DETROIT | Little Caesars Arena & The District Detroit

[animatedmartian]

City OKs demolition and rezoning while activity in the area picks up.

Approved: New Red Wings Arena Rezones 12 Desolate Acres
April 21, 2015, by Paul Beshouri

It's official: Olympia Development has the zoning approvals needed to build a new $450M arena complex for the Detroit Red Wings. The plan approved by City Council requires the historic, 156-room Eddystone Hotel be restored as apartments. In exchange, Olympia has permission to smash its larger brother, the Park Avenue Hotel. Well, sort of.

Legally, Olympia can't dislodge a single brick from Park Avenue before the Historic District Commission grants permission. Sounds like we're due for a dramatic HDC hearing in the near future. In the meantime, have a look around the barren landscape that will eventually hold 20,000 fans.






Photography by Chris and Michelle Gerard








http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in.../post_146.html

[animatedmartian]

Mass excavation started this Friday.








http://www.mlive.com/business/detroi...s_for_det.html

[itom 987]

Any updates?

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by itom 987

Any updates?

There was supposed to be a meeting two weeks ago between Olympia and the Detroit Historic District Commission on approval to demolish the Park Avenue Hotel, but Olympia surprisingly cancelled the meeting and there hasn't be any word about it since.

[Rail>Auto]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

There was supposed to be a meeting two weeks ago between Olympia and the Detroit Historic District Commission on approval to demolish the Park Avenue Hotel, but Olympia surprisingly cancelled the meeting and there hasn't be any word about it since.

Any chance they reconsider demolition?

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Rail>Auto

Any chance they reconsider demolition?

Olympia doesn't exactly have a good track record for historic preservation but it's possible.

My only theory for them calling off the meeting is that they either want to tear down the building without approval from DHDC, find some other possibly stronger excuse for tearing it down, or are attempting to find a third party that they can hand the building(s) off to. But at this point, it's anybody's guess.

There's also been no word on whether this would delay construction at all. So far they're still doing excavation.

[animatedmartian]

Photo from May 27th:


https://twitter.com/MCmuckraker/stat...48919000764416

This photo is from a week earlier:


https://twitter.com/MCmuckraker/stat...74417564975104

[Busy Bee]

What a shame

[Rail>Auto]

This project is already failing to live up to expectations. I get this feeling those other 4-5 neighborhoods that are supposed to be revamped by Illitch as a part of this deal will be scaled down as well.

[Rizzo]

I was actually convinced at the time I saw initial renderings Detroit was getting an exceptional product. A total change of pace from the half-ass scaled down proposals that are so common. But that is what this has become. A demolition of a historic building. (predictable) and deferred construction of the complementing structures that would make this an actual "district". If I would have known I would have advocated renovating JLA and throwing up townhomes on the new arena site. Even in the most diluted possible design option, the arena itself didn't require substantial demolition of adjacent structures.

[animatedmartian]

New renderings and a model. Quite a few subtle and not so subtle changes.











http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...ings/29455293/

All from the Preview Center at Comerica Park.

• Video Link

Also of note, foundation work is starting this week.

Building of the foundation deep piers of the new arena will begin this week as impressive progress is made on the site of the new Red Wings arena at Woodward and Sproat in Detroit. A total of 312 drilled piers will be placed 34 feet apart across the entire arena area. The drilled piers are a type of deep foundation that is created by pouring concrete into round, 4- to 8-feet-wide drilled holes. In this case, the holes will be nearly approximately 140 feet below grade. This depth ensures that the foundations are set well into a dense lower layer of soil referred to as hardpan and will support the load created by the arena. The concrete piers are re-enforced with (steel reinforcing bars. This element of construction will carry on for approximately 3 months. Excavation will continue through the end of July. The work will be done by Rohrscheib & Sons Caissons under the direction of general contractor Barton Malow Hunt White.

http://www.districtdetroit.com/news/...-detroit-arena

• Video Link

[animatedmartian]

Park Avenue implosion date set for 7-11.

Photos by Steve Neavling.

[animatedmartian]

Park Avenue came down at 8 AM this morning.

• Video Link

• Video Link

[Busy Bee]

What an absurd waste

[itom 987]

That sucks.

[animatedmartian]

View from the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building, early August.


http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...roit/31551043/

[animatedmartian]

Large crane on site and some foundation structures are taking shape.

• Video Link







Courtesy of http://wingsarena.tumblr.com/

[animatedmartian]

Dig it! Excavation for new Red Wings arena complete
By BILL SHEA. Detroit Crain's Business. August 30, 2015.



The excavation is complete for the massive hole that will become the lower bowl and ice rink for the Detroit Red Wings' new arena, and the steel and concrete skeleton of the facility is now beginning to take shape.

Work on the $532 million arena and events center is on schedule and will continue through the winter to ensure the building opens by September 2017, according to Olympia Development of Michigan.

Olympia is the real estate arm of Red Wings owner Mike and Marian Ilitch's $3.3 billion business holdings that include the Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and the Little Caesars pizza chain.

An estimated 488,000 cubic yards of soil was excavated in recent months for the below-grade bowl, and hundreds of deep pier foundations are being drilled and filled with concrete through September, Olympia said.

The concrete walls for elevator shafts also are being erected, and installation of the foundation walls of the bowl perimeter will begin within days.

The steel frame of the arena will begin to go up in late fall, Olympia said.

....

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...arena-complete

[animatedmartian]

Live webcam has been set up.

http://www.districtdetroit.com/live-web-cam/

[eleven=11]

whats building between the arena and I75?