A so-called fire-ravaged skeleton of a house near the train station was turned into an art installation piece last year. It included a piece made of burned wood by artist Catie Newell and the city seemed happy enough to leave the dangerous, but more beautiful home alone. But then Newell cut out her art piece and took it to Grand Rapids, MI so that it could compete in the ArtPrize competition. (It won an award). Now there is trouble because without it, the house is more unstable.
"Certainly, it's dangerous. No one is arguing against that," said Jeff DeBruyn, executive director of Imagination Station, the group that owns the house and one next to it.The city is saying it sent notice in November 2010 that they intended to demolish the house for safety reasons. DeBruyn says he has no knowledge of that. After a meeting next week, the demo was temporarily suspended. We're certainly not interested in getting hurt sans hardhat to visit some art, but it can't help the city's public image to go against Imagination.
· House highlights artists, city conflict[The Detroit News]