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Detroit-based Ilitch Holdings, Inc., has sought to demolish Madison-Lenox Hotel to make way for a surface parking lot.Judge halts demolition of old hotel
Is Madison-Lenox site worth saving? Detroit clashes with preservationists.
The Madison-Lenox Hotel in Detroit's Harmonie Park was built from 1903 to 1913.
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DETROIT -- Crews hired by the city of Detroit tore down a portion of the dilapidated 100-year-old Madison-Lenox Hotel in Harmonie Park on Wednesday before irate preservationists obtained a temporary restraining order to halt the demolition.
Members of the nonprofit Preservation Wayne accused the city of trying to demolish the Madison-Lenox without a permit in order to sidestep a drawn-out court battle. City officials said they began the demolition only after the building was deemed unsafe by inspectors.
A hearing on the matter is set for today before Wayne County Circuit Judge Cynthia Stephens.
The city said it inspected the complex in late April and found severe deterioration of floors and interior bearing walls as well as collapsed stairwells.
"The potential for collapse was eminent, and there was no way to determine where or when it would have occurred," Abdul M. Aquil, assistant chief building inspector for the Detroit Buildings and Safety Engineering Department, said in a statement.
A demolition crew cut large swaths out of the eight-story Madison and Lenox buildings and leveled a single-story annex between the two structures before Detroit police halted work.
A minor confrontation between preservationists and the demolition crew ensued before city police officers restored order, according to people at the scene.
The controversy Wednesday was the latest chapter in a prolonged dispute over the future of the three-building complex at Madison and Randolph.
The buildings, built from 1903 to 1913, were the subject of debate in recent months as the owner, Detroit-based Ilitch Holdings Inc., sought to demolish the structures to make way for a surface parking lot.
Ilitch Holdings, owned by Michael and Marian Ilitch, is the parent company for several high-profile organizations, including the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. and Olympia Entertainment.
Officials at Ilitch Holdings have said the parking lot would be temporary and the site would be redeveloped into residential, office or retail use.
In February, Ilitch Holdings had sought a demolition permit from the Detroit Historic District Commission to tear down the Madison-Lenox, but the request was denied. Ilitch Holdings appealed the ruling to the state, and a hearing was scheduled for next month, said John Hahn, a spokesman for Ilitch Holdings.
On Wednesday afternoon, a small group of protesters huddled a few steps from the demolition site.
Michael E. Myckowiak, a Detroit attorney representing Preservation Wayne, said the city recently declared the structures dangerous and hired a crew to begin the demolition. He now fears their structural integrity has been compromised.
"It's a travesty," Myckowiak said. "The city just made up a reason to demolish the buildings. Our goal is to prevent further demolition. The buildings have been substantially damaged, and I don't know where this leaves us."
Hahn declined to comment directly on the matter. "The demolition that began today on the Madison-Lenox property was not ordered by Ilitch Holdings or any of its related businesses," Hahn said in a statement. "We are currently working to obtain more information on this situation."
Francis Grunow, executive director of Preservation Wayne, said he believed Ilitch Holdings was anxious to tear down the Madison-Lenox to get rid of an eyesore before Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, scheduled for July 12 at Comerica Park.
Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., which last year selected the Madison-Lenox as one of America's 11 most endangered historic places, was upset over the work.
"This is really outrageous, and someone from the city needs to explain how this happened," Moe said. "It's a sad day in Detroit. Developers in other cities would be lined up trying to restore those buildings. I'm just sick about it."
Howard Hughey, a spokesman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
You can reach R.J. King at (313) 222-2504 or rjking@detnews.com.
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