The old Detroit City Airport terminal vs. the new hangar space at Coleman Young

I walked past the old terminal building on Gratiot last week (well, drove by on my way home from a night shift) and it got me thinking. That building sat empty for what, 15 years? Meanwhile, the converted hangar spaces over by 8 Mile and the airport are actually getting leased up. One of the tenants told me they pay $8/sqft for hangar space with 30 foot ceilings. That old terminal needed millions in asbestos abatement alone. Has anyone else noticed the shift away from traditional office/commercial towards these industrial-flex spaces in the east side neighborhoods?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugomurray4d ago

lol I was gonna say something about the asbestos thing but then I drove past the old Dodge Main plant site in Hamtramck the other day and it hit me. That place sat dead for like 30 years before they finally tore it down and put up that Amazon warehouse. Same story with the old Packard plant - that thing is still sitting there falling apart. Its crazy how these old industrial sites are actually more valuable as dirt with a new roof than as preserved buildings. People forget that the cost to clean up an old terminal is way higher than just building a new pole barn. The old entrance on Gratiot has that cool art deco look but it costs more to keep that tile clean than to just pave a new parking lot.

morgan_bailey934d ago

My buddy just dropped 20 grand on hazmat suits for a space in that old Packard plant.