The world’s largest Masonic Temple was on the verge of being sold at a tax foreclosure auction, but Masonic officials made a $10,000 payment this morning and reached a deal with Wayne County to maintain ownership of the historic neo-gothic building on Temple in Detroit.
Owner Larry Mongo suffered cuts and bruises after confronting the vandals on the roof of the two-story building, he said today.
The sprawling Greek revival-style building near the Southfield Freeway collapsed in December 2011, killing two metal scrappers and drawing attention to a long-abandoned building that is wide open to trespass and has injured others in the past.
When Emory moved into his modest home in northwest Detroit four years ago, he had no idea the six-foot concrete wall in his backyard was erected to keep people like him out.
The fire department is so understaffed that the entire east side was without fire protection for about two hours while about 18 companies battled the fires.
Built in 1910, the Victorian home was most known for its pioneering role in cancer treatment for residents of all backgrounds.
While the Tiger Stadium site sits empty in Corktown, high-end lofts in Indianapolis are being built around a minor league ballpark.
Detroit is besieged by 5,000 annual arsons and deep budget cuts. As a result, insurance rates are rising, property values are plummeting and people are fleeing.
“It’s a very dangerous situation,” said Dan McNamara, president of the firefighters’ union.
Take a tour of 7 positive murals in Detroit.