Demolition of a parking garage on Monroe and Randolph streets located next to the historic National Theatre began Wednesday, marking the first significant activity on that block in years -- and Dan Gilbert might be behind it.
The National Theater has been vacant since 1975.
While the theater and the Sachs Waldman PC building on the same block are both safe for now, the four-story garage -- which is located across from the Compuware Building and features abandoned ground-level retail space and the recently closed Pulse lounge -- is being demolished by Homrich, Inc., a Carleton-based demolition contractor.
Employees of Homrich, which also demolished the J.L. Hudson's Building and old Cass Tech High School, among other abandoned Detroit buildings, confirmed demolition is under way only for the garage, and not the other two buildings.
Plans for the site are not known. Demolition will be complete in a couple months, according to workers.
As with so many other downtown revitalization projects, the garage's demolition might be part of a plan by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert to revitalize the block bounded by Monroe, Farmer, Randolph and Bates streets.
Kirk Pinho of Crain's Detroit Business speculated in January that Gilbert bought the entire block "through a straw buyer" after confirming a Gilbert business partner bought the Sachs Waldman building on Bates:
Beyond the rumors, here's what's known for sure: The three-story, 18,000-square-foot-plus Sachs Waldman PC building at 1000 Farmer St. was sold in October to 1000 Farmer Street LLC, which boasts as its registered agent Jim Ketai — the managing partner of Bedrock Management LLC, the real estate entity co-founded by Ketai and Gilbert . . .
Gilbert's property acquisitions are typically run through Bedrock Real Estate Services, of which Ketai is also the registered agent.
That suggests Gilbert is evolving: using a straw buyer (1000 Farmer Street LLC) to secretly — or, in this case, not so secretly — gobble up property, the sources said.
It would make sense for Gilbert to redevelop the vacant block. He obtained a majority share of Greektown Casino in January, and he has spoken frequently about bridging the gap between Greektown and Campus Martius, and redeveloping the block would go a long way toward that.
Calls and emails for Quicken Loans and Homrich for comment were not returned Wednesday afternoon.
Even after demolition, the National Theatre will continue to sit abandoned, as it has been since 1975. Built in 1911, the building is believed to be the only theater designed by legendary Detroit architect Albert Kahn. While the exterior of the Moorish-style building, featuring a large, Romanesque arched entryway and two 64-foot towers, is in relatively good shape, its once elegant interior is rapidly decaying.
As for Pulse lounge, it's moving to Greektown and undergoing a major rebranding. It will now be known as the Firebird Tavern and will be at 419 Monroe Street. The bar's website says it will open soon.
