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Old 09-10-2022, 11:07 PM
 
392 posts, read 260,087 times
Reputation: 265

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The observation deck of the Penobscot Building has been closed since the 1960's and should certainly be reopened to the public. There was a proposal to do so back in 2015, but that never happened. The fact that Detroit has rebounded extensively since 2014 makes having the observation deck on the rooftop reopened worthwhile. Such an attraction would be one of the top attractions in Detroit and provide a lot of revenue for the building's owners. The deck should be wheelchair accessible and have an admission fee of $15-20 for adults charged with discounts for local area residents, children, senior citizens, students, and active military personnel. There should also be glass walls similar to what are seen at Top of the Rock in New York City to keep people from jumping off the building easily. https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...ight/22465593/
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Old 09-12-2022, 10:28 PM
 
Location: North of Canada, but not the Arctic
20,896 posts, read 19,366,943 times
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I never heard of this. Seems like a no-brainer (i.e. that it should obviously be reopened). Any idea why it was closed?
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Old 10-17-2022, 04:38 PM
 
1,996 posts, read 3,132,037 times
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The owner of the Penobscot is finally investing in a building it had neglected.

Quote:
Building conditions are fast deteriorating inside a landmark 1928 skyscraper in downtown Detroit that has been racking up scores of blight violations in recent years.

The 47-floor Penobscot building, 657 Griswold St., visible for miles at night with its glowing rooftop orb, has been without running water since late January and lost power for three days last week,
https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...it/4438365001/


Quote:
Could the beleaguered Penobscot Building be turning a corner? That's the central question of a Crain's Detroit column cataloguing a number of improvements at the skyscraper while contextualizing them against a code-violation crackdown and historically low demand for downtown office space.

The building's owners, the Canadian Apostolopoulos family's Triple Properties, are reportedly marketing the 1/3-full property for lease after spending between $5.5 million and $6 million on upgrades. Pre-pandemic, a litany of bad headlines drew attention to what tenants called "deplorable" conditions, including mold and poo-clogged toilets.
https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/arti...t_it_for_lease

With the decline in office occupancy downtown and the current's owner track record of lack of investment, I don't see the observation deck being resurrected.
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Old 10-21-2022, 09:07 AM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,702 posts, read 79,387,296 times
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They would probably never recover the cost of making is safe and ada compliant.You are talking at least $10 million. They could charge more, but then fewer people would use it. I don't think they have even restored the iconic red ball. The deck is very unlikely to happen. Maybe if Bedford Properties buys the building but with demand waning so dramatically, I am not sure there woudl be any interest. Maybe they could convert it to condos and put a swimming pool up there.

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Old 10-23-2022, 11:37 PM
 
392 posts, read 260,087 times
Reputation: 265
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens View Post
They would probably never recover the cost of making is safe and ada compliant.You are talking at least $10 million. They could charge more, but then fewer people would use it. I don't think they have even restored the iconic red ball. The deck is very unlikely to happen. Maybe if Bedford Properties buys the building but with demand waning so dramatically, I am not sure there woudl be any interest. Maybe they could convert it to condos and put a swimming pool up there.

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The Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World Trade Center, 30 Hudson Yards, and One Vanderbilt in New York City have observation decks that are very popular tourist attractions despite having admission fees of over $30 and even $40. The Sears Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago both have popular observation decks with admission fees of well over $20 or even $30. Furthermore, the Columbia Center in Seattle has a popular observation deck despite an admission fee of about $25. So, I think that reopening the observation deck at the Penobscot Building with an admission fee of $15-$20 would work well to continue the revitalization of Downtown Detroit
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