Demo permits issued for multiple Cass Corridor buildings

Update: 6/21/17 An interim historic designation for these buildings has been approved.

Update: 6/20/17 Preservation Detroit has issued an action alert for those who want to save these buildings. Details below.

We’ve been following the rumors about the possible demolition of these two buildings dating back to 1914 located on Cass Avenue, owned by Olympia. Crain’s reports today that demo permits have been filed and Olympia plans to demolish them by the end of summer.

Preservation Detroit was looking to create an interim historic designation for this block, which sits outside of a historic district. Their petition states, “This is the only intact block of early 20th-century historic buildings in the Corridor, and it should be studied, documented and preserved.”

Preservation Detroit has offered a few ways to help:

“If you haven’t already, please sign our petition and share it with your network. We will bring a list of signatures, sorted by zip code, to the meeting on Thursday to show the broad community support for saving the apartments.

Call or write your City Council representative and the Mayor and tell them you support an interim historic designation for the Cass-Henry block. Ask them what more they will do to protect Detroit’s historic buildings.

Attend the meeting on Thursday, June 22 at 10 am at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center and make a public comment in support of an interim historic district designation for Cass-Henry.”

The article reports that two more buildings, an apartment building at 427 Henry Street and a house at 664 Charlotte Street.

The two larger buildings at 2467 and 2447 Cass Avenue sit down the street from a new residential developments underway in the District Detroit. Olympia announced earlier this month that they would renovate four larger buildings in the District, but many of their properties in the past few years have been demolished in favor of surface lots.