Mysterious Trench Now Surrounds the Park Avenue Hotel

Olympia Development doesn't have permission to demolish the Park Avenue Hotel, but they seem pretty confident the building will come down. Various reports show a large trench has been dug around the building's foundation. Has the mere thought of crunching into historic architecture caused Olympia to lose self control?

Ilitch family doesn't have permission to raze the Park Avenue in #Detroit yet, but they're getting ready anyway. pic.twitter.com/eQy57oq3vV

— HistoricDetroit.org (@HistoricDET) May 3, 2015

The Park Avenue hotel was built in 1924 and is thought to be structurally sound, so exposing the foundation seems like a shady move. Perhaps Olympia is just trying to increase the drama at the Historic District Commission (HDC) hearing, which could be a big one. Anticipating an avalanche of public comment, the HDC scheduled a special hearing just for the Park Avenue demolition/Eddystone renovation. It happens Tuesday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Coleman A Young Municipal Center.
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