We all know the Packard Plant has slowly been crumbling into rubble for years, but with the recent news of foreclosure over $750,000 in back taxes, there talk of a city-sponsored tear down. The city botched a 1993 foreclosure for owed taxes, which resulted in a lengthy legal battle with ex-con Dominic Cristini. Despite fighting the city’s wishes to tear down the structure for more than a decade – including a stunt he pulled in 1998 holing himself up for weeks in the 40 acre complex – Cristini has recently been quoted as stating, “Do me a favor and knock the Packard down… The city can kiss my ass.”

This prominent gothic revival downtown building has long sat vacant. Originally functioning as a mecca of fine jewelry and related shops, the structure closed in 1977 as a result of the rise of the suburban shopping mall – a fate similar to that of Hudson’s. The building changed hands then went into tax foreclosure in 1978, and the city has owed it ever since. In 1987 James Nicita submitted a $4.5 million proposal to develop the building into lofts, but development rights were granted to Diane and Larry Mongo. Thus began one of the longest preservation-based legal battles in the city’s history. Fast forward to today: Nicita won the case but not the rights, the building is still city owned, and the Mongos still maintain development rights. The façade has been stabilized by the city to keep bricks from raining down on people, but development plans remain vague at best.

With the city of Detroit in financial crisis, the condition of Belle Isle and its buildings, infrastructure, and monuments has been going downhill for years. The state has been trying to step in to help the city manage this decaying public resource, but no resolution has been made. A $10/year admittance fee isn’t really going to kill anyone, is it?

Although this downtown building doesn’t have the fabled past that many others on this list might have, it seems to be scripting itself a storied end. Built in 1905 as a cheap alternative to the more luxurious Hotel Stratler and Hotel Tuller on Grand Circus Park, Charlevoix stands as one of Detroit’s oldest remaining hotels. The owner is lawyer Ralph Sachs, who has effectively neglected this corner of Park Avenue since 1981. Sach’s representatives requested permission to demolish the Charlevoix in June, but were denied because the state of the building was deemed his fault. He was given a timeline to present plans to shore up or mothball the building in order to avoid a legal mess and potential jail time, but little has occurred since then.

Considered by many to be the best icon of Detroit decay, Michigan Central bookends the booming historic Corktown neighborhood and anchors Roosevelt Park. Built to be the tallest train station in the world, this windowless wonder has sat empty and trainless since the late 1980s. Purchased by our favorite billionaire curmudgeon Matty Moroun in 1995, the building is allegedly being stabilized with abatement, a new roof, new windows, and lights.

This poor landmark has been showering bricks since the 1980s! UA finally closed its doors after a downward spiral to x-rated flicks in the 1970s. The building changed hands for decades and was eventually sold to Mike Ilitch in 1997 while he was gobbling up property to make room for his new ballpark. UA was originally slated for demolition, but was saved from the wrecking ball when the park’s location was changed to the current spot along I-75. More work has been done over the last several years – including new doors, a new roof, and the mounting of surveillance cameras – but there are still no development plans for the building or its rotted-out theatre.

Mayor Bing announced a while back that this vacant, neglected, and vandalized property is definitely a goner, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong on the list. The buildings of the complex that remain (minus the Rec Center) will join the Brewster Homes and Hastings Street in historic architecture heaven. Sure, there’s a lot of rich history that has emanated from this spot over the years, but let us not forget its mention in RuPaul’s 1993 danceclub favorite Supermodel (You Better Work). Sashay. Shante.

Located in the open-air sports-venue parking lot that is Brush Park, the four remaining houses on Alfred Street between Brush and John R have been city-owned for decades. The only houses for blocks, they are frequented throughout the year by film crews and urban tourists alike for their “ruin porn” aesthetic. Currently, the city is looking to offload the properties to a developer that can pull off a proper historic renovation. Some may think that’s overly ambitious, but we're just hoping to avoid more suburban townhouses like those installed at Woodward Place.

Since no list of neglected Detroit buildings ever seems complete without mention of Dennis Kefallinos, we include for you this former hotel in the shadows of Michigan Central Station. Kefallinos purchased the property at the 2010 Wayne County foreclosure auction for $37,500. Since then the building has remained unboarded without redevelopment plans. Despite offers by other developers to purchase the property for up to nearly six times the purchase price, Kefallinos is holding out for a higher bidder.