i'm definitely willing to help with vado's point #5. in fact, i was going to volunteer to take a day or two to travel & present final results to the library if needed. i'm assuming this would be sometime in march.
what i learned yesterday, from two local architects, both of whom are very interested and somewhat involved in what's going on. remember that this is second hand and hearsay, but it’s the perception of these two people:
20 or so yrs ago a firm named osler/milling (or something like that) designed an addition to the central branch. [you can see photos of this proposal on the library site - kind of jetsonian.] wasn't necessarily received well and, when the city had to vote a millage (a specially assessed tax which rides on the property tax) to pursue the project, it was voted down.
10 yrs later milling proposed a new central library facility for a different site. millage was again voted down.
next library designed (but only recently opened) was the woods branch by jim mumby of fanning howe.
ewald branch was done by milling. some thought he got because he had so much history of working on these things there was a feeling he deserved/was owed.
an impt thing for us to remember: for this central expansion to go forward, it will also have to be subject to a vote for additional millage. if the people of grosse pointe don’t buy into the scheme, no matter what it is - whether it tears down or makes use of the existing building - no expansion will happen.
this time around the library board has had some free services from jim mumby of fanning howe. he calls it “pro bono” but seems more like free services > marketing. mumby is the one who has suggested that expansion of the existing facility is not viable and that a new facility should be built on that site. of course, as the architect of their most recently opened branch, he might have certain motivations for suggesting this scenario. he has already prepared a design concept for the site: replaces the breuer building with a bigger building that pays homage to mid-century modernism. [!!!] but also pulls at the heartstrings with all the green roof and passive solar bells and whistles. [i could go off on a tangent about the irony of a leed accredited practitioner who can successfully throw away a viable, solid building - embodied energy, in greenspeak - replacing it with a new 'green' building and probably simultaneously grow his project/fee and get the building leed rated, but i won't...]
some on the board have bought his scenario, may have been predisposed to accept a solution which tore down the existing building in favor of new, to the point that one of those i talked to thought it was already sort of a done-deal that just needed to get railroaded through. he was excited and surprised we were working on this with the cooperation of the library.
the board has formed a design advisory committee of 27 people and have just hired an owners’ representative this week – someone who will run the project from the library side. this is __? marckesano, who we may end up hearing more about/from as we stay in contact with the library. presumably he will be writing the rfp.
both architects i talked to thought that parking across the street in the area between the richard ( that's /ree'-shard/) school and the street was not physically impossible nor a bad functional idea, but that getting the players that it would entail to work together may be a political nightmare. that would be the local municipality, the school board, and the library. if it could work, a public parking deck, possibly with street-level retail, might be a good fit for everyone and could free up expansion space on the library site.
one commented that city parking regs were driving up the number of redundant parking spaces in town and that a lot of them went unused most of the time. no holistic ideas about parking-sharing among properties yet. [argument for variance, especially if new urban/old urbanism argument can be brought to bear, as vado suggested.]
the community is shrinking in population but, despite that, library use seems to be on the rise. grosse pointe libraries are considered (among library folk) among the top 20 in michigan, but their facilities are rated in the bottom 25% (though this is maybe primarily judged by square feet per capita, not quality). central lacks required parking, stack space, is not considered sufficiently accessible, etc.
both people i talked to suggested that we might make suggestions for/inform the development of the rfp, including possibly a requirement that the architect hired must do a library reuse study and an adaptive reuse study. but there was also the warning that – especially if fanning howe were to become the architect – this could just be a paid opportunity for that architect to build a much stronger case for demolition, if they’re so disposed...
a political suggestion, re: the millage. this project would require that the additional tax assessed raise $7-$10 million dollars, ‘not hard in grosse pointe’. but if it’s suggested that – using this building as an example – the result of that much investment is a building which will be torn down because “obsolete” in 50 yrs, the local populace may not be as excited about the additional tax. this angle may start to make the decision to “save” and re-invest in an exciting enhancement of the existing “landmark” building much more attractive to voters.
once all the library’s preliminary work with the architect is complete, if the building’s demolition is proposed, and the millage vote happens (november), and if that millage vote succeeds, the request for demolition permit can still be denied by the historic district commission. this helps the cause, of course. but then, if there is pressure to do so, the town council can overrule the commission’s decision.
the local AIA (detroit) has a ‘urban priorities committee’. the chair was interested in this issues and it was recommended that we contact. i’ve sent an email.
finally, two other possible allies:
there was a very well-known locally-celebrated architect in the region, bill kessler. studied under breuer at harvard. his widow, margo(t?) kessler was/is on the library’s citizen’s committee. she attended one of the presentations of the mumby proposal and was very upset about it, voiced her disapproval of the way things were being handled.
someone on the board, i haven’t yet determined who, lives in a paul rudolph house.
last thought: neither of the people i talked to thought that any creative thinking about solutions to central’s issues had been seen yet, only fanning howe’s proposal of demolition/replacement.
awesome Steven. that paints a much broader/clearer picture of what we're up against. it's nice to know that there are some like minded grosse pointers.
Thanks for your time and effort. If you would like to delegate some correspondance related stuff, let me know.
there is support for us amongst laypeople, even in the detroit community. for example, here's a recent not from a non-architect friend of mine
"Recently my elementary school in Birmingham was hacked to pieces
because a lot of the same concerns that the library supposedly has. I
don't buy it. If people want to save things they can -- the people in
control though just don't want to because somebody knows an architect
who can do it on the cheep. It tore me apart trying to figure out
where my school was after the redesign / destruction. There are a lot
of people who will have holes in their souls after they tear the
library down (if they do). It's important that Gallagher and you (and
others) attempt to articulate just what that hole will look like so
that people can decide if they really can afford anymore."
As many of you know Marcel Breuer designed a great deal of furniture for Knoll. Knoll has manufacturing facilities in Michigan. Also, Knoll has begun an iniative to address modern buildings at risk. i emailed david bright at knoll and apprised him of the situation. he has already responded with interest and forwarded my email to Riccardo Salmona at the World Monuments Fund. To find out more about the fund visit the Knoll website.
Excellent job, Steven, no wonder we call you Doctor.
Your last point is stunning: that there may be a general feeling that people aren't thinking creatively about reuse, but since everyone agrees that the existing library isn't meeting current needs, the easiest thing to do is just tear it down and start over.
Embodied energy is one of my favorite phrases right now - there is so much embodied energy in what we have already that we could probably stop building anything ground-up new for a few decades and would still have unused buildings sitting around.
I know the parking across the street scenario is politically a difficult one. Perhaps we can round up some examples of smaller cities that truly took a creative approach to reducing surface parking while simultaneously providing ease of movement - for cars, bikes, and pedestrians - through a town center? I don't know of any specifics but those of you who have studied any Scandinavian traffic calming might have some ideas - and perhaps Portland Oregon's cast iron district? Anyone?
I remember the name Bill Kessler from my time in Detroit - vaguely. And I may have met Margot at a Cranbrook event - any current Cranbrookians know if she is active there now?
so that i can keep everybody in the loop, i'm making a contacts list for those who have expressed interest in the breuer project.
if i haven't already emailed you, i wasn't sure of your desire to jump into this or i simply overlooked your name or i thought i sent it but can't tell because archinect-mail doesn't show up in my 'sent mail' folder. [sorry.]
please let me know if you want to be listed and what info you're willing to circulate.
i contacted docomomo-us through the website on friday but got no response. it also appears that they have a midwest chapter, but no email address. and everything regarding the 'midwest' seems to mean chicago...
just had a conversation with the co-chair of the aia detroit urban priorities committee. they may want to give our group their imprimatur and help out in other ways. he's meeting with the committee tomorrow. he seemed interested in organizing an event which would convey the issues, ideas, and whatever else we put together to the general public sometime in late february. whether that's an exhibit (puddles) or something else, we'll see.
Steven, I have contacted David Fixler about this project. He is president of the New England chapter of DOCOMOMO and said he would look into it, forward it on, etc.
yeah, vado. we gotta work fast. they will issue rfp by beginning of march and hire an architect by end of march. millage vote is in november. after talking to the board prez, it seemed like we needed to do what we would do and get it out there before rfp is issued (though certainly some follow-up activity could happen).
received the following from the co-chair of aia detroit's urban priorites committee:
"In conjunction with the Urban Priorities Committee (UPC), I am in the process of trying to secure an event date and space to publicly display / present the work generated from the charretting. Tentatively, February 27, 28 and March 1 work with AIA Detroit's schedule. Of course, this will all depend on the venue and the what the library board is comfortable with. Lastly, we are drafting a letter that endorses your charretting effort. UPC will be presenting this letter at both the AIA Detroit and AIA Michigan boards, with the hope that they will also endorse your effort.
despite what some think of the aia, i think that having their endorsement will mean a lot to non-architects. and if they can secure and arrange display space, well, that's a lot we don't have to do.
and it doesn't mean we're working for them so much as they're working WITH us.
puddles can you post some interior pics? how many people have been to see this thing? the fact that it is a breuer building alone may not necessarily mean its worth saving. it doesn't even seem to come close to the work he did in muskegon, and that isn't really even counted as one of his more significant works.
personally, having visited it the building i actually could care less if breuer did it or not...i just feel that it's an excellent building and shouldn't be demolished for the reasons they are presently citing (functional limitations, parking, etc.) moreover, this is an excellent commission full of nuance & rich with context and it shouldn't simply be handed over to a local firm of mediocre talent without at least some resistance.
i'm going to try to get all of my photos onto the ftp site soon. the hope is to also have the program, site survey, & original drawings up there soon, hopefully in the next week so that we can all start doing some serious charretting.
i'm not sure that we're going to have any "official" deadlines but as i understand it we'll need to have our presentation and/or exhibit for the library board & the community near the end of february. the library board is hoping to release their rfp then and have an architect selected by the end of march. since we've onlu got about four weeks to make all this happen, it might be good to have some milestones in mind as we attempt to pull our stuff together. it be great if people could post any prelimnary drafts, designs, & images on this thread so that we can offer insight, critique, & share notes as we develop design.
i guess we could think of this thread as a digital studio...even though the sound so 90s
at the risk of making broad generalization, it seems to me that many of the decision makers are probably a generation (or two) older than many of us. i might regret this, but i'm curious how the youth of grosse pointe feel about their library. i might do some digging to see if that high school, for instance, has a student paper where perhaps the kids have an opportunity to voice their opinions.
it might make a powerful statement if we can get some of the kids (grosse pointe's future) to chime in with their 2¢. of course, i'm assuming they'd probably be more open-minded and less compelled to embrace the neo-traditional schlock that seems to be so soothing to the world war 2 & baby boom generations. anybody else having any thoughts on this before i start pursing this vector?
hmmm...my first thought after looking at the director's bios is that we embrace our primary audience and figure out how to best communicate to them, in a language that they can relate to, and with concepts that they are likely to value.
i share your trepidation ("i might regret this")...
nevertheless, if there is an IB program, that may be a good avenue for reaching the keen youth, and perhaps a teacher or 2 that share some of our general motives, such as intelligent use of resources.
some more info from the pro bono architects: a link to fanning howey's proposal as featured on their website. and here's an article published in the grosse pointe news after the initial presentation to the library board.
vado- you called me "dude"...which makes me suspect that you're probably a generation younger than me.
i don't know, it was just a thought...but i'd like to find a way to get more advocates from the inside of the grosse pointe community since most of us are outsiders.
the high school does have a newspaper, but they don't seem to offer much online, at least not for free...they do have a nice sketch of their tower though.
The idea of presenting several(who knows how many) proposals that address the issues and opportunities regarding the Grosse Pointe Public Library should be presented in only the most positive of lights. The fact that a community may be receiving our modest proposals regarding the future of one of their public buildings should be an exciting and welcome event for the town's citizens. That concerned design professionals and students are showing an interest in the library should create quite a buzz.
ap- i'll agree with you on the point of embracing the directors as primary clients and appealing to their values...for the architectural/design/planning aspect of our efforts...
...but part of what we are doing is also trying to stir up some resistance to the library board's seemingly business-as-usual approach to dealing with the breuer building and to that end (the more activist part of our efforts), i suspect that the more people that we can get engaged then the better. if we can compel enough people to have second thoughts (or even 1st thoughts) about the demo, the new library & even the process itself then we may be able to buy more time for a better solution to emerge rather than allowing a mediocre project to be pushed through in the next half year at the expense a minor, modernist gem.
just watched the video of the locals talking about the library system. very nice link. even though i've actually the benefit of visiting the site, i'm admittedly still struggling with the psychogeographic layout of this place.
but what really caught my attention in the video was their effort's at financial planning and building a sort of growth strategy for the library system. it's almost like they are approaching it from a corporate perspective. they're also moving pretty fast: the ewald branch opened in january 2005 and the woods branch opened in january 2006. that's two new branches in two barely the past two years. no wonder they seem to be feeling some urgency to get this next project off the ground...it's january 2007 and they haven't opened a new branch yet. it's almost as if they are trying to ramp up so they can take the whole thing public and then cash out on the ipo's or something ridiculous like that. and, of course, once the grosse pointe public library is listed on nasdaq (ticker symbol GPPL it's not taken yet, i just checked) and they have shareolders to answer to, how long before we're seeing them construct big box outlets, er, branches over on mack avenue.
ok, no more ranting. i'll be kind again. really, i'm impressed that they managed to pull together such a strong effort to enhance their libraries so quickly. if anything, this compels me to believe that they are capable of pulling off an exceptional project for their community...they just need to realize how important the architecture can be in acheiving that.
another 2 cent thought from reading the director bios -
The Carolyn and Ted Ewald Memorial Branch Library (the bottom image in the original post), is named after one of the Library Foundation's Directors and her former husband (deceased). It sits on the site that's been in the family since 1958,
once home to Ted Ewald Chevrolet (gplibfdn.org).
tear down his car dealership, replace it with a library. Keep the name.
so this may be obvious, but it may be a good idea to avoid disparaging remarks about the building.
puddles: The Fanning-Howe proposal you linked to above is for the Woods branch, not Central. I don't think anyone has found any images of whatever was proposed for Central, pro bono.
I do like the idea of engaging high school students. I've done a little work in high schools - any architects in Detroit willing to propose a very brief design charette - perhaps in a civics class? drafting class? - in the school? Even if it doesn't have a lot of weight with the board, it is the kind of thing that could easily get newspaper coverage, and perhaps induce the students to tell their parents thus creating some buzz in the community. (Or is that wishful thinking? I know I talked to my parents as a teen, but most of my friends didn't!)
AP, very good point about disparaging the Ewald branch. It is hard not to be overly honest sometimes, but such is professionalism.
And as I've indicated (albeit in a contrarian spirit relative to a lot of archinecters), Ewald doesn't appear *that* bad for what it is. Just like a lot of traditionalist or retarditaire-Moderne work from the Breuer-library era doesn't "offend" today the way it might have half a century ago, i.e. let's keep an open mind here.
Intriguing food for thought: a traditionalist-identified figure such as Robert Stern could well be "on our side"--which may reflect the fact that when push comes to shove, he's more historian than historicist. (And a Modern-friendly historian at that, going back to his pioneering work on Howe & Lescaze.)
But re the issues of generation and cultural gaps in Grosse Pointe, I think there's another very tricky issue that may well have stunted a lot of "openness" and "enlightenment" in recent decades: Detroit-area demographics. Living in, and choosing to live in, what's effectively become tarred as a white apartheid enclave can have a way of leaving the locals acting and feeling excessively cagey, defensive, conservative and suspicious--especially when nobody steps forth to show them otherwise. (Just keep that point in mind; but be cautious about making a big deal out of it.)
speaking of stern, it occurred to me yesterday that, in addition to trying to get the board to allow us to make some suggestions for the rfp and in addition to any visual excitement we can generate, a big move in making sure a good project happens here may be to make sure good architects - and not just grosse pointe's usual suspects - hear about it.
for example, we know machado and silvetti didn't a beautiful branch in boston, bruder did phoenix, and pelli did a good job at minneapolis' central branch. i'm not usually for star architects taking the plums from the locals, and i don't think it would only be stars we should alert. meyer, scherer, rockcastle in minneapolis aren't exactly stars but they are VERY GOOD, and they have a sort of mini-specialty in libraries.
then there was the libraries project where architects donated services for branch improvements in ny a few years ago, williams/tsien among the players, if i remember correctly. i don't know of libraries stern has done, but i could see him, peter rose, chu/gooding, and some other detail-y types being interested in a project which formed a dialogue with the breuer.
one of our jobs, after the rfp goes out at the beginning of march, should be to make sure that we get the rfp in the hands of as many potentially-interested and creative architects as we can.
glad lb picked up that puddles posted the woods branch again. that's NOT mumby/fanning howey's current proposal. i'm looking for that one. have heard there's a rendering out there somewhere...
puddles called me last night and we were talking about what the next step might be. didn't necessarily come up with answers.
seems we should have people working on:
-rfp suggestions/language - probably on a short timetable if the rfp goes out at the end of february/beginning of march. this work may be wrapped up around 15 feb or so.
-graphic proposals - i think what most people should be working on, whether independently or together. LOTS of drawings, whether sketches, models, digital models, whatever.
-written materials which describe why the existing branch should be maintained, beyond the fact that breuer was famous and we like him. maybe a preservation group, docomomo, or some other body with some experience in this could help.
-what else?
for the graphic stuff, we could make this more fun for ourselves by, rather than just having deadlines to hit, we have some interim internal reviews. critique each other. so that would mean we'd have some landmark dates to hit, something like 8 feb, 15 feb, 22 feb > done.
love the connection with the high school. one of the contacts with whom i spoke said that the neighboring high school is considered one of the best in the country. no small deal. i like the potential of a civics class involvement better than the drafting class, but whatever connection can be made sounds cool.
our role, as i'm beginning to see it, is to make a lot of noise and treat this as a sort of public education/investment/excitement exercise. we're not ultimately going to design this thing. what we do will maybe be considered by the architects that get the project, though probably not much. we're just here to establish that there are other possibilities and that the best of them would keep the breuer.
i told puddles last night that i'm trying to pull together whatever logistical things i can so that all of the more pedestrian concerns (printing, communications, etc) are out of the way and everybody can brainstorm about the project. i think i've got some $$$$, but i'll post more about that later. i say this about my role because paperwork and talking on the phone are major parts of my job anyway and i seem to be good at it, and because i will DISAPPEAR sometime around the end of february. got a baby gonna be born.
what do you guys think we should be doing and how should we be proceeding?
oops...my apologies on the fanning howey link. but in my defense they did have it posted in their "in progress" section listed as "grosse pointe". no doubt their website is probably slightly out-of-date and it was an easy mistake to make. sorry.
Positives:
-Stunning collection of pre 1940 homes
(Similar to parts of Detroit, including downtown, many of the existing homes were built during 1910 -1930 when Detroit was booming and some of the finest architects were engaged to create architectural masterpieces with little expense spared)
-while many areas have an affluent community with some great old houses, the sheer size of Grosse Pointe is unique. One can literally walk for hours viewing the great architecture.
-Lake St. Clare
-a very walkable community, when the weather is nice the streets are filled with runners, walkers
and bikers
-proximity to Detroit
-diverse housing stock ranging from charming bungalows to lake front estates
helps provide for a more economically diverse community
-has an urban/historic feel
-3 charming shopping districts which include some historic buildings:
- the Village, the Hill, Kercheval in the Park
-national reputation as one of the country’s finest affluent communities
-excellent municipal lake front parks
-excellent public & private schools
-mature trees and 1920s architecture give the area a well worn comfortable feel
-home to some of the nations most highly regarded private clubs such as the GP Yacht Club, GP Club “Little Club”, CC of Detroit and GP Hunt Club
- name recognition: has been the focus or feature of at least 2 movies, many books and even a TV
series.
-Grosse Pointe War Memorial
-Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
Negatives:
-small lots, especially for luxury homes
-lack of privacy for the well known
(except for Provencal Road, all streets are easily open to the public with most houses fairly close to the sidewalk)
-very little room for new construction
-large pre 1940 homes require much greater maintenance and many in need of
renovation/updating
-limited national retail
-still perceived by some as a snobbish community
William Clay Ford (Martha Firestone) GPS
- Billionaire
- Detroit Lions
Richard Manoogian GPF
- Billionaire
- MASCO
Manuel J. “Matty” Moroun GPS
- unconfirmed net worth of over $600 million per Forbes
-owns the Ambassador Bridge, 5% of Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
-owns CenTra Inc. - fifth largest private trucking company in US
- owns portion of Citizens Bank, owns an insurance company and large parcels of land in southwest Detroit including Michigan Central Depot
Elena A. Ford (Joseph D. Rippolone) GPF
- Elena is Director of Ford’s North American product marketing, planning & strategy
- great great granddaughter of Henry Ford
- daughter of Stavros Niarchos & Charlotte Ford
Archie Arthur Van Elslander GPS
-Art Van Furniture
-4th largest furniture retailer in the U.S.
John A. Boll, Sr. (Marlene) GPS
- Chateau Communities, Inc. - Publicly traded on NYSE as CPJ, operates as a REIT
-owns 212+ manufactured home sites (70,000+ homes)
and 1,400+ park model/RV sites
-operates in 36 states
- helped fund new downtown YMCA
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. GPS
-Buffalo Bills
-insurance
-Ralph C. Wilson Enterprises - diversified management and investment
company with interests ranging from highway construction to venture capital to
ownership of 2 TV stations and construction co. in Denver
Paul D. Alandt (Lynn McNaughton Ford) GPS
- Car Dealer
- Lynn is the daughter of the late Benson Ford
Edsel Bryant Ford, II (Cynthia Layne Neskow) GPF
- Ford heir
- great grandson of Henry Ford
- CEO/President - Pentastar Aviation
Anthony L. Soave GPF
-former owner of City Management Corp,
-sold company in 1997 for $780 million
Robert G. Liggett, Jr GPS
-Elias Bros. Restaurants Inc. owner of “Big Boy” restaurants
John W. Stroh, III GPF
- Stroh Companies, Inc.
James B. Nicholson GPF
- PVS Chemicals Inc.
Maurice M. Taylor GPF
- Titan Wheel International, Inc.
-world's largest producer of wheels for off-road vehicles
-1996 Republican Presidential Candidate
Michael J. Malik GPS
-casinos
Anita Baker GPC
(Walter Bridgforth, Jr.)
- Anita - famed singer, second most Grammys won by
a female artist after Aretha Franklin
- Walter Bridgforth, Jr. - WBBJ Investment Co./Developer
Keith E. Crain GPC
- Crain Communications
Gretchen Carhartt Valade GPF
-Carhartt Inc. heiress
- Mack Avenue Records
-recent $10m donation to Detroit Jazz Festival
Mark R. Valade GPF
- son of Gretchen Carhartt Valade
- CEO & President/Carhartt, Inc.
Ted Gatzaros GPP
Dimitrius “James” Papas GPS
-developers and former business partners
in 2000 sold interest in Greektown Casino
for $212 million
Nico Gatzaros GPC
Cullan F. Meathe GPF
- Metro Cars, Inc.
Atanas Ilitch GPF
- Olympia Development
Thomas Lee Schoenith GPC
- The Roostertail
Todd V. Callewaert GPF
- Owner/Island House Hotel on Mackinaw Island and Rybas Fudge Shops
Joseph P. Kaiser GPF
- Gallagher-Kaiser Corp.
Robert S. Kaiser GPP
- President/Gallagher- Kaiser Corp
Edward K. Christian GPF
-Saga Communications Inc.
-radio broadcast co. which owns
13 FM & 8 AM radio stations
Peter A. Schweitzer GPF
-Chairman/ J. Walter Thompson Co.
-former CEO/President of J. Walter Thompson Co.
Richard S. Crawford GPF
-The Crawford Group, LLC
Alfred R. Glancy, III GPF
Matthew P. Cullen GPS
- GM
James E. Brock, Jr. GPF
- Middleton Moldings
Kirk H. Gibson GPF
Richard Golden GPP
-Golden Form Inc.
John M. Olson GPF
- JM Olson Co.
Anthony J. Selvaggio GPF
Chester “Chet” A. Huber GPF
-President - OnStar Corporation
Robert E. Marowske GPF
-Flame Furnace Co. (founder & CEO)
-MI's largest heating & cooling contractor
Mathew J. Moroun GPF
- Vice Chairman/CenTra Inc.
William P. Vititoe GPC
- Director/Comerica
Jack Perlmutter GPF
- famed interior designer/Perlmutter-Friewald, Inc.
Daniel Clancy GPF - famed interior designer/Perlmuter-Friewald, Inc.
Dexter Joseph “DJ” Kennedy GPC
- famed interior designer
Dominic C. Pangborn GPS
-Pangborn Designs
-best known for ties
William C. Rands III GPC
-Rands Investment Co.
-Sagres Partners, LLP
James Randolph Agley GPP
- Talon Inc.
Gebran S. Anton GPC
-Anton, Zorn & Associattes
-commercial & industrial real estate brokerage
-helped redevelop downtown Mount Clemens
William F. Coyro, Jr. GPP
-National TechTeam Inc.
Robert E. McCabe GPW
- retired President of Detroit Renaissancee (71-93)
- helped start the Detroit Grand Prix, Montreaux Detroit Jazz Festival, assisted in creation of Hart Plaza, completion of Renaissance Center
-Detroit News - 1982 Michiganian of the Year
Mariam C. Noland GPF
- President/Community Foundation for Southeastern MI
Thomas R. Andris GPP
-Arrow Uniform Co.
Roger Fridholm GPP
- Of Counsel Enterprises, Inc.
Paul J. Stanford GPP
-Car Dealer/Les Stanford Chevrolet
Kenneth G. Meade GPP
- Car Dealer
-The Meade Group Inc.
-Meade Lexus-Lamborghini, Pointe Dodge, Champion Chrysler, Cars & Cars Inc.
Gordon L. Stewart GPS
-Car Dealer
Joseph Ricci GPF
- Car Dealer
Arthur J. Roshak GPF
-Car Dealer
Maura D. Corrigan GPP
- Chief Justice of MI Supreme Court
Robert P. Young, Jr. GPP
- MI Supreme Court Justice
John P. Jacobs GPF
- Attorney
- appellate defense attorney
- referred to as “The Anti-Fieger”
- has defeated Geoff Fieger
in 12 out of 13 appeals
Edward Irving Book GPS
Herbert V. Book, Jr. GPC
John Lord Booth II (Rebecca) GPS
Ralph Harmon Booth II
-Booth American Co.
Louise C. Booth GPF
Cynthia Book Bowen GPF
Kevin P. Broderick GPF
Wilber Marion Brucker, Jr. GPF
Thomas Christian Buhl (Lindsay Zeder Ford) GPF
- Thomas: - son of Lawrence D. Buhl, Jr.
- Lindsey - great-great-granddaughter of Henry Ford
Thomas Campau, Jr. GPC
William R. Chapin GPC
Frank Couzens III GPF
C. Howard Crane, II GPF
-heir of famed architect
Timothy M. Crowley GPP
Mary Anne Dodge Donaher
- Dodge heir
Peter Anthony Dow GPF
Lawrence DuMouchelle GPF
Charles Thomas Fisher III GPF
-Fisher Body heir
-former CEO of NBD
Alfred J. Fisher, Jr. GPS
-Fisher Body heir
Alfred J. Fisher III GPF
-Fisher Body heir
-President/Fisher & Co.
Michael R. Fisher GPF
-Fisher Body heir
-Fisher & Co.
Walter Briggs Fisher GPF
John Battice Ford, III GPF
Walter Buhl Ford, III GPS
Emory Moran Ford, Jr. (Anne Virginia Fisher) GPF
Harvey C. Fruehauf, Jr. GPF
H. Richard Fruehauf, Jr. GPF
-HRF Resources, Inc.
-Fruehauf Trucking
H. Richard Fruehauf, III GPF
Christopher Gamble GPF
Stephanie Germack GPF
- Germack Pistachio Company
Hugo Scherer Higbie (Marion Chapin) GPF
- Higbie Maxon Agney
George M. Holley, Jr. GPS
Arthur B. Hudson GPF
Gilbert Hudson GPC
Joseph Lowthian “JL” Hudson, Jr. GPF
Robert Jewett GPF
James Thayer McMillan III GPF
-Ferndale Laboratories
Jeffrey J. Palms GPC
Robert J. Petz, Jr. GPF
- Dodge heir
Richard Booth Platt GPF
-Proform Automotive
Edward Charles Roney, Jr. (Eleanor M. Couzens) GPF
Frank J. Roney GPF
John Stephen Scherer GPF
- R. P. Scherer heir
-pharmaceuticals/inventor of gell cap
Joseph A. Simon GPF
Peter R. Stroh GPP
Pierre A. Stroh GPF
Whitney W. Stroh GPF
David J. Woodward GPC
Barbara Wrigley GPF
George A. Wrigley GPF
Bob Allen GPF
- Web General Manager/Crains Detroit Business
Scott Lewis GPP
- Reporter/Fox Ch. 2
Leon D. Mandel, IV
-Autoweek
Nancy Nall GPW
- Writer
Michael Novak GPS
- VP Brass Ring Productions
- Attorney
Devin G. Scillian GPP
-WDIV Ch. 4 News Anchor
Paul W. Smith GPP
- Radio personality/WJR -760 AM
John E. Smyntek GPF
- Writer
Pete Waldmeir GPW
- Writer
and in conclusion....
Dr. Bader J. Cassin GPF
Dr. Ljubisa J. Dragovic GPF
-Oakland County’s Chief Medical Examiner since 1991
Dr. Werner U. Spitz GPS
Dr. Daniel J. Spitz GPF
we have a stern library in downtown Jacksonville. built a year or 2 ago... some nice spaces, one in particular (a map room with some very well done skylights). otherwise, it's stern. downtown Nashville has one too...i believe it was once a mall, which was then adapted into a library.
i def. agree that getting the rfp to a number of creative firms that would by sympathetic to resource/culture conservation is a huge part of this. also, influencing the language of the rfp...do you have any notions of how this could be done? has anyone ever been involved with an rfp that had a preservation/re-use aspect to it?
i don't have anything to add to your action item list, Steven. perhaps joshcookie and others that have started analyzing site and program can lead that portion of the effort ('graphic proposals')...
You're not the only one to make the mistake, puddles, it IS confusing, since the website shows renderings and the project is already built.
I love the idea of working on the high school contact, however, I really don't think it's possible for me to go up to GP to run a high school class. if anyone else is willing to do this, in the Detroit area, I'd be happy to talk with him/her about my experiences working with high school kids (because they can be intimidating if you haven't spent time around them). Does Detroit AIA have an Architecture in Schools program? I'll look into that myself.
But, back to the bigger picture: I think Steven is right that the point is to make a lot of noise. Getting local Detroit architects etc. involved is key!
I do have access to a lot of rfps for projects in national register listed buildings. I am not a designer but a historian-type so would be glad to help with the more writerly efforts.
speaking of writer's & high school kids, jeffery eugenides (of the virgin suicides fame) grew up in grosse pointe, i wonder if he would have any opinions about this project...
i don't feel that there is that much time to get every one on the planet involved. it needs to be determined by tomorrow at five p.m. michigan time who is willing to participate in a charette and then quickly determined how and when it (they) will happen. someone in the detroit area should contact the locals including the media and let them know this is happening. (that is, if it is happening). are there a hundred people who are going to get involved? or are there three? a critical mass of charetters is the key and then everything else will follow.
if, for example, the newspapers and local detroit aia and the library and grosse pointe residents were told that one hundred people from all over the world going to present alternative proposals for their library situation, then the exhibition time and space will fall into place.
as far as getting high schoolers involved etc, well that may be good for the locals but i don't see the point overall. this needs to be a lean and mean quick and effective group of project/proposals that graphically communicate the issues at hand. otherwise, there's no point in doing it.
Bruder actually would probably be a good suggestion. He apprenticed with Gunnar Birkerts in michigan, and he's done a lot of work this size. I was just at his libray in jackson, wy and it was nice.
well, actually, i don't think we're going to be 100. i expect that we're going to be the group for which i've sent out contacts so far, unless i hear from others of you. so we'll need to keep our heads about us and think realistically about what we can accomplish.
when i've done charrettes through aia in the past, we simply generate materials which can be easily reproducible - as many materials as possible. these get posted in a gallery-ish format (again, not overblown) for public perusal and, ultimately, bound into a book as the deliverable. this then becomes a resource for the library/architect to do with as they please.
whoops, jumped pages. don't miss my last, re: well, actually, i don't think we're going to be 100. i expect that we're going to be the group for which i've sent out contacts so far...
for marcel breuer's admirers
i'm definitely willing to help with vado's point #5. in fact, i was going to volunteer to take a day or two to travel & present final results to the library if needed. i'm assuming this would be sometime in march.
what i learned yesterday, from two local architects, both of whom are very interested and somewhat involved in what's going on. remember that this is second hand and hearsay, but it’s the perception of these two people:
20 or so yrs ago a firm named osler/milling (or something like that) designed an addition to the central branch. [you can see photos of this proposal on the library site - kind of jetsonian.] wasn't necessarily received well and, when the city had to vote a millage (a specially assessed tax which rides on the property tax) to pursue the project, it was voted down.
10 yrs later milling proposed a new central library facility for a different site. millage was again voted down.
next library designed (but only recently opened) was the woods branch by jim mumby of fanning howe.
ewald branch was done by milling. some thought he got because he had so much history of working on these things there was a feeling he deserved/was owed.
an impt thing for us to remember: for this central expansion to go forward, it will also have to be subject to a vote for additional millage. if the people of grosse pointe don’t buy into the scheme, no matter what it is - whether it tears down or makes use of the existing building - no expansion will happen.
this time around the library board has had some free services from jim mumby of fanning howe. he calls it “pro bono” but seems more like free services > marketing. mumby is the one who has suggested that expansion of the existing facility is not viable and that a new facility should be built on that site. of course, as the architect of their most recently opened branch, he might have certain motivations for suggesting this scenario. he has already prepared a design concept for the site: replaces the breuer building with a bigger building that pays homage to mid-century modernism. [!!!] but also pulls at the heartstrings with all the green roof and passive solar bells and whistles. [i could go off on a tangent about the irony of a leed accredited practitioner who can successfully throw away a viable, solid building - embodied energy, in greenspeak - replacing it with a new 'green' building and probably simultaneously grow his project/fee and get the building leed rated, but i won't...]
some on the board have bought his scenario, may have been predisposed to accept a solution which tore down the existing building in favor of new, to the point that one of those i talked to thought it was already sort of a done-deal that just needed to get railroaded through. he was excited and surprised we were working on this with the cooperation of the library.
the board has formed a design advisory committee of 27 people and have just hired an owners’ representative this week – someone who will run the project from the library side. this is __? marckesano, who we may end up hearing more about/from as we stay in contact with the library. presumably he will be writing the rfp.
both architects i talked to thought that parking across the street in the area between the richard ( that's /ree'-shard/) school and the street was not physically impossible nor a bad functional idea, but that getting the players that it would entail to work together may be a political nightmare. that would be the local municipality, the school board, and the library. if it could work, a public parking deck, possibly with street-level retail, might be a good fit for everyone and could free up expansion space on the library site.
one commented that city parking regs were driving up the number of redundant parking spaces in town and that a lot of them went unused most of the time. no holistic ideas about parking-sharing among properties yet. [argument for variance, especially if new urban/old urbanism argument can be brought to bear, as vado suggested.]
the community is shrinking in population but, despite that, library use seems to be on the rise. grosse pointe libraries are considered (among library folk) among the top 20 in michigan, but their facilities are rated in the bottom 25% (though this is maybe primarily judged by square feet per capita, not quality). central lacks required parking, stack space, is not considered sufficiently accessible, etc.
both people i talked to suggested that we might make suggestions for/inform the development of the rfp, including possibly a requirement that the architect hired must do a library reuse study and an adaptive reuse study. but there was also the warning that – especially if fanning howe were to become the architect – this could just be a paid opportunity for that architect to build a much stronger case for demolition, if they’re so disposed...
a political suggestion, re: the millage. this project would require that the additional tax assessed raise $7-$10 million dollars, ‘not hard in grosse pointe’. but if it’s suggested that – using this building as an example – the result of that much investment is a building which will be torn down because “obsolete” in 50 yrs, the local populace may not be as excited about the additional tax. this angle may start to make the decision to “save” and re-invest in an exciting enhancement of the existing “landmark” building much more attractive to voters.
once all the library’s preliminary work with the architect is complete, if the building’s demolition is proposed, and the millage vote happens (november), and if that millage vote succeeds, the request for demolition permit can still be denied by the historic district commission. this helps the cause, of course. but then, if there is pressure to do so, the town council can overrule the commission’s decision.
the local AIA (detroit) has a ‘urban priorities committee’. the chair was interested in this issues and it was recommended that we contact. i’ve sent an email.
finally, two other possible allies:
there was a very well-known locally-celebrated architect in the region, bill kessler. studied under breuer at harvard. his widow, margo(t?) kessler was/is on the library’s citizen’s committee. she attended one of the presentations of the mumby proposal and was very upset about it, voiced her disapproval of the way things were being handled.
someone on the board, i haven’t yet determined who, lives in a paul rudolph house.
last thought: neither of the people i talked to thought that any creative thinking about solutions to central’s issues had been seen yet, only fanning howe’s proposal of demolition/replacement.
that’s us.
awesome Steven. that paints a much broader/clearer picture of what we're up against. it's nice to know that there are some like minded grosse pointers.
Thanks for your time and effort. If you would like to delegate some correspondance related stuff, let me know.
there is support for us amongst laypeople, even in the detroit community. for example, here's a recent not from a non-architect friend of mine
"Recently my elementary school in Birmingham was hacked to pieces
because a lot of the same concerns that the library supposedly has. I
don't buy it. If people want to save things they can -- the people in
control though just don't want to because somebody knows an architect
who can do it on the cheep. It tore me apart trying to figure out
where my school was after the redesign / destruction. There are a lot
of people who will have holes in their souls after they tear the
library down (if they do). It's important that Gallagher and you (and
others) attempt to articulate just what that hole will look like so
that people can decide if they really can afford anymore."
As many of you know Marcel Breuer designed a great deal of furniture for Knoll. Knoll has manufacturing facilities in Michigan. Also, Knoll has begun an iniative to address modern buildings at risk. i emailed david bright at knoll and apprised him of the situation. he has already responded with interest and forwarded my email to Riccardo Salmona at the World Monuments Fund. To find out more about the fund visit the Knoll website.
Excellent job, Steven, no wonder we call you Doctor.
Your last point is stunning: that there may be a general feeling that people aren't thinking creatively about reuse, but since everyone agrees that the existing library isn't meeting current needs, the easiest thing to do is just tear it down and start over.
Embodied energy is one of my favorite phrases right now - there is so much embodied energy in what we have already that we could probably stop building anything ground-up new for a few decades and would still have unused buildings sitting around.
I know the parking across the street scenario is politically a difficult one. Perhaps we can round up some examples of smaller cities that truly took a creative approach to reducing surface parking while simultaneously providing ease of movement - for cars, bikes, and pedestrians - through a town center? I don't know of any specifics but those of you who have studied any Scandinavian traffic calming might have some ideas - and perhaps Portland Oregon's cast iron district? Anyone?
I remember the name Bill Kessler from my time in Detroit - vaguely. And I may have met Margot at a Cranbrook event - any current Cranbrookians know if she is active there now?
so that i can keep everybody in the loop, i'm making a contacts list for those who have expressed interest in the breuer project.
if i haven't already emailed you, i wasn't sure of your desire to jump into this or i simply overlooked your name or i thought i sent it but can't tell because archinect-mail doesn't show up in my 'sent mail' folder. [sorry.]
please let me know if you want to be listed and what info you're willing to circulate.
thanks/cheers.
yes DOC (aka Steven) thanks for the legwork. My that's alot of info. Glad to hear (it seems) like we will have some allies in this.
And cheers to Vado for contacting knoll and those folks.
this is exciting!!
anyone affiliated with docomomo?
i contacted docomomo-us through the website on friday but got no response. it also appears that they have a midwest chapter, but no email address. and everything regarding the 'midwest' seems to mean chicago...
just had a conversation with the co-chair of the aia detroit urban priorities committee. they may want to give our group their imprimatur and help out in other ways. he's meeting with the committee tomorrow. he seemed interested in organizing an event which would convey the issues, ideas, and whatever else we put together to the general public sometime in late february. whether that's an exhibit (puddles) or something else, we'll see.
you guys are doing a great job and setting an example. keep it on.
i am following it with great pleasure.
aiyyy late february is pretty early....
Steven, I have contacted David Fixler about this project. He is president of the New England chapter of DOCOMOMO and said he would look into it, forward it on, etc.
yeah, vado. we gotta work fast. they will issue rfp by beginning of march and hire an architect by end of march. millage vote is in november. after talking to the board prez, it seemed like we needed to do what we would do and get it out there before rfp is issued (though certainly some follow-up activity could happen).
cool, hckybg. maybe that'll kick something loose.
received the following from the co-chair of aia detroit's urban priorites committee:
"In conjunction with the Urban Priorities Committee (UPC), I am in the process of trying to secure an event date and space to publicly display / present the work generated from the charretting. Tentatively, February 27, 28 and March 1 work with AIA Detroit's schedule. Of course, this will all depend on the venue and the what the library board is comfortable with. Lastly, we are drafting a letter that endorses your charretting effort. UPC will be presenting this letter at both the AIA Detroit and AIA Michigan boards, with the hope that they will also endorse your effort.
despite what some think of the aia, i think that having their endorsement will mean a lot to non-architects. and if they can secure and arrange display space, well, that's a lot we don't have to do.
and it doesn't mean we're working for them so much as they're working WITH us.
puddles can you post some interior pics? how many people have been to see this thing? the fact that it is a breuer building alone may not necessarily mean its worth saving. it doesn't even seem to come close to the work he did in muskegon, and that isn't really even counted as one of his more significant works.
personally, having visited it the building i actually could care less if breuer did it or not...i just feel that it's an excellent building and shouldn't be demolished for the reasons they are presently citing (functional limitations, parking, etc.) moreover, this is an excellent commission full of nuance & rich with context and it shouldn't simply be handed over to a local firm of mediocre talent without at least some resistance.
i'm going to try to get all of my photos onto the ftp site soon. the hope is to also have the program, site survey, & original drawings up there soon, hopefully in the next week so that we can all start doing some serious charretting.
i'm not sure that we're going to have any "official" deadlines but as i understand it we'll need to have our presentation and/or exhibit for the library board & the community near the end of february. the library board is hoping to release their rfp then and have an architect selected by the end of march. since we've onlu got about four weeks to make all this happen, it might be good to have some milestones in mind as we attempt to pull our stuff together. it be great if people could post any prelimnary drafts, designs, & images on this thread so that we can offer insight, critique, & share notes as we develop design.
i guess we could think of this thread as a digital studio...even though the sound so 90s
ok gotta run...
le b - there is a link to some interior pics above (posted by archinect member 'Sheet').
at the risk of making broad generalization, it seems to me that many of the decision makers are probably a generation (or two) older than many of us. i might regret this, but i'm curious how the youth of grosse pointe feel about their library. i might do some digging to see if that high school, for instance, has a student paper where perhaps the kids have an opportunity to voice their opinions.
it might make a powerful statement if we can get some of the kids (grosse pointe's future) to chime in with their 2¢. of course, i'm assuming they'd probably be more open-minded and less compelled to embrace the neo-traditional schlock that seems to be so soothing to the world war 2 & baby boom generations. anybody else having any thoughts on this before i start pursing this vector?
hmmm...my first thought after looking at the director's bios is that we embrace our primary audience and figure out how to best communicate to them, in a language that they can relate to, and with concepts that they are likely to value.
puddles i'm a generation older than you dude!
i share your trepidation ("i might regret this")...
nevertheless, if there is an IB program, that may be a good avenue for reaching the keen youth, and perhaps a teacher or 2 that share some of our general motives, such as intelligent use of resources.
a generation older, but light years ahead.
some more info from the pro bono architects: a link to fanning howey's proposal as featured on their website. and here's an article published in the grosse pointe news after the initial presentation to the library board.
vado- you called me "dude"...which makes me suspect that you're probably a generation younger than me.
i don't know, it was just a thought...but i'd like to find a way to get more advocates from the inside of the grosse pointe community since most of us are outsiders.
the high school does have a newspaper, but they don't seem to offer much online, at least not for free...they do have a nice sketch of their tower though.
The idea of presenting several(who knows how many) proposals that address the issues and opportunities regarding the Grosse Pointe Public Library should be presented in only the most positive of lights. The fact that a community may be receiving our modest proposals regarding the future of one of their public buildings should be an exciting and welcome event for the town's citizens. That concerned design professionals and students are showing an interest in the library should create quite a buzz.
some of the town's citizens
ap- i'll agree with you on the point of embracing the directors as primary clients and appealing to their values...for the architectural/design/planning aspect of our efforts...
...but part of what we are doing is also trying to stir up some resistance to the library board's seemingly business-as-usual approach to dealing with the breuer building and to that end (the more activist part of our efforts), i suspect that the more people that we can get engaged then the better. if we can compel enough people to have second thoughts (or even 1st thoughts) about the demo, the new library & even the process itself then we may be able to buy more time for a better solution to emerge rather than allowing a mediocre project to be pushed through in the next half year at the expense a minor, modernist gem.
just watched the video of the locals talking about the library system. very nice link. even though i've actually the benefit of visiting the site, i'm admittedly still struggling with the psychogeographic layout of this place.
but what really caught my attention in the video was their effort's at financial planning and building a sort of growth strategy for the library system. it's almost like they are approaching it from a corporate perspective. they're also moving pretty fast: the ewald branch opened in january 2005 and the woods branch opened in january 2006. that's two new branches in two barely the past two years. no wonder they seem to be feeling some urgency to get this next project off the ground...it's january 2007 and they haven't opened a new branch yet. it's almost as if they are trying to ramp up so they can take the whole thing public and then cash out on the ipo's or something ridiculous like that. and, of course, once the grosse pointe public library is listed on nasdaq (ticker symbol GPPL it's not taken yet, i just checked) and they have shareolders to answer to, how long before we're seeing them construct big box outlets, er, branches over on mack avenue.
ok, no more ranting. i'll be kind again. really, i'm impressed that they managed to pull together such a strong effort to enhance their libraries so quickly. if anything, this compels me to believe that they are capable of pulling off an exceptional project for their community...they just need to realize how important the architecture can be in acheiving that.
well put. i concur.
another 2 cent thought from reading the director bios -
The Carolyn and Ted Ewald Memorial Branch Library (the bottom image in the original post), is named after one of the Library Foundation's Directors and her former husband (deceased). It sits on the site that's been in the family since 1958,
once home to Ted Ewald Chevrolet (gplibfdn.org).
tear down his car dealership, replace it with a library. Keep the name.
so this may be obvious, but it may be a good idea to avoid disparaging remarks about the building.
puddles: The Fanning-Howe proposal you linked to above is for the Woods branch, not Central. I don't think anyone has found any images of whatever was proposed for Central, pro bono.
I do like the idea of engaging high school students. I've done a little work in high schools - any architects in Detroit willing to propose a very brief design charette - perhaps in a civics class? drafting class? - in the school? Even if it doesn't have a lot of weight with the board, it is the kind of thing that could easily get newspaper coverage, and perhaps induce the students to tell their parents thus creating some buzz in the community. (Or is that wishful thinking? I know I talked to my parents as a teen, but most of my friends didn't!)
AP, very good point about disparaging the Ewald branch. It is hard not to be overly honest sometimes, but such is professionalism.
And as I've indicated (albeit in a contrarian spirit relative to a lot of archinecters), Ewald doesn't appear *that* bad for what it is. Just like a lot of traditionalist or retarditaire-Moderne work from the Breuer-library era doesn't "offend" today the way it might have half a century ago, i.e. let's keep an open mind here.
Intriguing food for thought: a traditionalist-identified figure such as Robert Stern could well be "on our side"--which may reflect the fact that when push comes to shove, he's more historian than historicist. (And a Modern-friendly historian at that, going back to his pioneering work on Howe & Lescaze.)
But re the issues of generation and cultural gaps in Grosse Pointe, I think there's another very tricky issue that may well have stunted a lot of "openness" and "enlightenment" in recent decades: Detroit-area demographics. Living in, and choosing to live in, what's effectively become tarred as a white apartheid enclave can have a way of leaving the locals acting and feeling excessively cagey, defensive, conservative and suspicious--especially when nobody steps forth to show them otherwise. (Just keep that point in mind; but be cautious about making a big deal out of it.)
speaking of stern, it occurred to me yesterday that, in addition to trying to get the board to allow us to make some suggestions for the rfp and in addition to any visual excitement we can generate, a big move in making sure a good project happens here may be to make sure good architects - and not just grosse pointe's usual suspects - hear about it.
for example, we know machado and silvetti didn't a beautiful branch in boston, bruder did phoenix, and pelli did a good job at minneapolis' central branch. i'm not usually for star architects taking the plums from the locals, and i don't think it would only be stars we should alert. meyer, scherer, rockcastle in minneapolis aren't exactly stars but they are VERY GOOD, and they have a sort of mini-specialty in libraries.
then there was the libraries project where architects donated services for branch improvements in ny a few years ago, williams/tsien among the players, if i remember correctly. i don't know of libraries stern has done, but i could see him, peter rose, chu/gooding, and some other detail-y types being interested in a project which formed a dialogue with the breuer.
one of our jobs, after the rfp goes out at the beginning of march, should be to make sure that we get the rfp in the hands of as many potentially-interested and creative architects as we can.
glad lb picked up that puddles posted the woods branch again. that's NOT mumby/fanning howey's current proposal. i'm looking for that one. have heard there's a rendering out there somewhere...
puddles called me last night and we were talking about what the next step might be. didn't necessarily come up with answers.
seems we should have people working on:
-rfp suggestions/language - probably on a short timetable if the rfp goes out at the end of february/beginning of march. this work may be wrapped up around 15 feb or so.
-graphic proposals - i think what most people should be working on, whether independently or together. LOTS of drawings, whether sketches, models, digital models, whatever.
-written materials which describe why the existing branch should be maintained, beyond the fact that breuer was famous and we like him. maybe a preservation group, docomomo, or some other body with some experience in this could help.
-what else?
for the graphic stuff, we could make this more fun for ourselves by, rather than just having deadlines to hit, we have some interim internal reviews. critique each other. so that would mean we'd have some landmark dates to hit, something like 8 feb, 15 feb, 22 feb > done.
love the connection with the high school. one of the contacts with whom i spoke said that the neighboring high school is considered one of the best in the country. no small deal. i like the potential of a civics class involvement better than the drafting class, but whatever connection can be made sounds cool.
our role, as i'm beginning to see it, is to make a lot of noise and treat this as a sort of public education/investment/excitement exercise. we're not ultimately going to design this thing. what we do will maybe be considered by the architects that get the project, though probably not much. we're just here to establish that there are other possibilities and that the best of them would keep the breuer.
i told puddles last night that i'm trying to pull together whatever logistical things i can so that all of the more pedestrian concerns (printing, communications, etc) are out of the way and everybody can brainstorm about the project. i think i've got some $$$$, but i'll post more about that later. i say this about my role because paperwork and talking on the phone are major parts of my job anyway and i seem to be good at it, and because i will DISAPPEAR sometime around the end of february. got a baby gonna be born.
what do you guys think we should be doing and how should we be proceeding?
oops...my apologies on the fanning howey link. but in my defense they did have it posted in their "in progress" section listed as "grosse pointe". no doubt their website is probably slightly out-of-date and it was an easy mistake to make. sorry.
pulled this off the Detroit Free Press site:
Grosse Pointe
Positives:
-Stunning collection of pre 1940 homes
(Similar to parts of Detroit, including downtown, many of the existing homes were built during 1910 -1930 when Detroit was booming and some of the finest architects were engaged to create architectural masterpieces with little expense spared)
-while many areas have an affluent community with some great old houses, the sheer size of Grosse Pointe is unique. One can literally walk for hours viewing the great architecture.
-Lake St. Clare
-a very walkable community, when the weather is nice the streets are filled with runners, walkers
and bikers
-proximity to Detroit
-diverse housing stock ranging from charming bungalows to lake front estates
helps provide for a more economically diverse community
-has an urban/historic feel
-3 charming shopping districts which include some historic buildings:
- the Village, the Hill, Kercheval in the Park
-national reputation as one of the country’s finest affluent communities
-excellent municipal lake front parks
-excellent public & private schools
-mature trees and 1920s architecture give the area a well worn comfortable feel
-home to some of the nations most highly regarded private clubs such as the GP Yacht Club, GP Club “Little Club”, CC of Detroit and GP Hunt Club
- name recognition: has been the focus or feature of at least 2 movies, many books and even a TV
series.
-Grosse Pointe War Memorial
-Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
Negatives:
-small lots, especially for luxury homes
-lack of privacy for the well known
(except for Provencal Road, all streets are easily open to the public with most houses fairly close to the sidewalk)
-very little room for new construction
-large pre 1940 homes require much greater maintenance and many in need of
renovation/updating
-limited national retail
-still perceived by some as a snobbish community
again detroit free press: blog
movers and shakers grosse pointe:
Maybe you know some of these people:
Grosse Pointe
William Clay Ford (Martha Firestone) GPS
- Billionaire
- Detroit Lions
Richard Manoogian GPF
- Billionaire
- MASCO
Manuel J. “Matty” Moroun GPS
- unconfirmed net worth of over $600 million per Forbes
-owns the Ambassador Bridge, 5% of Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
-owns CenTra Inc. - fifth largest private trucking company in US
- owns portion of Citizens Bank, owns an insurance company and large parcels of land in southwest Detroit including Michigan Central Depot
Elena A. Ford (Joseph D. Rippolone) GPF
- Elena is Director of Ford’s North American product marketing, planning & strategy
- great great granddaughter of Henry Ford
- daughter of Stavros Niarchos & Charlotte Ford
Archie Arthur Van Elslander GPS
-Art Van Furniture
-4th largest furniture retailer in the U.S.
John A. Boll, Sr. (Marlene) GPS
- Chateau Communities, Inc. - Publicly traded on NYSE as CPJ, operates as a REIT
-owns 212+ manufactured home sites (70,000+ homes)
and 1,400+ park model/RV sites
-operates in 36 states
- helped fund new downtown YMCA
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. GPS
-Buffalo Bills
-insurance
-Ralph C. Wilson Enterprises - diversified management and investment
company with interests ranging from highway construction to venture capital to
ownership of 2 TV stations and construction co. in Denver
Paul D. Alandt (Lynn McNaughton Ford) GPS
- Car Dealer
- Lynn is the daughter of the late Benson Ford
Edsel Bryant Ford, II (Cynthia Layne Neskow) GPF
- Ford heir
- great grandson of Henry Ford
- CEO/President - Pentastar Aviation
Anthony L. Soave GPF
-former owner of City Management Corp,
-sold company in 1997 for $780 million
Robert G. Liggett, Jr GPS
-Elias Bros. Restaurants Inc. owner of “Big Boy” restaurants
John W. Stroh, III GPF
- Stroh Companies, Inc.
James B. Nicholson GPF
- PVS Chemicals Inc.
Maurice M. Taylor GPF
- Titan Wheel International, Inc.
-world's largest producer of wheels for off-road vehicles
-1996 Republican Presidential Candidate
Michael J. Malik GPS
-casinos
Anita Baker GPC
(Walter Bridgforth, Jr.)
- Anita - famed singer, second most Grammys won by
a female artist after Aretha Franklin
- Walter Bridgforth, Jr. - WBBJ Investment Co./Developer
Keith E. Crain GPC
- Crain Communications
Gretchen Carhartt Valade GPF
-Carhartt Inc. heiress
- Mack Avenue Records
-recent $10m donation to Detroit Jazz Festival
Mark R. Valade GPF
- son of Gretchen Carhartt Valade
- CEO & President/Carhartt, Inc.
Ted Gatzaros GPP
Dimitrius “James” Papas GPS
-developers and former business partners
in 2000 sold interest in Greektown Casino
for $212 million
Nico Gatzaros GPC
Cullan F. Meathe GPF
- Metro Cars, Inc.
Atanas Ilitch GPF
- Olympia Development
Thomas Lee Schoenith GPC
- The Roostertail
Todd V. Callewaert GPF
- Owner/Island House Hotel on Mackinaw Island and Rybas Fudge Shops
Joseph P. Kaiser GPF
- Gallagher-Kaiser Corp.
Robert S. Kaiser GPP
- President/Gallagher- Kaiser Corp
Edward K. Christian GPF
-Saga Communications Inc.
-radio broadcast co. which owns
13 FM & 8 AM radio stations
Peter A. Schweitzer GPF
-Chairman/ J. Walter Thompson Co.
-former CEO/President of J. Walter Thompson Co.
Richard S. Crawford GPF
-The Crawford Group, LLC
Alfred R. Glancy, III GPF
Matthew P. Cullen GPS
- GM
James E. Brock, Jr. GPF
- Middleton Moldings
Kirk H. Gibson GPF
Richard Golden GPP
-Golden Form Inc.
John M. Olson GPF
- JM Olson Co.
Anthony J. Selvaggio GPF
Chester “Chet” A. Huber GPF
-President - OnStar Corporation
Robert E. Marowske GPF
-Flame Furnace Co. (founder & CEO)
-MI's largest heating & cooling contractor
Mathew J. Moroun GPF
- Vice Chairman/CenTra Inc.
William P. Vititoe GPC
- Director/Comerica
Jack Perlmutter GPF
- famed interior designer/Perlmutter-Friewald, Inc.
Daniel Clancy GPF - famed interior designer/Perlmuter-Friewald, Inc.
Dexter Joseph “DJ” Kennedy GPC
- famed interior designer
Dominic C. Pangborn GPS
-Pangborn Designs
-best known for ties
William C. Rands III GPC
-Rands Investment Co.
-Sagres Partners, LLP
James Randolph Agley GPP
- Talon Inc.
Gebran S. Anton GPC
-Anton, Zorn & Associattes
-commercial & industrial real estate brokerage
-helped redevelop downtown Mount Clemens
William F. Coyro, Jr. GPP
-National TechTeam Inc.
Robert E. McCabe GPW
- retired President of Detroit Renaissancee (71-93)
- helped start the Detroit Grand Prix, Montreaux Detroit Jazz Festival, assisted in creation of Hart Plaza, completion of Renaissance Center
-Detroit News - 1982 Michiganian of the Year
Mariam C. Noland GPF
- President/Community Foundation for Southeastern MI
Thomas R. Andris GPP
-Arrow Uniform Co.
Roger Fridholm GPP
- Of Counsel Enterprises, Inc.
Paul J. Stanford GPP
-Car Dealer/Les Stanford Chevrolet
Kenneth G. Meade GPP
- Car Dealer
-The Meade Group Inc.
-Meade Lexus-Lamborghini, Pointe Dodge, Champion Chrysler, Cars & Cars Inc.
Gordon L. Stewart GPS
-Car Dealer
Joseph Ricci GPF
- Car Dealer
Arthur J. Roshak GPF
-Car Dealer
Maura D. Corrigan GPP
- Chief Justice of MI Supreme Court
Robert P. Young, Jr. GPP
- MI Supreme Court Justice
John P. Jacobs GPF
- Attorney
- appellate defense attorney
- referred to as “The Anti-Fieger”
- has defeated Geoff Fieger
in 12 out of 13 appeals
Edward Irving Book GPS
Herbert V. Book, Jr. GPC
John Lord Booth II (Rebecca) GPS
Ralph Harmon Booth II
-Booth American Co.
Louise C. Booth GPF
Cynthia Book Bowen GPF
Kevin P. Broderick GPF
Wilber Marion Brucker, Jr. GPF
Thomas Christian Buhl (Lindsay Zeder Ford) GPF
- Thomas: - son of Lawrence D. Buhl, Jr.
- Lindsey - great-great-granddaughter of Henry Ford
Thomas Campau, Jr. GPC
William R. Chapin GPC
Frank Couzens III GPF
C. Howard Crane, II GPF
-heir of famed architect
Timothy M. Crowley GPP
Mary Anne Dodge Donaher
- Dodge heir
Peter Anthony Dow GPF
Lawrence DuMouchelle GPF
Charles Thomas Fisher III GPF
-Fisher Body heir
-former CEO of NBD
Alfred J. Fisher, Jr. GPS
-Fisher Body heir
Alfred J. Fisher III GPF
-Fisher Body heir
-President/Fisher & Co.
Michael R. Fisher GPF
-Fisher Body heir
-Fisher & Co.
Walter Briggs Fisher GPF
John Battice Ford, III GPF
Walter Buhl Ford, III GPS
Emory Moran Ford, Jr. (Anne Virginia Fisher) GPF
Harvey C. Fruehauf, Jr. GPF
H. Richard Fruehauf, Jr. GPF
-HRF Resources, Inc.
-Fruehauf Trucking
H. Richard Fruehauf, III GPF
Christopher Gamble GPF
Stephanie Germack GPF
- Germack Pistachio Company
Hugo Scherer Higbie (Marion Chapin) GPF
- Higbie Maxon Agney
George M. Holley, Jr. GPS
Arthur B. Hudson GPF
Gilbert Hudson GPC
Joseph Lowthian “JL” Hudson, Jr. GPF
Robert Jewett GPF
James Thayer McMillan III GPF
-Ferndale Laboratories
Jeffrey J. Palms GPC
Robert J. Petz, Jr. GPF
- Dodge heir
Richard Booth Platt GPF
-Proform Automotive
Edward Charles Roney, Jr. (Eleanor M. Couzens) GPF
Frank J. Roney GPF
John Stephen Scherer GPF
- R. P. Scherer heir
-pharmaceuticals/inventor of gell cap
Joseph A. Simon GPF
Peter R. Stroh GPP
Pierre A. Stroh GPF
Whitney W. Stroh GPF
David J. Woodward GPC
Barbara Wrigley GPF
George A. Wrigley GPF
Bob Allen GPF
- Web General Manager/Crains Detroit Business
Scott Lewis GPP
- Reporter/Fox Ch. 2
Leon D. Mandel, IV
-Autoweek
Nancy Nall GPW
- Writer
Michael Novak GPS
- VP Brass Ring Productions
- Attorney
Devin G. Scillian GPP
-WDIV Ch. 4 News Anchor
Paul W. Smith GPP
- Radio personality/WJR -760 AM
John E. Smyntek GPF
- Writer
Pete Waldmeir GPW
- Writer
and in conclusion....
Dr. Bader J. Cassin GPF
Dr. Ljubisa J. Dragovic GPF
-Oakland County’s Chief Medical Examiner since 1991
Dr. Werner U. Spitz GPS
Dr. Daniel J. Spitz GPF
we have a stern library in downtown Jacksonville. built a year or 2 ago... some nice spaces, one in particular (a map room with some very well done skylights). otherwise, it's stern. downtown Nashville has one too...i believe it was once a mall, which was then adapted into a library.
i def. agree that getting the rfp to a number of creative firms that would by sympathetic to resource/culture conservation is a huge part of this. also, influencing the language of the rfp...do you have any notions of how this could be done? has anyone ever been involved with an rfp that had a preservation/re-use aspect to it?
i don't have anything to add to your action item list, Steven. perhaps joshcookie and others that have started analyzing site and program can lead that portion of the effort ('graphic proposals')...
You're not the only one to make the mistake, puddles, it IS confusing, since the website shows renderings and the project is already built.
I love the idea of working on the high school contact, however, I really don't think it's possible for me to go up to GP to run a high school class. if anyone else is willing to do this, in the Detroit area, I'd be happy to talk with him/her about my experiences working with high school kids (because they can be intimidating if you haven't spent time around them). Does Detroit AIA have an Architecture in Schools program? I'll look into that myself.
But, back to the bigger picture: I think Steven is right that the point is to make a lot of noise. Getting local Detroit architects etc. involved is key!
I do have access to a lot of rfps for projects in national register listed buildings. I am not a designer but a historian-type so would be glad to help with the more writerly efforts.
good, good & good
speaking of writer's & high school kids, jeffery eugenides (of the virgin suicides fame) grew up in grosse pointe, i wonder if he would have any opinions about this project...
who's got his email address? : )
i don't feel that there is that much time to get every one on the planet involved. it needs to be determined by tomorrow at five p.m. michigan time who is willing to participate in a charette and then quickly determined how and when it (they) will happen. someone in the detroit area should contact the locals including the media and let them know this is happening. (that is, if it is happening). are there a hundred people who are going to get involved? or are there three? a critical mass of charetters is the key and then everything else will follow.
if, for example, the newspapers and local detroit aia and the library and grosse pointe residents were told that one hundred people from all over the world going to present alternative proposals for their library situation, then the exhibition time and space will fall into place.
as far as getting high schoolers involved etc, well that may be good for the locals but i don't see the point overall. this needs to be a lean and mean quick and effective group of project/proposals that graphically communicate the issues at hand. otherwise, there's no point in doing it.
Bruder actually would probably be a good suggestion. He apprenticed with Gunnar Birkerts in michigan, and he's done a lot of work this size. I was just at his libray in jackson, wy and it was nice.
actually i was thinking that my firm would be good and i would be pm on the job. thanks very much...
i'm sorry about that. next time i'll keep my mouth shut. i'm not too interested in this project anyway.
well, actually, i don't think we're going to be 100. i expect that we're going to be the group for which i've sent out contacts so far, unless i hear from others of you. so we'll need to keep our heads about us and think realistically about what we can accomplish.
when i've done charrettes through aia in the past, we simply generate materials which can be easily reproducible - as many materials as possible. these get posted in a gallery-ish format (again, not overblown) for public perusal and, ultimately, bound into a book as the deliverable. this then becomes a resource for the library/architect to do with as they please.
didn't know bruder worked with birkerts. i did know there was a birkerts saarinen connection. maybe bruder would be innerested.
whoops, jumped pages. don't miss my last, re: well, actually, i don't think we're going to be 100. i expect that we're going to be the group for which i've sent out contacts so far...
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