Poll: Which Kefallinos property has the most potential?

Last week, we learned that Dennis Kefallinos would be selling 30 of his Detroit non-residential properties. This is very good news. These large buildings are in various state of disrepair, and many sit in ideal locations for redevelopment.

Like many of you might have over the past week, we searched many of these addresses. We chose five that we think might have the greatest potential or impact in their respective neighborhoods, although many more could have made the list (Shapero Hall, SW Hospital, buildings that are near future developments).

The best case scenario is that the right people acquire the buildings for the right prices. We’ll be watching. But in the meantime, we wanted to take a look at a few of them and ask you, Curbed readers, which buildings have the biggest potential for redevelopment. Did we skip your favorite? As always, let us know in the comments.

Former Thorn Apple Valley Slaughterhouse, 2902 Orleans

Taken May 2016 by Michelle & Chris Gerard

If you spend any time on the Dequindre Cut, you’ll recognize this building. It sits alongside the bike bath. From that side, you’ll notice new windows in the building (although last time we went through, many had been broken). From the street, the building looks much worse. It’s located right in Eastern Market. Lofts? Shops or grocers? There’s a lot that could be done here.

The Michigan Building and former Michigan Theatre, 220 Bagley Street

The Michigan Theater and Michigan Building are now up for sale. The most beautiful parking garage in the world was a spectacular theater at one point. The adjacent office building is in use, but we’ve heard it’s not in the greatest condition. It’s located southwest of Grand Circus Park, near (hopefully) some new development coming soon.

Roosevelt Hotel, 2250 14th Street

Photo by Robin Runyan

Located in Corktown near Michigan Central Station, the Roosevelt Hotel is such a wasted opportunity. Maybe it wouldn’t work as a hotel right now, but perhaps it could work as residential, with retail space on the first floor? The adjacent Roosevelt Park could see big changes in the coming years. And who knows, maybe in our lifetime, we’ll see Michigan Central Station come back to life.

Goeschel Building, 3230 Gratiot Avenue

Google Street View, August 2015

We’re rooting for the Goeschel Building to make it, although if you’ve driven past it in recent years, you have an idea of its condition. The art deco two-story building sits on the corner of Gratiot and Mack Avenue. In recent years, it looks like the back of it has been falling off. Could we see more renovations make their way down Gratiot from Eastern Market? Could we possibly see some storefronts in use down this way? We hope so, but it could take a while.

Former southwest Detroit YMCA, 1601 Clark Street

Google Street View, July 2016

This big building is located right next to Clark Park, right in the heart of Southwest Detroit. It’s a dense, vibrant community, and it seems like a no-brainer to turn it into something for community and/or recreational use.