Efforts underway to protect Cass Corridor buildings from demo

Last week, we noted the rumors that these apartment buildings dating back to 1914 could be up for demo. The Hotel Ansonia and the Atlanta Apartments are located at 2467 and 2447 Cass Avenue, just down the street from some of Olympia’s new residential developments and close to the new arena.

Preservation Detroit shortly thereafter started a petition to city council, urging them to consider protecting these historic buildings. The buildings were inspected by BSEED this spring, who noted that they’ve not been maintained and that they’re vacant and open to trespass. The petition notes the proximity to other historic buildings that are in the process of being renovated, such as the new Founder’s Taproom on Charlotte and the James Scott Mansion on Peterboro.

Many buildings have been demolished to make way for the new Little Caesars Arena and District Detroit.

The petition is asking City Council to:

“Create an interim historic designation for Cass-Henry, a proposed local historic district that would include the Hotel Ansonia and the Atlanta Apartments. This is the only intact block of early 20th-century historic buildings in the Corridor, and it should be studied, documented and preserved.

Hold Olympia to their promise to maintain the historic character of Cass Park. We applaud ODM’s recently announced plans for building rehabilitation and reuse, but they must make public their plans and timelines for redevelopment of the many other vacant historic properties they own in the Arena District and downtown Detroit. As the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, we ask you to hold Olympia accountable for the condition of each property they own.

Move forward with urgency on a comprehensive and long-term preservation plan for the City of Detroit as a tool to evaluate future proposed demolitions and to avoid the shortsighted demolition of irreplaceable architectural resources and the further erosion of the historic character of our neighborhoods.”

As of this update, the petition has garnered 874 signatures. As always, if you have any intel on these buildings, please let us know on the tip line.