England states are going to have far older properties than the more western states,so I'm afraid I have no idea where Ohio fits in,but it does look like an interesting property,the tower and columns are great features. How can someone afford to just let a property like that go to rot? I'm sorry,I'm just having real difficulty getting my head round this,property in the UK is so valuable the idea of something being left to fall down is bizarre. Don't get me wrong,I'm sure it happens over here but it would be for an extreme reason.
Is it really this old shoe mentality that's been mentioned? This house is getting on a bit now lets get a newer one, like a car?
 

rue

Messages
13,319
Location
California native living in Arizona.
It is a case of morons if putting cash in their pockets doesn't even interest them. Heck, I'd be happy if folks wanted to haul away stuff I didn't care about. Means I don't have to deal with it or put money out to dispose of it. Of course that house looks solid enough to retrofit and restore. They should think of subdividing the property & sell the parcel off to a contractor that can restore it. You might pose that idea to them. In the long run it'll put money in their pocket and help pay for they new home built. Plus, with the smaller acreage their property taxes go down. Imagine that, saving money. There must be a contractor in the area with the interest & skill to bring that phoenix back to life. Check the zoning and see it the morons could subdivide that property to save that home. What style that place has. It's a sham I dirt poor, I have grand ideas but no capital to go through with them.

Cheers!

Dan

I love how you keep referring to them as morons like I do lol

I'll keep that in mind next time we go out that way and just in case that doesn't work, I'll make sure we have cold hard cash as suggested earlier ;)
 

rue

Messages
13,319
Location
California native living in Arizona.
Would I be right in thinking this is an old property in the US? Having never been it's difficult to get a real impression,especially when all you have to go off is hollywood, and of course I imagine everywhere is different.The older New England states are going to have far older properties than the more western states,so I'm afraid I have no idea where Ohio fits in,but it does look like an interesting property,the tower and columns are great features. How can someone afford to just let a property like that go to rot? I'm sorry,I'm just having real difficulty getting my head round this,property in the UK is so valuable the idea of something being left to fall down is bizarre. Don't get me wrong,I'm sure it happens over here but it would be for an extreme reason.
Is it really this old shoe mentality that's been mentioned? This house is getting on a bit now lets get a newer one, like a car?

Yes, it's in a small town located in Ohio. It was built around 1875, so it's considered old here, but I know not very old compared to homes in England. Sadly I do believe it is the old shoe mentality that causes this. Do you have the saying "Keeping up with the Jones'" there? To most here it's a case of.... old is bad and new (and bigger) is better :rolleyes:
 

Foofoogal

Banned
Messages
4,884
Location
Vintage Land
Ohio is a depressed area and one of the top 10 places some are leaving according to the chart I put somewhere on FL.
This could be it or another possibility is a tax write off somehow?
After moving to AR and finding dramatically different tax laws who knows?
----------------
Once upon a time I was in an area and glad to move out of it as I found out certain someones were making a killing of poor people and acted like they were "helping" them.
Makes my blood boil to this day.

1. Bought rent houses.
2. Got rent.
3. Got government grants to sort of fix.
4. Took rent houses as tax writeoffs.
------Sweet deal getting money 3 ways. Beware sometimes those in power who will not fix stuff so later they can buy it all up when it is not worth much.

What a wicked web we weave when we practice to deceive comes to mind.
 

DanielJones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,042
Location
On the move again...
Yes, it's in a small town located in Ohio. It was built around 1875, so it's considered old here, but I know not very old compared to homes in England. Sadly I do believe it is the old shoe mentality that causes this. Do you have the saying "Keeping up with the Jones'" there? To most here it's a case of.... old is bad and new (and bigger) is better :rolleyes:

Yeah, you have the "old shoe mentality" here in California too. New & big is the watch word, and they want that new and big at foreclosure prices. I would love to see an old Ohio house like that brought back to its regal standing again. Heck, there are old houses here that I would love to see restored to their proper grandeur. To have a family love it again like it was in the past. Like I said before, we live in a disposable society now, and old things are something to throw away, not love & preserve. Of course I love my old shoes because they are comfortable and they fit me. Sometimes I want to treat my self to a new pair, but I repair the old ones too if they can be, I don't throw them aside because the soles are worn. There is some merit to the saying, "They just don't make them like they used to."

Cheers!

Dan
 

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