Edwin Denby Memorial At The Brodhead Armory Gone
Update 6/11/2013: Belle supports the proposed "Scrap Metal Regulatory Act" currently stalled in a Michigan State House Committee, and fervently hopes you will contact your legislator to express your support for making it harder for criminals to steal. Find your representative's contact info here:
If we can regulate pawnshops to prevent stolen goods from being resold, why don't we do more to prevent scrappers from profiting from their theft?
I was in my usual rose-colored glasses la-la land of Detroit love, on my way to visit the butterfly garden at Gabriel Richard Park, when I was confronted with the concrete wound above. It is on the Brodhead Armory, one of Detroit's most significant Art Deco buildings.
It used to look like this:
No butterfly garden today.
This is so very sad and depressing.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully docmented.
My dear friend Rhoda Stammel, a writer and teacher, grew up in Detroit and has photographed many of the old buildings. -- but this was pre-internet.
I will try to get you her e-mail.
I hope you win my Jane book but will have to be fair and do the old name in a jar routine next Saturday night!
All best wishes
I will cross my fingers for the drawing, but I can always buy the book to donate! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear your friend's thoughts on the changes in Detroit. Thank you for thinking of it.
All the best to you as well.
I didn't know about this vandalism to the Brodhead Armory. Thanks for posting this. It was very disheartening for me to see that. Guess I can't be surprised. What tragic waste I've seen at that site. You have a very nice blog.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could think of something clever to say that would make it less disheartening. I appreciate your comments, and thank you for all your efforts in making sure that there aren't even more disheartening disappearances of our past.
ReplyDeleteScrappers would have taken every inch of that copper flashing. Better do some research before we call it theft. At least, theft for scrap.
ReplyDeleteI wondered about that myself... alternate theory, dFunk?
ReplyDeleteAnd notice I didn't say it was scrappers, just that it's gone...
ReplyDeleteLooks like every inch of that was taken, the stuff at the bottom just has some runoff of the green tint on it.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering what is the cities/states current plans for the building? If none do you think they would lease it/transfer it to a non-profit group?
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ReplyDeleteSean, as far as I know, the city of Detroit owns the building...rumors of plans have been floated, but not recently. If you email me at belleislehome dot gmail dot com, I will send you some info on contacts who might know more and/or who to talk to.
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