New Construction or Historic Homes? (Detroit, Redford: houses, to buy, high school)

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Haha! I agree with your sarcastic assessment. I'll only point out a couple things:

1. Many historic mansions also contain "fake architectural elements and inappropriate mixtures of incompatible artchitectural styles" "with multiple roof peaks that are tacked on for abosultely no reason at all." This ostentatious display of wealth was very popular in the Victorian era and lingered on. Brush Park has/had many examples. Even the Tudor styles which came later employed many unnecessary roof peaks.
2. Many historic mansions were in fact built where "they cut down all the trees and level out any geographical features". If you look back at old pictures of when these homes were new, you will see a surprising lack of trees. It's only because time has allowed trees to reach full maturity that we don't appreciate this.

But otherwise, right on!

While they often mixed architectural styles, they usually (but not always) did so in a consisten and tasteful way. YOu might find a craftsman home with gothic arched windows for example, but they will all be simlar. IN modern homes, they figure out what styles are populae with what percentage of the population and mix those styles in that percentage. Thus, you will get a main front facade that is Tudor, a side wing that is colonial revival and another side wing that is praire style. Worse yet, oyou get sections of a house with random elements of each. Historic homes rarely exhibit such hodge podge architecture except when bad renovations were done over time.

I do nto recall seeing a lot of fake archittectural element in older homes. Usually when there is a porch, it is a porch, not a bump out that is reminsicent of a porch. If there is a turret, it is a turret and often served a purpose in addition to being decorative. I do nto see a lot of 2 feet diameter bumps that are onlly a couple of feet high just kind of randomly stuck on the roof of a house with a completely different style. A bay window is usally a true bay, it is rarely or never some little four inch deep premanufactured thing that should have been left in the factory.

I will have to look at roof peaks in brush park. I do nto recall seeing peaks that do not relate to some part of the strcutre below. However I cannot say that i looked for that. I do nto spend a whole lot of time looking at tudor homes. It is one of my least favorite styles. I think it is fine and understand why some people love it, but it is not for me.

Didi they cut down entire forests, create af field and then build hundred of homes? I was not aware that they did that. I have seen photographs of older homes, but they arleady had mature trees. A lot of the homes that interested me were built before photgraphs were practical and by the time they has phtogrpahy for the masses, they were surrounded by mature trees. However it would not surprise me that they did cut down the nearby trees. Often the lumber was custom made on site and moldings usually were. (The oldest part of our house was built of local timber, except some of the flooring). Why drag a tree from 300 yards away when there are trees right on site. I guess it makes sense tht they cut down nearby trees. However now, older homes are surrounded by mature trees. I have seen some modern subdivisions where they work around the existing trees. New Point in Beauford South Carolina is one. I did nto know a lot about historic architecture when I last saw New Point, but I remember liking it quite a lot for modern construciton. I wonder if I would still like it now.

[Remisc]

Funny you should mention this, detroitlove. I was cruising through Briggs yesterday evening, and I saw alot of new construction homes that are supposed to mimic the architecture of the homes originally in the area.

Briggs, Detroit, MI - Google Maps

I can't wait to see if they're gonna fill up the whole neighborhood with this. Because, I was dissapointed to see that it looks just like any other inner-city, just a few blocks up the street from all these nice homes.

[detroitlove]

I think that was the plan. I read about it on the corktown website. They are calling it North Corktown and completed phase 1 & 2. Maybe it halted because of finances. I hope they continue though. I really like corktown (north as well) and plan on moving in the next couple years and its on my list. The site says all of the homes in N Corktown are occupied so I have no hope to live there unless they continue to build lol

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by Remisc

Funny you should mention this, detroitlove. I was cruising through Briggs yesterday evening, and I saw alot of new construction homes that are supposed to mimic the architecture of the homes originally in the area.

Briggs, Detroit, MI - Google Maps

I can't wait to see if they're gonna fill up the whole neighborhood with this. Because, I was dissapointed to see that it looks just like any other inner-city, just a few blocks up the street from all these nice homes.

I love seeing this stuff too. Briggs has the potential to be such an awesome neighborhood, with community gardens, walkable streets, and all really close to downtown.

I can't wait for spring to see everyone out and about!

[Remisc]

Originally Posted by ForStarters

I love seeing this stuff too. Briggs has the potential to be such an awesome neighborhood, with community gardens, walkable streets, and all really close to downtown.

As do I. I want Detroit to have a fully intact urban core.

With all that vacant land in Briggs, Brush Park, and the areas around Eastern Market, Detroit's inner city has the potential to rebound stronger than ever. Just look at those condominiums off Chene and St. Aubin, just northeast of downtown. A beautiful example of urban renewal. I would live there in a heartbeat if I didn't have kids. I want to see more of that in Detroit's urban core, and I'll be beyond happy when it finally happens.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...25.26,,0,-1.52

[detroitlove]

^^^ Hey Remisc and Forstarters kind of off topic but have noticed the positive press about the city lately? I mean we still have a long way until we balance the positive with the negative lol but it just sticks out to me. One reason I made this thread is because Detroit was on one of the new episodes of House Hunters.

[Remisc]

Yeah, I've noticed that trend, too.

I guess the press is beginning to realize that Detroit is changing. This isn't the Detroit of the tumultuous 1980's anymore. The decline is slowly but surely stabilizing, and people are coming back to the city in numbers that are unheard of for past decades. And people are finally starting to realize that.

[detroitlove]

hey with these damn gas prices I would too lol. Have you seen the gas lately?! These people are crazy. I think I want a transit system and I hate public transit lol

[Remisc]

Yeah, whats up with gas prices?!? I drive a Yukon, and I've been driving on fumes as much as possible lately. Its always good to save a little money. I was at my sister's in Roseville the other day, and they had gas for $2.73 up by her house, and cars were lined up around the block!

[detroitlove]

2.73!!!!!!! where the *bleep* was I?!!! FML. I bet it was, gas is crazy right now! I drive a Nissan Mazima, I feel bad for you lol