Photos: 50+ vacant Cass Corridor buildings whose fate likely will be determined in 2016

Address: 3500 Second
Status: Unknown
Owner: Piquette Corner LLC
Background: The one-story commercial building at the corner of Second and Martin Luther King is known for its colorful murals.

Address: 3711 Second
Status: Unknown
Owner: Alfredo Casab
Background: This one-story commercial building has been vacant for years and is a frequent target for vandalism. It’s adjacent to public housing on Brainard.

Address: 2941 Park Ave.
Status: Unknown
Owner: Line Rock LLC
Background: The former American Building Trades building is about a block from the new arena and is next to a vacant house.

Address: 456 Charlotte 
Status: Unknown 
Owner: 456 Charlotte LLC
Background: The former Cass Corridor Food Co-Op closed in 2004 because of financial troubles. A fixture in the community for 30 years, the co-op moved from a building on Fourth to this one on Charlotte in 2001.

Address: 3515 Second
Status: For sale
Owner: Jeremiah Weatherly
Background: Built in 1955, this former automative garage is in bad shape at the corner of Second and Martin Luther King.

Address: 3975 Cass & 3977 Cass
Status: Unknown
Owner: Art Center Music School
Background: These two buildings at Cass and W. Alexandrine have a rich history. The house on the right was built in 1891 and served as the Hamilton Funeral Home beginning in 1916. Magician Harry Houdini’s body was sent to the funeral home after he died following a performance in downtown Detroit in October 1926. The adjacent Art Deco building was added in 1930 as a mortuary building. The owners, unfortunately, have done little with the building.

Address: 2701 Cass 
Status: Unknown
Owner: TSD Solutions.
Background: Directly across the street from the new arena, the building sits empty in a prime location.

Address: 2540 Park
Status: Unknown
Owner: Downtown Development Authority
Background: One of the few remaining buildings owned by the Downtown Development Authority, which provided the property and some of the funding for the new hockey arena.

Address: 2933 Second
Status: For sale.
Owner: Employees Benefit Trust Fund of New York
Background: The three-story apartment building near the Masonic Temple was condemned in 2012 after city officials found holes in the walls, exposed wires, unsanitary community restrooms, a dog carcass and human and animal waste. The current owner is delinquent on property taxes and trying to sell the property.

Address: 3962 Second
Status: Likely to be renovated.
Owner: Kenneth Davies
Background: The owner, a lifelong Detroiter, has kept the four-story Century Apartments secure and clean. The classical revival-style building at Second and W. Alexandrine was built in 1923 and is across the street from the new fine-dining restaurant, The Selden Standard.

Address: 2467 Cass
Status: Unknown
Owner: Sorin Enterprises LLC
Background: The vacant, four-story Atlanta Apartments on Cass just north of I-75 has been vacant for years but the building is secure on the bottom floor and appears to be in relative good shape.

Address: 2447 Cass 
Status: Unknown
Owner: Sorin Enterprises LLC
Background: The four-story Hotel Ansonio has been vacant for about a decade but the structure appears to be strong and relatively secure. No plans have been announced.

Address: 2942 Second & 2952 Second
Status: Unknown
Owner: Line Rock LLC
Background: Built in the early 20th century, the trio of apartments next to the Masonic Temple have been relatively well-secured since becoming vacant. From left, they are the Manhattan, the Altadena and the Cromwell. The owner, which is listed as a corporation from East Lansing, has not made any public plans.

Address: 644 Selden & 634 Selden
Status: Unknown
Owner: AG Selden LLC (644 Selden) & 634 Selden LLC
Background: 644 Selden is a commercial building that sold for $1.3 million last year. 634 Selden was building in 1915 for a creamery company.

Address: 3940 Third
Status: Unknown
Owner: Carol Massa
Background: This former restaurant served pizza, ribs and chicken. The building has been secured but vacant for years.

Address: 4100 Third
Status: For sale or lease
Owner: 4100 Third St. LLC
Background: This commercial building provides up to 3,000 square feet of office or retail space.

Address: 4152 Third
Status: For lease or sale
Owner: Silk & Morgan Inc.
Background: These three commercial buildings served as a bar and retail space.

Address: 624 W. Alexandrine
Status: Under renovation.
Owner: The Green Garage LLC
Background: Built in 1898, the El Moore offered spacious, high-end flats that were eventually diced into smaller rooms for lower-income people. The current owners plan to offer apartments and a hostel with rooftop cabins and green energy.

Address: 678 Selden
Status: Under renovation
Owner: 678 Selden LLC
Background: This 94-year-old building is being transformed into 28 apartments.

Address: 457 Brainard
Status: Under renovation
Owner: The 457 Brainard Ownership Series
Background: Renovations began last year on the 100-year-old Traymore, which has been vacant for years.

Address: 4625 Second
Status: Under renovation
Owner: 4625 LLC
Background: The stately Forest Arms apartment building was severely damaged in a five-alarm fire in 2008, but an ambitious $10 million rehab is underway for 72 apartments and several penthouses.  The 56,000-square-foot building was built in 1905.

Address: 70 W. Alexandrine 
Status: Under renovation
Owner: Alexandrine LDHA LLC
Background: Opened in 1929, the eight-story Strathmore Hotel was converted into apartments in the 1960s until becoming vacant in 2004. A $28 million project is underway to redevelop the building into 129 apartments and a first floor for businesses. The project is expected to be completed this summer.

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  Abandoned Buildings, arena, development, Investors, midtown, Photos, red wings, renovation

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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