Preservation Group Wants to Save Madison-Lenox Hotels

The building's owner, Ilitch Holdings Inc., plans to demolish the buildingwith $700,000 of help provided by the Detroit Downtown DevelopmentAuthority.However, the Friends of the Book-Cadillac Hotel are rallying to keep theMadison-Lenox alive. The Book-Cadillac is another downtown hotel, whichcurrently has a redevelopment proposal brewing.

The group protested and handed out flyers at the opening day ceremonies atDetroit Tiger's Comerica Park Monday. Steve Haag, chairman of the group,said the message will continue."They're giving a multi-million dollar company almost $1 million to demolisha building that doesn't have to come down," Haag said.

The company is the land ownership arm of Little Caesar's Pizza, which is owned by theIlitch family, who also owns the Detroit Tigers and their new ballpark,Comerica Park, as well as the Detroit Red Wings and their home, Joe LouisArena.

Haag said the building could be reused. There's bound to be trafficgenerated by the nearby Opera House, Haag told GlobeSt.com, or the buildingcould be turned into loft apartments or condominiums.

"There's nothing on paper anywhere, there's no proof, that this buildingisn't usable," Haag said. "In fact, there was a review completed in 1996showing four different reuse scenarios."Originally two separate buildings--Madison on the left, Lenox on theright--the properties merged to become one hotel.

The family has not announced what the development will be. Brian Holdwick ofthe Detroit Economic Growth Corp. says the Ilitch family says it hopes tohave a plan for the site by 2005.The DDA is lending the family the money to tear down the hotel.Holdwick said the loan was approved to destroy the facility this year.

Thehotel is one of the worst buildings in Harmonie Park, and is notsalvageable, Holdwick said.He says after demolition, the land will become a parking lot until 2005,when the payment of the loan is due.He says the DDA will have a chance to decide the design of the parking lot,and to review the development plans when they are proposed by IlitchHoldings.

Haag counters that the city is too quick to give up on beautiful buildings."For the last 30-40 years, the idea in Detroit is just to demolisheverything, to clear the land and build something new. Well, the demolishhappens, but you hardly ever see anything new. All this demolition does isput pressure on the old structures next door, and so on," Haag said.

An Ilitch spokesperson could not be reached for comment.