Sunday, December 22, 2013

Genesee Towers, R.I.P.

The demise of Genesee Towers on December 22, 2013. (Image by Shawn Chittle)


4 comments:

  1. The 1968 Prophecy is fulfilled. The Mott Foundation Building stands after Genesee Towers falls. It was said that it was cheaply constructed, and that all the stops were pulled out to assure that Genesee Towers would be tallest. When it wasn't talller than the elevator works and physical plant on top of the Mott Foundation Building, they added a penthouse on Genesee Towers.

    The biggest question that always came to mind is why they would put the two tallest buildings right next to each other?

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  2. Why does this feel so good? It's like the city has been through an exorcism of sorts. Downtown Flint looks better already. Its natural scale has been instantly restored.

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  3. I was out shoveling snow & slush when this (literally) all went down. I'd forgotten about it happening today, but when I clicked on the news and saw the after image I could see an immediate improvement of the downtown area. That ugly over sized airconditioner had too much of an extended stay. It'll look so much better for the 2014 Crim, Back to The Bricks, etc.

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  4. Genesee Towers to be reincarnated in the next big town!

    http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2014/03/downtown_detroit_could_get_330.html

    Apparently, marginal ideas never go away. This looks bad even in the drawings. Imagine if the underlying structure were to crumble.

    Prediction: Assuming it is even built, in 50 years this building will be gone and the Westin Book Cadillac will remain.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.