Last Saturday, a building over a century old partially collapsed, sending bricks to the street below on a busy day in Eastern Market. Over the past week, the city issued an emergency demo, the owner issued an appeal, and now, the building has another chance at being saved.
The owner, Scot Turnbull, has a quick deadline to stabilize and apply for permits for the repairs for the 1897 building, which is home to multiple local businesses.
David Bell, Detroit's Department of Buildings, Safety, Engineering, and Environment Director, issued this statement today.
“The owner's engineer has submitted a document stating the building is safe to enter, stabilize, assess, and repair. We have reviewed and accepted it. The owner has also agreed to a reasonable timeline to begin stabilization, apply for permits, and begin repairs. An agreement was made between both legal teams for the path forward with certain timelines and deliverables. The agreement is for the owner to stabilize the structure within 5 days, an application for repairs to be submitted within 30 days, and an assurance that repairs will begin within 7 days of approval. We also agree that the appeal hearing should be adjourned for now and we look forward to working with them to get this building back online as quickly as possible.”
Preservationists submitted letters to the city earlier this week, questioning the quick reaction and decision to demolish the building just a day after the collapse. The frame itself looked to be in good shape; the non-load bearing facade crumbled on the fourth and third floors.
The city has been issuing demo permits for many buildings across the city this year, mainly for buildings that have been vacant for years.
