This downtown building could be next for demo

With all the renovations that have taken place in Detroit in the past few years, it’s hard to believe a building could be considered for demolition instead of restoration. This is the case for the Detroit Saturday Night building, located at 550 Fort Street next to the Fort Shelby Hotel.

A petition has been started by Preservation Detroit to save the building, which was designed by Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls and opened in 1914.

The owners are expected to go before the Historic District Commission on December 12. Unfortunately, the building is not in a historic district, but it is adjacent to one, so HDC recs will be considered, not binding.

The agenda for the HDC meeting states that the owner wants to demo it for—you guessed it—surface parking.

This side of downtown has seen a lot of investment in the last few years. The nearby Detroit Free Press Building is currently undergoing a restoration. Wayne County Community College is building new construction at their campus. And new construction in the form of luxury condos, the Ashton, is expected to happen soon.

Detroit has seen many building demos close to downtown in recent years, including many around the “District Detroit.” Surface lots have turned out to be a lucrative business for their owners.

This is a developing story and we will update it as we get more information.