Looking at the Lafayette Building before it comes down

The fight to save the Lafayette is over; demolition started last month. So, take a last look at one of Detroit's great treasures now going the way of the buffalo. Wherever you stand on the subject, demolition or preservation, one thing can't be argued: the beauty of the Lafayette.

Excerpt:

After the Book Cadillac reopened, its out-of-town guests saw blight outside their windows. "People point to it and ask, ‘What is that?' and ‘What are the plans for it?'" says Scott Stinebaugh, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. "For a long time we couldn't give a definite answer. So now there's closure. People like us, in a historic building, are huge fans of saving a building, but once all avenues are exhausted, we're fans of it going away."

So now the Lafayette's coming down, another subtraction from the skyline. A little park is planned in its place. City officials say an empty parcel is easier to market, though preservationists counter that the Hudson's lot has been empty, aside from an underground garage, for a decade, as has the Tuller Hotel lot across downtown, and no talked-about projects are set for those plots. Add the sites for the now-demolished Statler and Madison Lenox hotels, and the Motown Building, and there are already quite a few empty downtown lots awaiting development.

The Lafayette's appearance isn't as stunning as other city skyscrapers from the same era, yet it still has understated touches of beauty, especially the terra cotta fleurs de lis along the rooftop. They're like the frosting on the cake, delicate ornamentation put in place for aesthetic flavor and loveliness. They speak of a time when architects added charm and artistry to buildings, even if only those few people with offices high enough would see them.

Read the entire post here.

For more information on the Lafayette visit Buildings Of Detroit here.

Do you want to see a video about the tree that is growing on the Lafayette? Check out Charlie LeDuff's piece in the Detroit News here.