New Apt. Building Might Replace Crumbling Midtown Ruin

An old apartment building on Selden Street might soon face demolition. The Historic District Commission recently approved an application from Ferlito Construction to demolish 438 Selden, which has been abandoned since the 1980s. At Wednesday’s HDC hearing, Ferlito told commissioners that approving the demolition would allow the company to purchase the property from the city of Detroit. The (tentative) plan: rip down 438 Selden early next summer to begin construction on a new residential building.

Ferlito hasn’t closed on the property, and several dominos need to fall before plans are finalized. Early designs call for a smaller residential building of market-rate lofts, with an open parking area on the ground floor (like we see at the Auburn Building). New residential construction is just what Midtown needs. One that avoids another surface lot is a double bonus. The new building would likely finish up in mid-to-late 2015. Ferlito Construction is the company behind the new Anytime Fitness, as well as the Bamboo Detroit coworking space.

The old building is beyond hope. The walls are bowing, and the roof caved in long ago. At the HDC hearing, an architect from Hamilton Anderson Associates said that the building was in a “dangerous state…it could collapse at any time.” Next time you’re walking to Honest John’s, maybe walk on the other side of the Selden. We did, however, find a photo from 1976 (above). If anyone has any knowledge of the building (like its name) please hit us on the tipline. · Anytime Fitness Restores Old Storefront, Readies to Open Downtown[Curbed] · Co-Working Space Reactivates Empty Floor of the Mannequin Building[Curbed]

From Curbed Detoit