Cass Technical High school is about 3 weeks away from irreparable damage. Cranes and long range excavators arrived at the site this week. Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb is spending $3 to $4 million to demolish it. Architects and developers consider it structurally sound. They are trying to reach the mayor and the governor to halt the demolition.
In May, the State Historic Preservation Office designated 80 Detroit public schools historic. They were trying to ward off the wrecking ball. Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb was not pleased.
“These buildings have been mothballed for some period of time. I consider myself to be an expert in this whole issue of land use and land use planning and development, and the use of how historic buildings can be used for economic development purposes. But by the same token I just don’t agree with the process. I’ve never been involved.”
That was in June. By November he did get involved. Preservationist Nancy Finegood helped organize the workship where Bobb spoke.
“He asked how many people were ready to make a deal.”
By December, Cass Tech was taken off the list of empty schools for sale. That’s when St. Louis developer Richard Baron says he first tried to call Bobb. He wants to buy the 90 year old building.
“I think it’s very important for Detroit, certainly as a native, to begin to think about how to preserve these iconic structures that it has. I have yet to see a community in the United States or in Europe that has measured its progress by the amount of demolition it’s done.”
Baron and Robert Bobb worked together 20 years ago. They restored tobacco warehouses in Virginia. Baron’s still trying to get Bobb on the phone. He’d like to redevelop 5-10 blocks. It could include the Masonic Temple and the Grand Army of the Republic building. Between $150 million and a half billion dollars would pour into the area.
“There would be an opportunity to create an interesting residential and mixed use community with perhaps some office and retail. Non-profits certainly could be part of the mix within the rehab of Cass Tech.”
But this is Mike Ilitch territory. The state gave him $2.5 million to demolish historic buildings for the Super Bowl. He controls the quilt of parking lots and chain link fences west of the Fox Theater. Birmingham architect Michael Poris doesn’t want more stadium parking.
“You could create an art center. Detroit is one of the four art centers in the world right now. It’s Mexico City, Detroit, Berlin….”
And Glascow. That’s according to the annual show in Miami called Art Basel. In the 1970′s, artists went to dicey neighborhoods in New York. They liked big cheap lofts in old buildings. That’s Detroit now. The Russell Industrial Center off of I-75 is an example.
Ray Litt graduated from Cass 63 years ago. Demolition workers have been letting him in. Litt walks over broken glass to a room on the 7th floor. Car parts were made here. Scrappers have busted out all the windows. So you hear -I-75 roaring below.
“Well originally, when the building was started., Ford Motor Company didn’t have a place where they did castings. And so they cooperated with the school system. And we had casting machines in here. And that’s where they were able to train their workers.”
Tons of equipment were left behind…like drawers in the graphic arts department. And more than a dozen pianos.
For this news report, alumni sent recordings of themselves in the auditorium from 1954.
Marshall Weingarden was the class of 1961.
Cass Tech launched dozens of stars for the stage, studio and big screen. So far only Lily Tomlin has said she’d host a fundraiser.
Americans consider themselves the “can do” people. Michigan, has been known as the can do state. “Doers” learned how to do at Detroit Cass Technical High. People like Tomlin argue demolishing Cass Tech means we can’t do anymore. That we’ve given up.