Preservationists are calling on the city of Detroit to ease up on its order to demolish the historic building in Eastern Market that partially collapsed over the weekend.
Soon after a brick wall collapsed late Saturday morning, the city ordered an emergency demolition, saying the four-story Del Bene Building at 2501 Russell St. was “unsafe.”
But preservationists and building engineers say the city’s order is premature because the structure has not been inspected by experts to determine whether it can be saved.
“We are asking the city to show restraint,” Devan Anderson, president of Preservation Detroit, tells Metro Times. “We are just looking for the city to pause and move forward in a way that doesn’t just throw away a marquee building in one of our marquee destinations, because once we do that, nothing that gets built on this corner will do justice to what is there now.”
Anderson and others say the city should send a structural engineer to inspect the building, which was built in 1897, to determine the extent of the damage.
“I don’t think many people have this opinion that demolishing a 130-year-old building on a prominent corner of the Eastern Market makes the area better. It’s a landmark,” Anderson says. "Why not have a structural engineer look at it first?”
City officials say they don’t want a structural engineer to inspect the building because it’s unsafe.
“A complete damage assessment has not been performed because of the concern for the health and safety and welfare of those who would enter,” David Bell, director of the city’s Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department, tells Metro Times. “The current assessment includes but is not limited to the following: The south facade has collapsed onto the sidewalk below from the 3rd and 4th floor. The roof is structurally unsound.”
Anderson, a preservation architect, says reinforced concrete buildings are resilient, and a wall collapsing does not necessarily mean the structure can’t be saved.
In a letter to the mayor’s office and city council members, Anderson urged officials to inspect the building more closely.
“The building and its reinforced concrete frame still appear to be in excellent structural condition,” Anderson wrote.
He added, “I would urge restraint in this instance. This building is not in immediate danger of a catastrophic collapse — and any further danger to the public could be easily mitigated with no-parking signs and sidewalk closures. Or at most a road-closure and some temporary protective scaffolding.”
Shortly after 11:30 a.m. Saturday, portions of the wall on the third and fourth floors crumbled to the ground, injuring one person and damaging several vehicles.
City officials still aren’t sure what caused the collapse. But the city had recently issued an alteration permit for the first and second floors, suggesting the building may have been undergoing construction.
Anderson says a large collapse is very rare unless the building was under construction or it had been severely neglected.
The property’s landlord, Scot Turnbull, couldn’t be reached for comment.
The city has not yet set a date for demolition, and as of Tuesday the bidding process was still underway.
The city has a woeful track record of allowing salvageable historic buildings to be demolished, including the Hotel Park Avenue, Tiger Stadium, Hudson’s building, Saturday Night building, Statler Hotel, Madison-Lenox Hotel, Deck Bar, and most recently, a key Asian-American landmark in the Cass Corridor.
Bell says he appreciates the importance of preservation but believes the Del Bene Building is unsafe.
“We are in favor of preserving historic buildings where possible,” Bell says. However we do not want to chance loss of life to preserve a building. Therefore, due to the dangerous state of the structure, an emergency demolition order is necessary.”
Since the city is preventing anyone from entering the building, the businesses that occupy it are at risk of losing their inventories.
The building housed Jabs Gym, Brooklyn Outdoor, Detroit Vs. Everybody, Beyond Juicery and Eatery, and J’Adore Detroit. Detroit Vs. Everybody, which stands to lose more than $150,000 in merchandise, launched a GoFundMe campaign to recover its losses. Jabs Gym also started a GoFundMe campaign.
Each is seeking $150,000 in donations.
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