State Savings Bank, Detroit
The historic State Savings Bank is a 3-story Beaux-Arts style building, designed by McKim, Mead & White and erected in 1900, at the southeast corner of W Fort Street and Shelby Street in Downtown Detroit.
The previous owner of the State Savings Bank petitioned the Detroit Historic District Commission for approval to demolish the building and to replace it with an unnecessary parking structure.
Farr Side created an online petition which garnered over 1300 signatures and successfully lobbied the Detroit Historic District Commission to deny the owner’s request for demolition. The State Savings Building was saved from demolition and in 2014 it was purchased by a developer who invested millions in renovating the building, which is now an event space.
Park Avenue Building, Detroit
The historic Park Avenue Building is a 12-story Beaux-Arts style building, designed by Albert Kahn and erected in 1922, at the northwest corner of W Adams Avenue and Park Avenue at Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit.
The previous owner of the Park Avenue Building had grossly neglected it and the City of Detroit submitted a court filing to declare the building a public danger and have it demolished.
Farr Side created an online petition which collected over 2000 signatures and successfully lobbied the City of Detroit to force the owner to secure the building. The Park Avenue Building was saved from demolition, and in 2018 was purchased by a developer and the building is undergoing a $10M to renovation to create 100 apartments and retail space.
CPA Building, Detroit
The historic CPA Building is a 6-story building, designed by Alvin E. Harley and erected in 1924. It is located at 2238 Michigan Avenue, on the northwest corner of Michigan Avenue and 14th Street in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood.
The owners of the CPA Building had grossly neglected it, and due to their neglect, the City of Detroit allowed the owners to secure a demolition permit.
Farr Side created an online petition which garnered over 1100 signatures and successfully lobbied the Detroit City Council to rescind the demolition order and to apply an interim historic designation to the building. The CPA is currently on the market and it sits across the street from the Michigan Train Station which is undergoing a $740M renovation to become Ford’s Innovation Campus, so we hope to see the CPA Building restored!