[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]
I r2 an adaptive reuse plan MT ELLIOTT INTERPRETIVE CENTER 1 C6 MT. ELLIOTT INTERPRETIVE CENTER An Adaptive Reuse Plan CITY OF DETROIT Coleman A. Young, Mayor RECREATION DEPARTMENT Daniel H. Krichbaum, Director Harriet Saperstein, Project Coordinator Prepared by: SCHERVISH, VOGEL, MERZ, P.C. Arch i tects/Landscape Architects/Planners 1995 E. Woodbridge Detroit, Michigan 48207 This report was funded in part through finan- cial assistance provided by the Office of: COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration United States Department of Commerce through funds provided under the Coastal Zone Manage- ment Act of 1972 (PL 92-583) and administered by the: -N, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Division of Land Resources Program Coastal Zone Management Program Chris Shafer, In Charge David Wa.-ner, Project Representative US Department of Commerce NOAA Coastal Services Conter Library September, 1981 2234 South a7obs3n Avenue Charleston, SC 29405-2413 US Department of Commerce NOAA Coastal Services Center Library 2234 South Hobson Avenue Charleston, SC 29405-2413 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 HISTORY 5 LAND USE DEVELOPMENT 11 Existing Land Use & Circulation 11 Site Analysis 15 Proposed Land Use & Circulation 15 Land Use Issues 23 Site Plan 32 INTERPRETIVE CENTER DEVELOPMENT 37 Building Assessments 37 Interpretive Center Program 52 INTERPRETIVE BUOY 61 IMPLEMENTATION 65 Construction Estimates 66 Phasing 82 Funding 89 Operation & Maintenance 90 SUMMARY 93 Cflr@Nr,le- NJE>IN jy6:f-,-,wcl-T IN -Til CtNTUR LOCATION MAP INTRODUCTION Detroit has been going through a rebirth with national attention focused on its efforts towards redevelopment. Many major develop- ments have occurred or are now planned for the Central Business District. Conventions, tourism, new housing, the ethnic festivals and the popularity of Hart Plaza have brought about renewed interest in the city's riverfront. In 1979 the City of Detroit, Re- creation Department, with Coastal Zone Man- agement funds administered by the Michigan A4 published Department of Natural Resources, the Linked Riverfront Parks Plan (LRPP) which proposed a major park system between the Renaissance Center and the Belle Isle 1k. Bridge, linking park sites with routes that interpret the cultural and industrial his- __R tory of the area. It is one of the recommendations of the LRPP that one or more buildings at the United States Coast Guard Group/Base Detroit head- quarters, located at the foot of Mt. Elliot.t Street, be adapted for reuse as an Interpre-, tive Center relating regional history to the pub I ic. The oldest of these buildings, con- structed over 110 years ago, has since become cramped and inefficient for its current use as a storage and maintenance facility. Plans by the U. S. Coast Guard to abandon three of these buildings and construct a new facility on an ad acent site helped stimulate 7 interest in preserving them by developing the Interpretive Center. .... . . . .. .. NO The Co ast G u ar d G r o u p Detroit B ast w ith the M t. Elliott P ar k Site 2 The Center is located adjacent to a proposed Additional land uses will include warehouse park at the foot of Mt. Elliott Street. The industrial conversions to a commercial office park relates closely to the Center and ex- and loft apartment use, a 300 car parking pands the interpretive theme outdoors telling structure, and the ongoing land use by the intriguing stores and giving information Immigration and Naturalization Department about the history of the area, the Detroit and the Coast Guard. River and Michigan. Reutilizing these his- toric structures and developing the Mt. To acquire three historic Coast Guard Elliott Park will add a new dimension to buildings for conversion to the Interpretive Detroit's unique history and stimulate excite- Center, a land trade is proposed in which ment and interest in this emerging activity 1.8 acres (with the buildings) are acquired area along the riverfront. by the City in exchange for 2.75 acres of City owned land directly west of the existing To achieve these ends, this study has three sl ips. Here the Coast Guard will develop goals: new facilities to better serve the community. 1. To investigate the future interface be- The proposed Mt. Elliott Park is shown ex- tween the proposed Interpretive Center panded east into the City of Detroit owned, and Mt. Elliott Park and all adjacent Uniroyal property for a total of 15.7 acres. land uses. 1550 feet of* river frontage is developed as a fitness, history and marine interpretive park 2. To assess, program and estimate con- that works closely with the proposed Inter- struction and operations expenses for pretive Center. the Interpretive Center. Interpretive Center 3. To present a strategy for implementa- The Coast Guard buildings which are pro- tion of the Interpretive Center. posed to be acquired include the 5-story RLCOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSIONS Lighthouse Supply Depot with the attached 1 story Aids to Navigation Building and the 3 The fol lowing conclusions are drawn and story Engineering Services Building with the recommendations are made in light that this attached 1 story Exchange Building. document contains a variety of subjectsi and The Lighthouse Supply Depot Building has an explore a range of alternatives. area of 9,960 square feet and is- proposed used as an exhibition/museum space dis- Land Use playing permenent 'and rotating exhibits on a In general land uses both east and west of variety of subjects, including- Great Lakes the Mt. Elliott Interpretive Center and Park Marine information, Detroit and regional His- are seen as developing into new mixed resi- tory, health, fitness and Natural Resources. dential and commercial use. 3 The ESA Building has an area of 9,678 Phase Three finishes all uncompleted square feet and is programmed as a food work and develops the r)arking struc- concession, bait and tackle concession, rent- ture for an estimated $1,247,000-. able and park office space, a conference room, public restrooms and storage. Recommendations for funding Sources realizes that many programs previously relied upon, The Aids to Navigaticn Building has an area have been cut or eliminated. Although every of 1,275 square feet and is programmed to be attempt should be made to secure funds from developed privately as a restaurant. remaining sources, a greater reliance will be placed on local sources. The development The Exchange Building has an area of 1,099 of this project will also enhance adjacent square feet and is programmed to be de- private developments and a portion of the veloped privately as a bicycle rental con- developmental costs of the public improve- cession. ments should be pro-rated to adjacent private developments. Implementation _fhe total projected cost for the recommended development is estimated at $7,220,000 and is broken down into three basic phases. Cer- tain actions can be undertaken immediately. Immediate actions would create an entry at Jefferson and a green park with a stabilized shoreline at the undeveloped Detroit River for $842,000. Phase One develops the Interpretive Center exhibition facilities. It also begins the development of Mt. Elliott Park, the Mt. Elliott Street improve- ments and mini park at Jefferson. The estimated cost is $398569000. Phase Two develops the concession facilities in the Interpretive Center, the Entry Plaza to the park area and completes Mt. Elliott Park for an es- timated cost of $114751000. 4 HISTORY Much of Detroit's rich and varied history is strongly rooted along the Detroit River. It was the reason for the location of the early Of. Indian and French settlements and was the v ehicle by which the early city was sus- tained. Shipworks, sawmills, and ironworks flourished along the river and Detroit became an intense center of trade and manufactur7 ing. To help maintain the health, safety and wel- fare of its citizens and protect them from natural disasters and foreign ene- accidents, mies, the United States Congress established the U. S. Lighthouse Board in 1852 and they, in turn erected the Lighthouse Depot near V , 00,%, 7A the foot of Mt. Elliott Street at Wight Street in the early 1870's. The purpose of this handsome 4-story Romanasque Revival build- ing was to store oil, soap, and all 0 ti.er supplies essential to maintaining light- houses and other aids to navigation for the Detroit area. Since the completion of construction in 1874 the Detroit Lighthouse Depot has had the singular function of serving the Great Lakes Region as a central storehouse for lighthouse supplies and bouys. Although its history lacks drama and excitement it has, nonethe- less, been significant in playing a necessary . . ... ... in maintaining the safety and naviga- role bility of the Detroit area. The Light House South elevation of Lig htho use S u p ply D e p o t Depot building has been nominated to the showing original iron shutters. National Register of Historic Places by the 5 . . . . .... . . .... . .... . @MiPnmm 45@ BEEN., IF A, ... .. . .. . . . . . . . .. . .. ... . .. q L i g h t Ho u s e B oar d Ce ntr a 1 0u o y & S u p pI y 8 a s e c r ca 1917 Note a b s ence of e I ev a to r to w e r a nd t h e E S A Building, at r i gh t , before its expansio n 6 Department of Transportation, United States storehouse called the "Light House Depot" was Coast Guard Ninth District. The following erected at the foot of Mt. Elliott Street, just history is taken in large part from the nomi- south of Wight Street. The voluminous re- nation form. cords of the U. S. Lighthouse Board, located at the Na@ional Archives, document its con- After its creation by Congress in 1852, the struction. nine-member U.S. Lighthouse Board divided the country into twelve lighthouse districts. In 1870 the Lighthouse Board reported that, They appointed an inspector and an engineer "All the oil and other supplies for the light- to each district. The inspector, who was an house on the lakes are received at, and dis- officer of the Army, prepared plans and tributed from this depot. The small tempo- specifications for new lighthouses, supervised rary storehouse of wood is not only inade- their construction and repair, and had quate in size and unadapted to the service, charge of the installati Ion and repair of all but is unsafe for the storage of such valu- illuminating apparatus. able combustible property ... 11 The project of building a more permanent masonry store- The Lighthouse Board set up a central supply house was conceived and begun during depot at Staten Island, New York. Later, Orlando M. Poe's tenure as engineer for the the Board established a supply depot in each Eleventh Lighthouse District (1870-1873). In lighthouse district for the storage of fuel a letter to the scientist Joseph Henry, who oil, spare illuminating apparatus, buoys, then was serving as Chairman of the Light- and miscellaneous supplies. By 1880, the house Board, Poe wrote: number of districts had been enlarged from twelve to fifteen. Detroit served as head- In spring of 1870 1 entered upon duty as quarters for the Eleventh Lighthouse District Engineer of the Ilth L.H. District and which included the American shores of the soon afterwards submitted to (the) Board Detroit River, Lakes St . Clair, Huron, a project for the improvement of the Superior, the Straits of Mackinac, and the grounds and basin, to fit the Depot to St. Marys River. The Eleventh District was the increased wants of the L.H. (Board).. the largest in the country in extent of shore- The improvements actually carried out line ar-.Ld- second largest in number of light- were the building of bulkheads across the houses. water front and filling in behind -- the dredging of the basin to a uniform depth A "buoy and supply depot" was first estab- ... (and) erecting a fireproof storehouse lished at Detroit about 1869 on the grounds of 40'x 60' in plan having an oil cellar of the U. S, Marine Hospital, That year the in the basement ... hospital transferred a portion of its grounds between Wight Street and the Detroit River The depot was to be used by the district in- to the U. S. Treasury Department, which had spector and engineer. According to Poe, "in responsibility for all lighthouse matters. constructing the storehouse, it was symmetri- Between 1871 and 1874, a new government cally divided on its shortest dimension the 7 "g-n.k 00'@ .@T 4M:;Y. 77'7 '.n .. .. ........ .. th:9 . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . R- VL@ P ..... ... .. .. .. N VS .. . . .... . .... .. . . .. ..... ... .. .... 'Uv .. . .... ........ .. . ... ...... 41-1';"'@'i'4@. :o", AT" .. ..... .. . IF: 'A 77 A.; -4. m. tX.- . ............. .... ... . .. . ....... Ozx Ojt4@4 A` q px, . ...... . . :'J, Q . ... ....... . vAl R; 4 . .. ...... .. .. .. .. kj: .... . .. . . . . . .... 'ma T h i s sfieet of construction drawings d e t a i I i n w i n d o w s a n d d o o r s w as origin ally in color. 8 object being to make a series of rooms on nal fittings, and the facility served both the either side of a good wide hall, the rooms Eleventh and Ninth Lighthouse Districts (the on one side of the hall to be occupied by latter comprising Lake Erie and Lake On- the engineers, and those on the other side tario) The building today is part of the by the inspector." 4 U. S. Coast Guard Base Detroit. The Coast Guard has had responsibility for the con- During 1871) the basement and first two struction, maintenance, and operation of all floors of the building were completed. A aids to navigation since 1939. The depot is temporary roof was erected to protect the still largely used for storage of navigation building until work resumed the following equipment and supplies, although part of the spring. During 1872, the walls of the third first floor has been remodeled for office use story were "finished to receive the brackets" and a portion of the basement serves as a and again covered with a temporary roof recreation room. The basement no longer is while construction was suspended for the used to store fuel oil, since virtually all winter. Work resumed in April 1873. Con- lighthouses now are powered by electricity. 6 struction of the fireproof iron and slate room was completed and wooden floors were laid These functions were taken over by the Ninth in some of the rooms, "great care being ex- District of the U. S. Coast Guard in 1939. ercised to see that the space between 'them With a few alterations, the building is still and the supporting arches was 5 completely used today as it was then. Much of the filled with sand well rammed in." space is inadequate, cramped and does not function well for the expanding maintenance Work continued during 1874, "until the money duties required of this base. Therefore, the was all expended". The ground around the U. S. Coast Guard plans to abandon three building was graded; sash for all windows structures on the base and to construct a were hung; the elevator was installed; the consolidated new industrial and administra- front and basement (11all of iron") were tive facility on adjacent property designed hung; and the basement flagging and the to better serve the required maintenance of rest of the floors were laid. I n . 1874, the vessels and aids to navigation. Lighthouse Board requested an additional $10,000 from Congress to complete work on the Footnotes: depot and build a new landing dock. The request was granted and, between 1875 and 1. Francis Ross Holland, Jr., America's 1876) a new dock was built and iron shutters Lighthouses: Their Illustrated History Since were installed on all windows in the depot. -17-1-6---l Brat t I eboro, Vt.: The Stephen Green Lighthouse records do not indicate who Press 1972), pp. 35-36. erected the building, but such projects usu- ally bid to 'private contractors. 2. lbid, and Arnold Burges Johnson, The Moder Lighthouse Service (Washington, D.C.: By 1890, the storage function of the depot Government Printing Office 1889), pp. 106- had been enlarged to include steam fog sig- 107, 119-120. 9 3. "Detroit Buoy & Supply Depot" clippings f i le, Records of the Un i ted States Coast Guard, Record Group 26, Judicial and Fiscal Branch, National Archives, Washington, D.C. 4. 0. M. Poe to Prof. Joseph Henry, 14 Jan- uary 187-, Records of the United States Coast Guard, National Archives. 5. "Detroit Buoy & Supply Depot" clippings f i le. 6. Carol Poh Miller, National Register of Historic Places, Inventory - Nominating Form for the Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard, Ninth District. w 4@@, 1, MO. L 'AW qm :.i,:I . . .... ..... .... L OPP- ism 77 -A Pier ex pansion a nd i mpro veme nts circ a1922 10 LAND USE DEVELOPMENT EXISTING LAND USE & CIRCULATION Land use in the area adjacent to the Coast Guard Base has historically been industrial in nature with commercial uses along Jeffer- son. The site for the proposed Interpretive Center is the U. S. Coast Guard Group/Base Detroi t located at the foot of Mt. E I I iott Street, 1.8 miles east of the Renaissance Cen- ter and .45 miles west of the Belle Isle Bridge. The Coast Guard site is bisected by Wight Street. The parcel north of Wight is 0.76 acres, vacant of any structures and used for buoy storage. The parcel south of Wight consists of 2.04 acres of land area with an additional 1.9 acres of slips and pier. To the east of the Interpretive Center site is a 7.34 acre industrial site. This site had been leased by the Seymore Weissman Com- pany to the Re-Steel Center, White Color Card Company, and the J & J Cartage Company. In 1980 the City of Detroit took title to the property for the Mt. Elliott Park and is pre- sently completing negotiations for the pur- chase of fixtures and relocation of the com- panies. None of the industries on the site utilize the river frontage and an assessment prepared for the City of Detroit, noted that "most of the existing development has little or no connection with the water and most could be moved to other areas without seri- ous loss of operational capability." O*ON __J L 111111 WHIM 1111111111 r,77 El Mll -IV lulls orTy op peiporr ,70 IQ_1 loon Sim VUT@Xol'r FWeP--' EXISTING LAN CIRCULATI01' 12 This parcel was purchased with funding pro- proportioned colonial style structure. A vided by he Department of the Interior, contemporary glass addition was added to Land and Water Conservation Fund. There the rear in the 1950's. The site is well are significant restrictions covering the uses maintained and forms an attractive entry of land acquired in this manner. These re- along Mt. Elliott Street. South of the I.maii- strictions require that the land remain re- gration Building is a large parking lot that creational in perpetuity and may not have is not fully utilized and is somewhat unat- any structures erected on it except those tractive. used for the service and maintenance of the park, concessions, comfort stations, storage, Vacant land and auto dealerships exist or open-sided shelters. northwest of the Coast Guard Station. This property, along with the City-owned parcel East of the proposed Mt. Elliott Park site is south of Wight Street, is under consideration the Uniroyal Plant, a large industrial com- for development by the American Natural Re- plex abandoned by Uniroyal and bought by sources Co. (A.N.R.). The City-owned parcel the City of Detroit with Community Develop- is free of any structures and has 750 feet of ment Block Grant funds. Much of Uniroyal's river frontage. riverfront property, developed for parking, is readily adaptable for recreational use and Circulation routes through and around the open space. site include rail, auto, truck, bicycle, and pedestrian paths. Jefferson Avenue is the Northeast of the Coast Guard Base is an area nearest major vehicular artery. Mt. Elliott, of mixed industrial buildings which are of north of Jefferson, has been made into an good scale and character. The most signifi- attractive boulevard. South of Jefferson, cant of these brick structures is the multi- however, roads are narrow, unattractive and story Warnock Spring building located on the in poor repair. Traffic on Mt. Elliott and corner of Wight and Mt. Elliott Streets. This Wight Streets is ligh It. building appears to have potential for adap- tive re-use. Some dilapidated commercial Rail traffic has run on the streets interfer- buildings exist along Jefferson that have in- ring with vehicular movement. However in teresting facades and offer the potential for June 1981, Conrail abandoned its tracks in rejuvenation. An antiquated vacant gas the area. This eliminates traffic conflicts, station at Mt. Elliott and Jefferson may be funding is needed to remove the rail spurs removed to improve access, visibility and and repave the streets. entrance image down Mt. Elliott to the Inter- pretive Center. Pedestrian traffic is minimal due to the non- existence or poor repair of sidewalks and the To the north of the Coast Guard Station is lack of, or distance between, attractions. the Federal Building housing the Bureau of A signed-off bicycle route has been con- Immigration and Naturalization. The original structed by the City of Detroit Recreation building fronting Jefferson Avenue -is a wp'l'l Department as of September 1981 along Wight 13 it) trwolOw rr sell Q-0- OFF Jerr mm xpf 1 =1 . fv 1=6 "Ile Will wt&tiT qU2CPrfl 44W ri vow OF F-I FCUTU 6rK m vmorr rmrfaL -P jWA Nor Fol gr aP Ul _C190 'W V11- --ua tW1 Ira -@ ..q j 'I-j U@ 11 1 L@,7, PAC, p ornroff RNM SITE ANALY 14 to Mt. Elliott to Jefferson, and east along and rubble. The 350 foot Coast Guard pier Jefferson to Belle Isle. The entire route is constructed of reinforced concrete decking links the Island to"the proposed Mt. Elliott on wood piles, is in good repair and is ser- Park and Interpretive Center area, to the viced with 200 amp electrical service. The rest of the east riverfront area and on to shoreline of the City of Detroit parcel, west the Central Business District of the Coast Guard, is composed of a variety of material, including dilapidated reinforced SITE ANALYSIS concrete and steel sheet pile. Topography in the Interpretive Center area The major utilities in the area include four lacks any significant grade changes, but five-foot diameter sewers below Mt. Elliott drops steadily twenty-one feet from Jefferson Street which act as a storm overflow from the Avenue toward the river. The railroad Jefferson intercepter. Also, along Mt. tracks passing under Jefferson Avenue be- Elliott Street are a 3" and 411 gas line, a 1511 tween Meldrum and the Uniroyal plant begin sewer and overhead electrical service. Along a deep trough that continues northward. Wight Street are a 2'811 x 41 sewer and a 12" The proposed Mt. Elliott Park site slopes two gas line. feet from Wight Street to the river's edge. The water line is approximately five to seven PROPOSED LAND USE & CIRCULATION feet below the land edge. Aft er assessing surrounding land uses, pro- There is no significant vegetation in the posed developments, impacts on the site, the area except a few mature trees by the Immi- Coast Guard buildings, and reassessing the gration Building at Jefferson. The City of proposed Mt. Elliott design, three land use Detroit parcel west of the Coast Guard Base and circulation alternatives were developed. is covered with grasses, woody scrub growth, and undesirable trees. The Mt. Elliott site Alternative One is devoid of vegetation outside of minor growth at the river's edge. Based on the potential for intense develop- ment of this area, Alternative One takes an Shoreline characteristics in the area vary active approach to programming the site of from reinforced steel sheet pile to rubble. the Interpretive Center and Park. This The entire edge at the proposed Mt. Elliott rationale is based on proposals for residen- Park is unstabilized, broken concrete on a tial development on the A.N.R. site and ex- steep embankment. Construction will be re- isting structures suitable for new develop- quired to make the edge useable and safe. ment or rehabilitation into mixed use on ad- East along the Uniroyal site, the edge is jacent properties (Uniroyal and Warnock). made of steel sheet pile which is in good The existing brick buildings north of Wight condition. The Coast Guard slips are steel and east of Mt. Elliott currently have viable sheet pile except for the western edge which industrial uses. They are old, in need of is formed by the remains of a concrete wall repair and existing functions could be more 15 13AIIVN83i-lV YM r nrvRT 00 Do* 0. *0,0 (JW *ww aA+-AIWQ 4 -*WM jo Inik INGIA 2NI WY aAM j17 avl_ tl al IY9 1, 0 0 41 ,a@u -W" lloaOb =OLLI9 ov-divio-) WcA efficiently housed in new structures. There of the land and the City would incur is a long-term potential for adaptive re-use an unnecessary purchase expense.) in this area, including loft apartments, com- mercial, office or restaurants and cafes. 2. Land lease and deve,,lopment by the City. Wight Street east of Mt. Elliott is proposed as the entry image to proposed mixed use 3. Cooperative development by the Feder- development at Uniroyal. Wight Street west al and City Governments. of Mt, El I iott is relocated north approxi- mately 100 feet to align with its eastern ex- If none of these options work, the parking tension and act as the entry image to the structure may be located on the southeast A.N.R. housing site. If warehouses adjoin- corner of Jefferson and Mt. Elliott behind ing Iron Street between Wight and Jefferson the landscaped entry image area. This site are converted to public use, the street can would be more visible, but further from the be enclosed into a pedestrian mail. Park and Interpretive Center. An extension of the trolley from the Central A central plaza is the focus of pedestrian Business District along existing rail lines flow from the parking deck, the Interpretive can supply an alternate method of transpor- Center, the Park and the converted ware- tation. Pub1lic pedestrian access to the houses. Mt. Elliott terminates in a circular Detroit River is maintained wherever possible drop-off at this plaza. A mini-amphi theater, via a promenade that can buffer private lighting, seating, bosque of trees, and an development if desired, Sample alternatives entry sign are incorporated into this plaza. to private/public interface are explored in A nautical monument is proposed in the cen- the Issues Section of this report. ter of a drop-off circle acting as a focal point for travellers from along Wight or Mt. Given the increased intensity of development E I I iott. It is constructed of a large buoy in this Alternative, a three level, three donated by the U. S. Coast Guard and de- hundred car parking structure is proposed signed to demonstrate the functions of a buoy on the northwest corner of Wight and MI. as well as be a dramatic visual object. A Elliott Streets. While serving the Park and complete description of the interpretive buoy Interpretive Center, it could be linked via is found under a separate listing in this skyways to the Immigration Building and report. converted warehouses. This location places the parking structure on Federa I I y-owned In order to acquire the Coast Guard's 2.5 land. Development options are: acres of buildings and land for the Inter- pretive Center and Plaza (including Light 1. Acquisition and development by the House Depot, Machine Shop, the Exchange City. (This seems unlikely since the Building, and the buoy storage yard north Federal Government would lose control of Wight Street), a land trade is proposed 17 with a City-owned parcel of 3.2 acres west ties for fishing, such as pole supports, seat- of the Coast Guard. The City-owned parcel i ng, water faucets, and various levels of extends approximately 250 feet west of the differrent sizes for intimate, as we[ I as existing Coast Guard property. A 50 foot group, fishing. Safe areas are provided for section inland from the Harbor Line is pro- barrier-free fishing access. posed to remain City-owned for the pedestrian promenande and Coast Guard viewing. Other Promenade Continuing eastward along land trade alternatives are presented in this the river's edge across Uniroyal to the Belle report under the title "Land Use Issues". Isle Bridge, a promenade allows for contin- ued access to the river and includes light- Mt. Elliott Park is health and activity ori- ing, s.eating, telescopes, and interpretive ented in order to coordinate with the inter- signage noting points of interest. pretive themes of the proposed Interpretive Center. Eastward, the Park is shown ex- I. Contoured Seating The existing grade panded by 8.8 acres into the City-owned Uni- of Mt. Elliott Park (4-5' above Mt. Elliott royal site. This increases the proposed Park Street) is utilized by contouring the grade at to 16.14 acres to accomodate participatory the southwest corner of the site to allow for functions and to increase public access to wide grass steps for sitting and viewing of the River. One of the three existing build- Coast Guard and river activities and for ings on the site is proposed to be demol- impromptu picnics (although no specific pic- ished, while the two remaining are proposed nic facilities are provided in this area). for re-use. The large Re-Steel Corp. build- ing is proposed as a sheltered area by re- Nautical Monument Located at the top moving walls and leaving structure and roof. of the seating area, visible from the river The concrete block building facing Mt. and the central plaza, is a monument dedi- Elliott is proposed to be re-used as a stor- cated to a significant nautical event or age, concession and office building. disaster, such as the sinking of the carrier Edmund Fitzgerald. This monument will be The park functions include the following the terminus of the Interpretive Center Walk- activities and areas: ing Trail. Overlook Located at the river's edge Interpretive Walking Trail Located at the foot of the Mt. Elliott Street right-of- in the center of Mt. Elliott Park is a trail way, it provides a hard surface area extend- that has linkages to the Interpretive Center ing into the river with telescopes to view and continues the interpretive theme out- Coast Guard activities, Belle Isle, Canada, doors. The trail is based on the Great shipping vessels, and other activities hap- Lakes, their history, natural geography, ex- pening along the river. isting use, and future. Signage, plaques, rel ief in the walk and walls, and free Fishing Area Located at the river's standing displays can tell stories in an in- edge next to the Overlook, it provides ameni- triguing way. Rolling topography, land- 18 scaping and natural flower aras make the Seating Game Table Area Seating path a more pleasant and enclosed experi- and game tables are located under the adap- ence. tive steel frame shelter between the plaza and the children's play area. It is in- View Hill Set to the rear of the site, tended as an area for seniors and parents away from the river, a five foot to seven to watch children at play and the activities foot hill rises parallel to the north line of in the plaza area. Game tables include the site undulating in and out, up and chess, backgammon, checkers and the like. down, for interest. This hill is to increase the view of the river from the back of the Picnic Area An area is provided in site. This hill extends under the adapted the center of the Park for picnics. This steel frame building raising the ground to place provides for shaded as well as sunny increase the potential view of the river from areas, and has tables, benches and barbe- that point. cues provided. Children's Physical Fitness Interpretive Play Area This play area is located on the view hill beneath the adapted steel frame shelter to allow for rainy day and extended winter use. The play area is based on a fitness theme, yet has a myriad of activi- ties appealing to youngsters. Bicycle Agility Course The bicycle path passes through the site from Mt. Elliott along the northern edge (to avoid pedestrian conflicts) and then to the promenade at ap- proximately 200-300 feet west of the east bor- der. In this 200-300 feet, a Bicycle Agility Trail is located that tests one's bicycle skills, as well as providing information on bicycle safety, use and limitations. Interpretive Jogging Course This jog- ging/exercise trail winds around the site and provides the opportunity for people to exer- cise out-of-doors at their own pace. Si gnage tells the user not only what to do, but what effect the exercise has on conditioning and overall physical and mental health. 19 ou urt FMUIT- CFU 10"FRenve C%JMR P"I r"TTKY M016C m lwm =meow== ARM 70 Wr Mev-, mf4qpb vml M= Pir-C Rum NN)TWAt, INI DUV( JXu_ rep ALTERNATIV 20 Alternative Two royal development since it acts as a This land use and circulation proposal major access to the development. assumes the same development concepts as 3. The 200-300 foot dimension is the Alternative One but to a lesser degree of in- average distance back from the river tensity. The A.N.R. residential development that allows users to still relate to is assumed to provide its own recreation water activity. with a marina bisecting the site. Riverfront access is still maintained across the marina The land trade to acquire the Coast Guard by a floating bridge that swings open when buildings for the Interpretive Center is simi- boats approach. lar to Alternative One. The 50 foot easement at the river's edge extends the riverfront Warehouse conversions north of the Park site promenade along to an overlook at the Coast are projected to occur at a slower pace and Guard Station. less intensive level . The City-owned Uni- royal parcel may be redeveloped for new in- Pedestrian access to the river is maintained dustry, a research park or commercial use. along the A.N.R. site. A major pedestrian area and overlook is proposed at the Adair In this Alternative the Mt. Elliott Park takes St. Warehouse. The pedestrian access along less land area. The northern 200 feet of the river turns north from the shore at Adair the original park area north of the parking Street and crosses through the development lot is traded for a portion of the City-owned at Wight Street. Added excitement is created Uniroyal parcel adjacent to the Detroit River through visual access to the river where the east of the park site. This would extend A.N.R. marina meets a mini-park at Wight 300 feet back from the river at the Mt. Street. Public access continues east to the Elliott site and narrow to a minimum of 100 plaza at the Interpretive Center, through Mt. feet at the eastern extremity. The total Elliott Park and along the waterfront to trade would involve relinquishing two acres Belle Isle. of the northern part of Mt. Elliott for 4.8 acres along the river, for a total park of A plaza in front of the Interpretive Center 10.14 acres. is extended only to Wight Street. The area north of Wight is improved by A.N.R. as the This smaller park (as opposed to Alternative major entry for that development. One) is suggested for several reasons: Due to .. less intense development proposed in 1. A smaller park area demands lower this Alternative, the parking structu.re is no development, maintenance and surveil- longer provided northwest of Mt. Elliott and lance costs. Wight. Surface level parking remains in use by the Immigration facility during the week 2. The portion acquired by Uniroyal could and is proposed opened to the public on be improved and maintained by Uni- weekends. A 70-car lot is provided on the 21 Mt. Elliott site for users of the park and Alternative Three the Interpretive Center. A drop-of f i s located between the parking lot and the In- This alternative assumes the Mt. Elliott In- terpretive Center. terpretive Center is not immediately imple- mented. This might happen for several rea- Functions in the park are similar to those sons: in Alternative One. The Re-Steel building and the concrete block building are removed 1. The funding for eight development or to make way for the land trade and park- for operation is not immediately avail- i ng. For access and security reasons, com- able and so defers the Interpretive fort facilities and a shelter are provided in Center to a later time. small structures near the drop-off area. The overlook, fishing area, .promenade, contoured 2. Potential participants initially showing seating, and nautical monument are similar interest are not able to create exhibits to Alternative One. The Interpretive Walk- or displays for the Center. ing Trail, View Hill, Bicycle Agility Course, and the Interpretive Jogging Course are all 3. Operators are not available for the reduced in scale to fit within the limited concession functions within the build- area of the park. The Seating and Game i ngs. Table area is incorporated into the entry plaza in front of the Interpretive Center. 4. A trade with the Coast Guard cannot be fully negotiated. If the Interpretive Center is not developed immediately, or at all, the Mt. Elliott Park can still succeed as indicated in ei ther Alternative One or Alternative Two. Develop- ment clan occur around the Coast Guard buildings, setting the stage for eventual adaptive re-use. This would presume Coast Guard retention of ownership of the build- ings for safekeeping in the immediate future while any negotiations required take place. 22 LAND U@E ISSUES Some future uses and configurations of land adjacent to the Mt. Elliott Parks and the In- terpretive Center are a s yet u nreso I ved, therefore, five issues (riverfront access, buoy storage location, Coast Guard expan- sion, potential road closings, and develop ment entries) are developed with alternative solutions. Riverfront Access Public riverfront access at private develop- ments has generated a major concern over issues of privacy, security, and marketabi I- Or ity versus issues of recreation and public Interest. In the area west of the Mt. Elliott A Park, proposed by A.N.R. for residential development, four of the many methods of resolving these issues are shown. Not shown is the ideal solution in which public access and private development blend without de- signed separation. M, In light of developers' concerns for security, the following alternatives are suggested: I . A promenade is placed along the river's edge, with a berm screening the public 77, from the private. A fence provides addi- tional securi ty. The berm, however, could disrupt the view of the Detroit vl@R@@-: 4, River from the private development. 23 2. A promenade is placed along the river's edge and separated from private develop- ment by a landscaped area. At the back of the public area, the ground drops to form a trench with a wall or fence out of site and not obstructing views. How- ever, the trench i tse I fmay become a maintenance or security problem by col- lecting trash or providing a place to hide. 3. Private development is raised above the public areas, allowing for a grade sepa- ration as well as visual connection to the river over the public area. The amount of fill required to raise the site could, however, become costly. 4. This method provides for separation by gently sloping the grass and planting area of the public promenade away from the river, which when reaching a depth of four feet, terminates in a wall rising seven feet six inches. This is the recom- mended way of providing the separation since it does not obstruct either the pub- lic view or the housing area view of the river. In all cases, access to the river by private development could be achieved by way of an elevated walkway as shown in Alternative Four. A stair winds up to a level 10' above L) the promenade to a bridge that crosses the public area to a river overlook. Another series of steps may lead to a floating pier in the river. Through variations of this methods, public and private interests can be met whi le creating i mproved vistas and sheltered areas. 24 Coast Guard Expansion The proposed Coast Guard expansion includes only a moderate increase in the Coast Guard property, but more importantly, new struc- tures and land configuration will allow the Coast Guard to perform functions more effi- ciently and with greater speed. Three alter- native directions are explored: 1. This option would exchange 2.5 acres of the Coast Guard property (including the historic buildings, the ground area they are sited on, and the buoy storage area north of Wight Street) with 3.2 acres of the City of Detroit parcel to the west. The proposed western boundary is shown 250 feet from the present western Coast Guard property line. The southern bound ary is shown 50 feet from the river (al- lowing for public easement). The north- to-south dimension of the proposed parcel is 500 feet. This location is advanta- geous because it greatly facilitates move- ment between ships, building and storage, and because the property to be traded is already city-owned and would not have to be acquired. It's easy access from Wight Street facilitates entry and removes Coast Guard operations from the proposed recreation functions on Mt. Elliott Street. 2. This option exchanges the same Coast Guard property noted in option 1 for a 3.2 acre parcel to the east of the Coast Guard base. This option has the advant- ages of removing the Base functions from the proposed housing development and uti- lizes the seawall already existing along the east side of the slip. Several prob- COAST GUARD EXPANSION 25 lems do exist. The trade would involve buildings to developers of adjacent housing closing or relocating the Mt. Elliott pub- for incorporation into the residential design lic right-of-way to the river. This is as pla@a space or river overlooks. it is currently against City policy and would recognized that this could be achieved only involve a decision by Council. The trade if security and safety requirements could be would also involve relinquishing land ob- met. However, it is felt that creative solu- tained with Land and Water Conservation tions may yet be available that will maxi- Funding (which contradicts criteria that mize use and assist residential/Coast Guard land acquired with this funding remain in interface. public recrea t i on use in perpe t u i t y) . Another problem is that in the Mt. Elliott right-of-way is a large storm sewer out- flow to the river. This would make con- struction in this area impossible or ex- tremely costly. The largest concern is that the trade to the east infringes on valuable park land and segregates a necessary connection between the Inter- pretive Center and the Mt. Elliott Park. 3. This option shows the Coast Guard site as it presently exists and is presented in the event that the Coast Guard decides not to expand or that the City does not find the necessary funding or users to operate in the Interpretive Center. It should be noted that while option number one is preferred and is shown in the sug- gested site plan, variations derived through negotiations between interested parties may yield optimum benefit. It may be possible for the Coast Guard to consolidate their new requirements by massing some of their. pro- posed new building into two stories by Wight Street. Or more radically, the Coast Guard could lease their rights to the roofs of new 26 BLI Oy Storage Locations One of the functions of this Coast Guard Base is the repair and replacement of aids to navigation in the Great Lakes. This re- quires storage on or adjacent to the Base for buoys that are being refurbished, out of sea- son (there are winter buoys and summer buoys), or for large replacement parts (an- chors, chains, cages, spares, nuns and cans). This buoy storage yard has alterna- tively been described as a visually in- triguing function related to the nautical lore and romance of the area or an indus- trial eyesore. Therefore five options are described: 1. The recommended location for buoy stor- age is directly west of the Coast Guard 51 ips. This assumes the Coast Guard Base is expanded to the west - this location has been recommended by the Coast Guard offi- M" cials as the most desirable and has the ad- vantage of being located away from the park Lp 7 area for safety and security reasons. The reservation about this location is that only the view of the storage might be undesirable from, po- to, and cause negative reactions of the City of PEIM tential residential developers Detroit parcel to the west. would have the 2. This storage location same ease of operation as the first and IL @u would not be adjacent to either the park or the housing development. Being in the cen- ter of the Coast Guard activities, this loca- tion would be extremely inconvenient, inter- BUOY STORAGE fere with the operations of the Base, and .IV LorATIONS not be desirable to Coast Guard officials. .JI-11 27 3. The third location assumes Coast Guard expansion to the east. This option has all the advantages of the first and would be just as desirable if the Coast Guard expan- sion were to the west. However, this would require relocating Mt. Elliott Street, possibly restructuring or relocating the storm sewers below Mt. Elliottj and relinquishing land ob- tained with Land and Water Conservation Funds. 4. This is the present location of the buoy storage and can remain so if Wight Street does not become an entry to the proposed A.N.R. development. However, it is not a convenient location since buoys must be transported via lift or truck through devel- opment and recreation land. Storing buoys this far from the docks not only continues an inefficient and time consuming practice, but now become hazardous since Abring and moving these massive steel structures around the public may cause injury. 5. This proposal stores the buoys in the existing Re-Steel building and has the ad- vantage of completely removing them from sight for those concerned about the aesthetics of buoy storage. It does however ose all P the safety problems of storage off-site plus . . ... .... occupies valuable park land and the play and seating shelter. . . . ........ .............. E)@Isting bouy storage across Wight at the Coast Guard Base. 28 Development Entries Surrounding Mt. Elliott Park and the Inter- pretive Center are several development areas. These include the Uniroyal development area, the American Natural Resources development area, the industrial buildings north of Wight and east of Mt. Elliott, and the Adair Street warehouse conversion. The entries to these areas are crucial to cir- culation f low and proper stimulation of development necessary to maintain the vital- ity of the area. Both Uniroyal and American Natural Resources have frontage directly on Jefferson. The need for access from Jefferson Avenue becomes a question of type of development, the need for identity and visibility from Jefferson, and control and security. Direct access off Lim ;4."[ 'k4la_ NMN OMMOMMENRI, Jefferson would be necessary for commercial/ office development, whereas access from an J improved Mt. Elliott by a park would be @11 more desirable for housing development. lweu Adair Street becomes the major access be- 'L4 f. i.- tween the Adair Street Warehouse Conversion and Jefferson Avenue. It can also act as a western entry to the American Natural Re- source Housing development. The major entry to the Mt. Elliott Park and the Interpretive Center is at Jefferson Avenue along Mt. Elliott Street. An entrance image is created by a mini-park developed at the DEVELOPMENT vacant gas station on the southeast corner of ENTRIES Jefferson and Mt. Elliott, which opens a 29 vista and balances the already attractive g WiV image generated by the Immigration Depart- ment across Mt. Elliott. NO Vehicular traffic down Mt. Elliott terminates at a drop-off plaza which defines the Park and orients the user to parking and specific attractions, such as the Interpretive Center. At this point vehicles can turn east or west for movement into or through developments. '.0, AAR ... .... ...... ... . . .. This vacant gas station at Mt. Elliott and Jefferson is proposed to be removed for an entrance mini park. ,5 0 _RZ W9 It.,..AL-- ILL Aim -44 ......... U@, ,The intersection at Wight and Mt. Ell iott. Mt. Elliott from this point to the river is proposed as a pedestrian promenade. Wight is proposed as an entry to the ANR Development. 30 Potential Road Closings It is a natural development of the project area undergoing major land use changes that certain streets be expanded and others be closed. Mt. Elliott Street is proposed to be- come a major connector to Jefferson. The potential for conversion of the industrial buildings north of Wi ght and east of Mt. Elliott to pedestrian oriented use might eliminate the need for Iron and Meldrum Streets. It is proposed that the northern portion of Meldrum be maintained as a 'service access to the conversion and Iron Street is trans- formed to an enclosed pedestrian mail con- necting Jefferson to Wight. Mt. Elliott Street south of Wight is closed to automobile traffic and becomes an integral part of Mt. Elliott Park as a promenade con- Mine necting the drop-off circle to the overlook at 4_1 __1U IF Con on S the river. The closing of Wight Street to automobiles could become necessary to limit traffic through J, the proposed residential areas. This is left to the discretion of the planners of the de- velopment. However, pedestrians and bicy- cles, should still be allowed access east-west through the development. 7 POTENTAL ROAD CLOSINGS 31 SITE PLAN The concepts proposed in Alternative One of The predominant center of public activity oc- the Proposed Land Use and Circulation chap- curs along a spine created by Mt. Elliott ter of this report are developed and graph- Street. This center of development is flanked ically depicted in the Site Plan. This is on both sides by large parcels to be devel- the recommended alternative which achieves oped for mixed-use with residential as its the greatest impact and encourages develop- primary function. To the far east is the ment of adjacent properties. The land use City-owned Uniroyal parcel, to the immediate program was developed and modified through east is the recently City-purchased Warnoc a series of meetings with personnel from the Spring comp I ex, and to the west is the City's Recreation Department and Planning American Natural Resources parcel. Department, and representatives from the Im- migration and Naturalization Bureau, the The intersection of Mt. Elliott and Jefferson U.S. Coast Guard, American Natural Resources is the main entry to the project area and is and many others. .............. -Y LIS J If flee - -------- -- A view of the Mt. Elliott Park riverfront shows fishing, overlook, contoured seating, Coast Guard activity viewing, a n d t h eInter p r e t i v eCe nter in the bac kground at right. 32 MT MAI I/nezT jtrr trr@- Nt T.1mr fAclvmeNp> 0 0 eftfcli fp?4qw-xfkauK- c"C&CIve, F) 60-F &*Ao@q@p IM7&WB U) &HT L-Al -A-! I T 7@@WAZ"Mft " COO' CtL4l"CV Cen' im W4VeM &wNM4.f= e*LAwrl vuof VIEW w4J// ekvfp &F^rADN OAf9a/&AMT'l- merift1we APHR NTLKFFM- cca4,@,". T col" Mcmcphm- w&@ eme Fiemx, ;si^. CZ IWJI (N@,Tlmb MTROVT f;(NtR -XNuIb vtwlw@: FROlAaw"m rKNIX DwrLOPNZNt WITH -elckow @@&UNFIO MT eWOTT "K CUAMT PUbUV, WAltFrP0,M A4@@ expl4ililou WITH rfRO4WF WA#YAM im rMI'l(l ViATwfpajr Kr ft"OW 4A'R= fVFL FUVD-ANA&K. %M Of- ww'"T .0 SITE PLA enhanced by a mini-park and entry image Mt. Elliott Park is programmed to have an where a dilapidated gas station presently intense interpretive theme and designed to stands. Mt. Elliott Street is proposed to be have a natural appearance relating both vis- repaved and landscapped with shade trees. ually and aesthetically to the river. The The sidewalks are proposed to be replaced active functions included in the Park are and enhanced with new lighting and pedes- f u I I y described in Alternative One of the trian amenities. Land Use and Circulation Alternatives. East of Mt. Elliott the existing warehouse Genera I I y, the Park includes the adaptation and industrial buildings are proposed for of the large steel industrial building to a conversion to commercial use on the ground covering for the children's physical fitness floor and portions of the second level. The play area, seating areas, and game tables, remaining levels have the appropriate bay and conversion of the concrete block building spacing and dimensions to be converted to next to Mt. El I iott Street to concessions, residential use. Connecting the two major maintenance, office, storage and comfort buildings over Iron Street is a proposed facilities. Also, in the Park are picnic glass enclosure creating a pedestrian mail areas, interpretive jogging course, the prom- linking Jefferson to Wight, which creates a enade, river edge fishing, seating and view- viable year-round shopping area. ing areas, an overlook with view telescopes, a marine interpretive trail, a bike path and West of Mt. Elliott a three level, 300 car agility course, and a nautical monument. parking structure is shown to accommodate the intensity of proposed development. At A public promenade maintaining pedestrian the foot of Mt. Elliott Street is the proposed access along the river passes through the drop-off plaza and turn-around. This plaza American Natural Resources development. will form the central gathering space for the Interpretive Center, Mt. Elliott Park, and the Warehouse Conversion, and includes auto drop-off, seat i ng, a mi ni-amphi theater, the Interpretive Buoy, and the beginning of the Marine Interpretive Walk. The Coast Guard Base is expanded to the west to include an additional 3.2 acres with new development, including a light industrial building, administration building, storage and boat shelter space, buoy storage, the M.S.O. office, parking, and an improved western edge of the slip with a boat hoist- way/launch. 34 A v ie w into t h e R e-Stee 1 b u il d i n g co n verte d as a s he Iter s h o w s t h e se niors are a g a m e ta bles a n d c hildre n I s p 1 a y a r e a 35 . ... ... . . . . . . ... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... ... .. . . . . . . ..... oil. oil. oil. . . .. . .. . .0 .... .... . 'P@ .. . ..... .A. IR, Wk V, 'T n,:@7 a z . .. .. .. . . ... . ... .. . . .. ......... .. .. . . .... .. . .. . ..... . ... . ... . ..... . . . ..... . . 1-5 A view of the Lighthouse Supply Depot and the Aids to Navigation building from the southwest shows its present utilitarian condition. 36 INTERPRETIVE CENTER U DEVELOPMENT lieffereCAA AIWNur@ BUILDING ASSESSMENTS The general site of the Interpretive Center is composed of four sub-sites including the area developed for the Interpretive Center, the proposed reorganization of the Coast Guard Base, the Mt. Elliott Park Site, and the newly announced American Natural Re- sources housing site. The Interpretive Cen- ter sub-site contains three buildings which are currently used by the Coast Guard, but are proposed for adaptive reuse as the Inter- pretive Center. The first and most prominent is the Light- house Depot Building consisting of four stories, a substantial attic, and a basement. The Lighthouse Depot is currently used for the storage of supplies, office space, and a recreation deck. A one-story building attached to the west wall of the Lighthouse Depot houses the Aids to Navigation shop. The second most prominent building is the Engineering Services Activity (E.S.A.) build- ing, located just east of the Lighthouse Depot Building. It is a three-story structure with a partial basement and is currently used as a machine shop on the first level, offices on the second, and storage on the third. 37 The third and smallest building is the one- This description is taken directly from the story Exchange Building. It is attached to National Register of Historic Places Inventory the E.S.A. Building on the south side by a prepared by a historic preservation sonsult- recently installed passageway. The Exchange ant to the U. S. Coast Guard Ninth District. Building was originally built as a garage, Corrections or additions are in brackets. but is currently used as a retail outlet for the Coast Guard Base Exchange. "The Detroit Light House Depot is located on the Detroit River in an older industrial sec- Lighthouse Depot and Supply Building tion of the City. It stands within the U.S. Coast Guard Base Detroit compound. It is a Year Constructed- 1871-1874 three-story and basement building in the Builder/Architect: Major Orlando M. Poe Romanasque revival style. The building is 40 feet by 60 feet in size. It is five bays Materials: Foundation: Ashlar Stone from both the facade and rear of the build- Exterior Walls: Brick ing. It has brick bearing walls with iron Roof: Sloping slate shin- floor joists. gles on iron trusses Gutters: Copper The building rests on an ashlar stone foun- Structure: Masonry beari'ng walls dation, which has been painted red. At the with iron columns, floor rear, the round-arched basement entrance joists and roof trusses. features a rock-faced surround with a large Wood floors on brick vaults. keystone; the foundation of the central bay features rock-faced quoins. At the front, the Summary Entrances Area round-arched main entrance is at the first floor (there is a change in grade) and is N S E W reached by a double flight of stairs. The words "LT. HO./DEPOT" appear in relief in Level I 1 1992 the stonework flanking the entrance. The Level 2 1 1992 date 111871" appears in the keystone above the Level 3 1992 doorway. Both the front and rear entrances Level 4 1992 feature round-arched double doors made of Level 5 (attic) 1992 cast iron and painted black. Total sq. f t . 9960 Above the basement, the building is con- structed of red brick set in stretcher bond. Each bay is vertically divided by projecting brick piers. Brick and stone string courses divide the first and second, and the second and third floors. The building is distin- guished by round-arched windows with stone, 38 D E vi-OUNIO T, M R OOF E Scat- 0". All E . . ........ NA k WSM U. zz, J,- ,tg,- W/ 11 .. . ... ..... Er y i . . . . .. . . . . . f 'i . .. ....... . . ... . ...... ... 'em, 4 RIP Qd,; 0 r i g i n a I w o r k i n g d r a w i n gs of the Lighthouse Depot show ing roof structure. 39 or brick and stone hoodmoulds. The hood- by iron trusses. Half of the first floor re- moulds in the central bays are made of cently was remodeled for use as an office; smooth dressed stone, those in the flanking the cast iron doors were removed, wood bays and on the sides of the building are paneling was applied over the walls, and a made of a double row of brick headers, with dropped ceiling was added. Part of the stone keystones. There are four circular t h i rd floor has been partitioned, but is attic windows, each with smooth dressed otherwise intact." (No plumbing facilities stone surrounds and four keystones. All of exist in the building outside of a simple the building's original wooden sash with 2/2 drinking fountain. No heating facilities ex- lights recently were replaced with metal sash ist in the building except electric baseboard with 1/1 lights. The original circular attic units which warm the recently remodeled of- windows are still intact. The building orig- f ice areas. ) inally had round-arched metal shutters on Measured drawings of the Lighthouse Supply each window; these have been removed. Depot and the Aids to Navigation Building follow the written assessment of the Aids to At the top of each rank of windows there is Navigation Building. arcaded corbelling. The gable roofs of the central bays intersect with the- gable roof of Aids to Navigation Building the main block. The roof is made of rectan- Year constructed: 1915 gular slate shingles, and there are integral Bu i I der/Arch i tect: Unknown copper gutters (facias and soffits). There are two inside end chimneys with open ar- Materials: Foundation: Concrete cades. A rectangular brick cupola rising Exterior Walls: Cast in from the center of the roof was added much place reinforced con- later to house the machinery for the present crete elevator. On the west side of the building, Roof: Flat, built-up on a one-story engine repair shop was added reinforced concrete on about 1920 (in 1915). iron trusses Gutters: None Inside, the building is symmetrical in plan. Structure: Reinforced concrete with A central hall accommodates the elevator iron roof trusses and, to one side, the stairway. On each side of the central hall are two storage Entrances Area rooms; the entrance to each room features N S E W double, round-arched doors made of cast Level 1 2 1275 sq. iron. The same plan is followed throughout ft. the three stories and basement. The inside walls are brick, and there are brick vaulted ceilings throughout. The roof is supported 40 ................... added The Aids to Navigation Building was to the Lighthouse Depot and Supply Building to act as a repair shop for aids to naviga- tion. No passages exist between the Light- house Depot and the building. The building is one level with a two-story crane bay used for repairing buoys, adjoin- ing the Lighthouse Depot west wall. The up- per level of the crane bay is made of iron and wood with iron trusses. Metal windows forming a clearstory on three sides of the upper area. The exterior walls are poured-in-place, rein- ALAN'.." forced, plastered concrete. The roof struc W ...... . . . .4 ture is concrete on iron trusses. Entry is through a garage door or a steel pedestrian door, both of which are on the south side. There is a concrete chimney on the northwest corner. There exists no plumbing in the building. Heat is provided by means of a gas space The Aids to Navigation Building a d d itio n to heater mounted on the ceiling. the Lighthouse Supply Depot, circa 1916. Measured drawings of the Lighthouse Depot Note the railroad tracks and the absence and Supply Building and the Aids to Naviga- of the crane bay. t-ion Building follow. 41 Emu if -u-u-u rT-PFIP LL@j 1= I It f IL I I I A TON BUILDING LIGHTHOUSE SUPPLY DEPOT SOUTH L 42 Or =Ft El El-.., LIGHTHOUSE SUPPLY DEPOT A TON BUILDING if Ell I, NORM 43 d 4 6 EAST WEST 44 FIRST THIRD MN mvi@m ux WZK \- - I I -4:L , qXF7 I-::r SECOND FOURTH 45 . .. . ...... A@ MR, 0", ;,nq AIA to o f t h e g a ra e LA T h is 1922 p h o to o f t h e E n g i n e e r i ng Ser vice Activ ity b uildin g, prior construction clearly s h o w s t h e t w o p h ases of co nstr uctio n T h e da r k e r sectio n o n t h e r i g h tw as b uilt in 1916 a n d t h e lighter sectio n in 1920. 46 Engineering Service Activity Building quarter of the building was constructed prior to 1916, with the northwest three quarters be- Year constructed: Phase One prior to 1916 ing completed in 1920. The building rests on Phase Two - 1920 a mortared rubble stone foundation with ex- terior brick bearing walls. Iron columns, Bu i I der/Arch i tect: Unknown beams, and joists support the floor. The roof structure is of wood and is of hip style Materials: Foundation: Stone rubble with four projecting gables, one on each in mortar side. The roof overhands approximately 18" Exterior Walls: Brick wi th decorative wood brackets and attached Roof: Shingles on iron metal gutters. A brick cupola projects from beams and rafters the roof and houses the freight elevator Gutters: Metal equipment. Structure: Masonry bearing wall with The windows are double-hung wood windows iron interior columns, with stone sills. No storm windows exist. floor joists and roof Some windows are bricked shut, some are structure glass blocked, and some are filled with air conditioners or ventilation fans. A chimney Summary Entrances Area projects from the roof on the east facade. Lower Level N S E W 480 Inside, the building is functional, bland, Level 1 1 3 3066 and lacks intriguing details. One stair ex- Level 2 3066 ists to all levels and does not conform to Level 3 (attic) 3066 current egress requirements. Heat for the building is provided by an old steam boiler Total 9678 in the lower level. Electric base board heat has been added in office spaces to supple- ment the steam heat. Plumbing facilities DESCRIPTION exist in this building. The building was built in two phases, al- Measured drawings of the ESA Building and though this is not readily apparent. A ver- the Exchange Building fol low the written tical joist line exists in the middle of the assessment of the Exchange Building. exterior east and south walls corresponding to a masonry bearing wall that divides the building into two sections. The southeast 47 Exchange Building Year constructed: 1930 Bu i I der/Arch i t ec t: Unknown Materials: Foundation: Not revealed Exterior Walls: Brick Roof: Flat, tar built-up roof, concrete planks on steelbeams and rafters Gutters: Metal Structure: Brick bearing wall sup- port iron beams and rafters with a concrete deck system The Exchange Building from the southwest. Summary Entrances Area N 5 E W Level I 1 1 1099 DESCRIPTION The building was originally built as a 4-bay garage. Two bays were added to the west later with larger doors, but in the sanne The building has since nondescript style. been used as the base's recreation deck but currently is used as the base exchange. All .garage doors are now windows with fencing in front of four. The building is painted white with the west wall advertising the exchange function of the building. The trim is painted black. A . . . . . . . . . . 1?z ", @, 'A, small skylighted addition acts as the main rid entrance and connects the building to the ESA Building. The ESA Building from the northwest. 48 a @t WEST ELEVATION SOUTH ELEVATION 9 u u u u 0 u u u ffl m H Esau [9 ff@ EAST ELEVATION NORTH ELEVATION 49 UNCYCAVI&Tev ""Or cr-"@e TM N@r_@4- RD" rpeemw^y LimyeAvAlw BELOW GRADE LEVEL FIRST LEVEL em/Trem-m e;T '@FV- SECOND LEVEL THIRD LEVEL t IT, 50 Existing Building Spatial Summary The following shows the quantity of space Currently available for each building by f I oor. While alterations or additions to the buildings would modify these figures, signi- f icant changes are not anticipated. The data presented forms a good basis for pro- gramming future space. Circulation/Mechanical- Usable Total Lighthouse Storage Depot S.F. % S.F. % S.F. Level One 516 5 1476 15 1992 Two 516 5 1476 15 1992 Three 516 5 1476 15 1992 Four 516 5 1476 15 1992 Attic (Storage) 0 0 1992 20 1992 Total 2064 20 7896 80 9960 Engineering Service Activity Basement 480 5 0 0 480 Level One 473 5 2593 25 3066 Two 687 7 2379 29 3066 Three 326 3 2790 26 3066 Total 1966 20 7712 80 9678 Aids to Navigation Building 0 0 1275 100 1275 Exchange Building 190 15 1100 85 1290 Grand Total 4220 17983 22203 51 INTERPRETIVE CENTER PROGRAM 2. Presentation of Plans for implementation of a holiday and weekend bicycle/pecles- In order to develop the Mt. Elliott Interpre- trian route between the Renaissance Cen- tive Center, specific themes were established ter and Belle Isle (since completed under that developed into a workable program. a separate contract). These themes were based. on the following goals: .3. Presentation of plans to adapt the his- toric Coast Guard Lighthouse Depot into 1. To relate information of significant in- an Interpretive Center and Museum. terest to large numbers of people. Of the 60 organizations invited, 41 attended, 2. This information should be educational as including governmental agencies, educational well as interesting and should be in a institutions, local businesses, the United flexible format . States Coast Guard, the United States Depart- ment of Naturalization & Immigration, the 3. It should be based on elements of life in Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Department of the Detroit area (history, industry, the Natural Resources, Detroit Neurosurgical riverfront, fitness). Foundation, and other professional and civic organizations. A questionnaire was distrib- 4. It should not duplicate information pro- uted to gather suggestions and to obtain an vided at other museums or centers, but indication of interest in the projects. Of the should act as a source of supplemental 27 forms filled in, 22 indicted a willingness information. to participate in the Interpretive Center. The questionnaire tested interest in using the With these goals in mind, a test of potential building in three ways (using exhibit space, user interest in the Interpretive Center began meeting space, and office space). A total of consisting of individual meet i ngs, letters, 21 organizations noted they would like to and contacts with various groups and organi- participate through exhibition. Of these, zations, culminating in a mini -conference. eight groups were willing to erect permanent exhibits and 13 groups to participate on a This Linked Riverfront Parks Mini-Conference rotating basis. Twelve groups indicated they was held on April 23, 1981, for the purpose would have a need for meeting space. Seven of providing information to a selected group groups would need office space, with only of interested parties, gathering suggestions one willing to use the space if rent was and generating interest in participation. charged. Other uses suggested for the Inter- The topics of the Mini-Conference were: pretive Center included a location for student field work and internship placement offices 1. An update on the Linked Riverfront Parks for Wayne State University, a visitor infor- Project. mation center, and a location for guest lec- tures. 52 Armed with data collected from the Mini-Con- Organizations and businesses could reserve ference, individual meetings and letters of the use of this room on either a fee or non- interest, a preliminary program was devel- fee basis. pped. This program was applied to the existing space which determined the following A lecture/audio visual room is provided for program. slide shows or movie projection bf various interpretive topics. Permanent shows could Lighthouse Supply Depot Program be running at all times for viewing by vis- itors to the Center. Special shows could be From the outset it was assumed that the arranged by reservation or by request cover- Lighthouse Supply Depot Building would be ing a variety of topics of special interest. the locus ol he Interpretive Center. Func- tions in this building include exhibition, Restrooms provided on the lower level are de- meeting, office, and support facilities. signed for use by visitors of the Interpre- tive Center and are not sized to accommodate Two types of exhibition space are provided, the traffic of the entire park. Staff rest- permanent and rotating. The permanent ex- rooms are provided in the E.S.A. building hibit could be a display by the U. S. Coast program, and park user comfort facilities are Guard, describing heir unique history and provided in the conversion of the concrete displaying uniforms, charts, buoy and other black building in the Mt. Elliott Park. Great Lakes nautical information. Other permanent displays could perhaps include an Storage is provided in the attic space. This exhibit sponsored by the Immigration Depart- space is not intended to be open to the ment on the influx of immigrants from around publ ic. the world and what areas of Detroit they set- led in, Displays could be fabricated that The following outline program delineates the relate to health and physical fitness, en- spatial requirements of these functions: ergy, or general Great Lakes information. The rotating exhibits could include informa- tion specific to a particular incident, such as boat races or winter activities. To over- see and organize the exhibition spaces, a curator will be required, perhaps with a small staff (see "Operations"). An office is provided to accommodate these people. The conference/meeting room is recommended as a place for presentations, lectures, con- forences, seminars, or informal gatherings. 53 2 1 LECTURE /PROJECTION 2 REST ROOMS 0 C. 0 P11 3 MECHANICAL 3 4 ELE VATOR 4. RESTAURANT' C) 0 tm I FIRST LEVEL E= _0 ROTATING EXHIBIT 1 2 2 ELEVATOR 0 17- SECOND LEVEL @L2 54 F=======q F1 I ROTATING EXHIBIT 2 PERMANENT EXHIBIT 3 ELEVATOR 2 THIRD LEVEL U IF 17, C r- I PERMANENT EXHIBIT 2 CONFERENCE 3 OFFICE la 2 4 L 4 ELEVATOR 10 0 ..1 3 E) - ------ FOURTH'LEVEL 31 ob @TCVQL I T- 5LZ L4 aX jEl 55 Elevator Alternatives Level 1 2 3 4 5 Total Function The proposed change of the Lighthouse Supply Depot Building from use as a storage facility Permanent to use as a display and public meeting place Exhibition 738 738 1476 changes the building to an A3 use group. Rotating Two fire rated, 4411 wide, stairs independ- Exhibition 1476 738 2214 ently enclosed are necessary to meet egress requirements. Only one 3611 wide stair with Conferences/ no separation between floor areas presently Meetings 583 538 exists. To accommodate handicapped and elderly, an elevator must be provided. Four Curator's alternatives demonstrating how this can be achieved are: Office 200 200 Alternative A Lecture/ A/V 738 738 This is the recommended approach. All Restrooms/ stairs and the elevator fit within a central Mech. 738 738 core and do not effect the exterior of the building or the brick arched doors on each level. It does, however, entail the removal Storage 1632 1632 of the existing stone stair. Replacing these Elevator 60 60 60 60 60 300 stairs are two new independent fire rated 44" wide stairs in a wrapped scissor config- uration. Fire doors are accommodated on Circulation/ landings and need not be added to the exist- Structure 456 456 456 456 300 2124 ing brick arched doors. The elevator fits in the remaining space. TOTAL 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 9960 In preliminary discussions with representa- tives of the City of Detroit's Building Safety and Engineering Department and Historical Designation Advisory Board, this alternative was preferred since it meets (at this initial level) safety and egress requirements and, historically, impacts the structure the least. 56 Alternative B The existing stair is maintained with a new 44" wide stair added adjacent to it but run- X ning i n the opposite direction, forming a scissor type configuration. Fire doors are added to the arched doors leading into the two bays on each floor. This negatively im- pacts the historic nature of the doors by greatly changing their appearance. The ele- vator is added outside the building between New M" P-t- ---PL- MeVAT011 the Supply building and the E.S.A. building 0 in a tower connected at each level to the 0 Supply building. A bridge connects the e'le- vator to the E.S.A. building at the second level, providing for barrier-free access to both buildings. This alternative is not recommended since the ensuing visual impacts both inside and out would not be acceptable. Alternative C This alternative has the same stair configu- ration as Alternative "B". The elevator, however, is added to the west side of the building. This location is less apparent and there is not as much construction as in AltT- native "A". However, it is still undesirable due to the exterior and interior impacts. Alternative D f04 W6 PWP- MFC@ awo- J-WIIVF_ - - This alternative has the same scissor stair 0 0 configuration as Alternatives "B" & IICII ex- Ke" 4'e'/WIk aleVAIM - VMIN6'avw*@ cept that the elevator is inserted adjacent 0 0 @ ' - - to the stair. Although this is more desirable. than either "B" or "C", the impact of the elevator and the addition of the fire doors to the existing brick arched doors would be un- desirable. 57 Engineering Services Activity Building Program The E.S.A. Building is the second most domi- nant building in the Interpretive Center Com- plex. It is programmed to accommodate con- cession and office functions due to its loca- tion in relationship to all other functions. This proximity allows for easy access by Park and Interpretive Center users, as well as surveillance of the grounds and build- i rigs. The following program outline was arrived at based on the projected needs of the park and Interpretive Center users and fits within the context of active spaces delineated in the proposed land use configuration. Base- Function ment 1 2 3 Total Bait & Tackle Concession 720 720 Bait & Tackle Office 100 100 Food Concession 816 816 Kitchen 360 360 Park Office 725 725 Rented Office 755 755 Meeting Room 675 675 Restrooms 450 450 Mechanical 480 480 Circulation 500 679 500 1679 Elevator (freight) 120 120 120 360 Storage 112 2446 2558 Total 480 3066 3066 3066 9678 58 2 UNEXCAVATED 6 3 6 K:j 6 6 m I BAIT Ek FM TACKLE CONCESSION 2 FOOD CONCESSION 3 CONCESSION OFFICE 4 REST ROOM OFFICE 5 STORAGE UNEXCAVATED m MECHANICAL BICYCLE RENTAL 6 CIRCULATION BELOW GRADE LEVEL &Q r4 zi FIRST LEVEL 5U@@ 5 2 PARK OFFICE 2 TE 2 OFFICE 2 3 MEE-TING ROOM ------- 4 STORAGE STORAGE 2 5 CIRCULATION 2 CIRCULATION SECOND LEVEL 4/ THIRD LEVEL 2 KITC -- JE j 4 59 Aids to Navigation Building. Program Exchange Building Program The Aids to Navigation Building, attached to The Exchange Building is programmed as a the Lighthouse Supply Depot, is proposed to single use building for the rental of bi- be leased from the City as a restaurant by cycles. The building was originally a six- a private enterprise. This use is considered bay garage and if the garage doors were re- due to the building's size, the existing two- opened and fenced, it would become ideal for story crane area, and the potential of addi- a well-supervised rental structure. It is tional restaurant seating space on the roof planned to work in conjunction with the bike as an open air cafe or a glass enclosed din- route currently being implemented in this ing room. The views are ideal from this area. Since the bicycle route is currently vantage point as it overlooks Coast Guard only for holidays and weekend use, the rent- operations, the Detroit River, Belle Isle and al station is seen as a future development. the proposed plaza. A restaurant developed Initially the building may be used for stor- in this area is seen as an opportunity to age or retained by the Coast Guard. serve the proposed housing and the influx of visitors to the Park and Interpretive Center. No restaurant currently exists in the East Riverfront area east of Jos. Campau. Function Area This however is seen as a long-range ac- Bike Storage 950 tionIsince no I restauranteurs have been ap- Rental Office 150 proached or have expressed interest. In the short range, it could remain in use by the Total 1100 Coast Guard or as storage space. Function Level I Level 2 Total Leasable (roof) space 1275 1275 Roof area (expansion) 825 825 Total 2100 60 INTERPRETIVE BOUY The intent of this project was not only to be a planning documents but to begin imple- mentation of the overall project in some way. Working with the interpretive theme of the 0. center and park, the proposed site plan for the entrance plaza, and current land uses, a monument to Great Lakes history was con- ceived. The location is the southwest corner of Mt. Elliott and Wight Streets on the edge of the Coast Guard parking lot. This loca- tion will fall in the center of the proposed entrance plaza circular drive. 000 The Coast Guard has designated for donation 0 a n obsolete, riveted, Great Lakes buoy. This buoy, circa 1900, was a marker buoy that simply protruded from the water. Simi- lar buoys were fitted with a light, belt, or gong cages, and were anchored as navigation devices. Buoys similar to that donated are still used, but have welded seams, and often vary in shape. The buoy is proposed to be lifted by the Coast Guard onto a simple foundation con- structed by the City of Detroit, Recreation Department. It will be fitted with an anchor and light cage. This light cage will hold a battery-operated, flashing blue light. The foundation will bear graphics that relate in- formation about buoys, navigation, and the Coast Guard. 61 IB r4- I h e placement of the I nte r pre ti ve B u o yw ill be in t h e dro p-off circle w hic h is c urre ntly t h e so uth- west corner of M t. E Mot & W i g ht Stre ets o n the e xistin g C o a s tG u ar dp ar kin g lot. 62 Aw. X;A' @'f:N 1- 4 Ap Tw'@ 7 1. U3 IMPLEMENTATION 41 The implementation strategy for the adaptive reuse of the Coast Guard Station and the construction of Mt. Elliott Park involves a close coordination of public improvements with private development on adjacent parcels. This is due to the fact that the proposed public improvements, such as the Mt. Elliott Entry Plaza or the parking structure, will directly enhance public/private development The coordination of phasing and funding is crucial to the total development of the area. This chapter involves four major considera- tions: . . . . . . . . . . I A detailed construction estimate of the three Land Use and Circulation Alterna- tives which facilitates evalua'tion of pub- lie sector development in a total develop- ment package for this area. 2. The recommended site plan is broken down into implementation phases along with an estimated cost of construction for each Special attention is given to ac- phase. tions that could be undertaken immedi- ately with minimal cost to help stimulate further development. 3. Sources of funding for the various devel- opments are reviewed in light of the cur- rent changes, adjustments, and the elim- ination or curtailing of certain funding sources. 65 4. Costs of operating and maintaining the In- All estimates ass ume the following: terpretive Center are presented since de- velopmental costs do not alone fully repre- That all land necessary for development sent the total cost of the Center. is already acquired, proposed to be ac- quired through land trades, or is to be CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATES purchased prior to development, and that no additional land ac quisition costs Construction estimates are presented for each will be incurred. of the three Land Use Alternatives. Each Alternative is divided into four development Development costs of the Mt. Elliott Park zones. extension onto the City of' Detroit Uni- royal Parcel presumes the land is A. Mt. Elliott Entry cleared of paving, structures and debris. This zone includes the mini-park at the in- tersection of Jefferson and Mt. Elliott, and That preliminary construction estimates improvements along Mt. Elliott Street to Wight were prepared as of 1931 and escalation Street. factors must be applied to phased con- struction. B. Entry Plaza This is the central plaza of the Mt. EI(iott development node and is a large public space for use by those visiting the Interpretive Center, the Mt. Elliott Park, and as an entrance plaza to proposed housing and com- mercial development at the American Natural Resources and the City-owned Uniroyal parcels. C. Mt. Elliott Park This zone includes park improvements extend- ing from the river to Wight Street and from Mt. Elliott Street to the Uniroyal site. D. Interpretive Center This zone includes the buildings and imme- diate land proposed for development as the Interpretive Center. 66 u rAT CUACM WnW-*T r---- AMUR C17Y "ei 'r 05MAZrme T W17" ""'bwm"T ftI7vvrFUA#j M:p- .Co^n rI fwo%iu c4w au.4%0 ouluxMwo-ro t-r llilwtftTm cewrtfk.,> L--- M:%% C4wL WvM To a%kbo,"V Va"'n"'b D mmw 6TFMI wwjew". do." IrA. bb CFO" MTROIT' IRIVr-R MCIL 4CATulb vtwimb T M4RK T M%-K FRUn MC44PM6Nt WITH Zpm &U,-po COAff PO I *MOT mr CWVT eKpA#J,jIok) WITH IMMZCWTO PUti,V, WATeFPPIMM ^X0", J@ T IfAPRCVCMvwr9v exrlovzw FV&A,:. vhmtprn%jr Acco" mr ciAAoTr PAreff OALTERNATIVE A. MT ELLIOTT ENTRY B. ENTRY P LAZA L L G MT ELLIOTT PARK D. INTERPRETIVE CENTE Alternative One Cost Estimate A. Mt. Elliott Entry Improvements 3. Structures 1. Site Preparation - (a) Bus shelter at Jefferson 1 15000 (a) Demolition of: (b)300 car, 3-level parking - walks where needed 5500 sf 3000 deck 9001000 sf 900000 - vegetation removal Is 2000 (c) Pedestrian bridge to warehouse conversion Is 15000 (b) Fill & Contouring - berm at entry of Jefferson 200 cy 1000 Structures Sub-Total $9301000 Site Preparation Sub-Total $ 6,000 4. Site Improvements 2. Site Drainage and Utilities (a)Grading topsoil hydro- seed 5000 sf 7500 (a) Drainage (b)Concrete planter, walls Is 5000 - catch basins (renovation) Is 3000 (c) Paving - catch basins (new) Is 2000 - walks 9000 sf 27000 - drainage piping 100 If 4000 - bike path 5000 sf 5000 (b) Utilities - road re-surfacing - Electric (asphalt) 21000 sf 21000 - bury eT-ectric & phone (d) Si te f urn i sh i ngs wires 1100 ft 55000 - entry sign at - street lighting (150' oc) 7 14000 Jefferson Is 5000 - minipark lights at - bollards 50 30000 Jefferson 4 4000 - benches 10 6000 - misc. light Is 2000 - waste receptacles 10 3000 - Water - signage Is 1500 - drinking fountain 1 1500 (e) Landscaping - hose bibs 2 700 - evergreen trees 15 4500 - piping 150 If 3000 - deciduous trees 30 12000 - ornamental trees 5 1000 - Irrigation System Is 6000 - shrubs 20 1000 Site Draining and Utilities Site Improvements Sub-Total $129,500 Sub-Total $951200 68 B. Entry Plaza 3. Structures 1. Site Preparation - bus shelter 1 15000 (a) Demolition of: 4. Site Improvements - rail tracks along Wight Street 200 If 3000 (a) Grading, topsoil, - Wight Street 6000 sf 5000 hydroseed 300 sy 450 - fences 80 if 1600 - walls/retaining Is 4000 (b) Paving - scrub growth Is 1500 - plaza special paving 12000 sf 144COC - misc., oil tanks, - vehicular drop-off 10000 sf 50000 debris Is 1500 walks 2000 sf 6000 - remove paving/parking bike path 1500 sf 1500 lot 55000 sf 24000 Wight Street 7500 sf 75000 (b) Fill & Contouring (c) Site Furnishings berm at west edge 200 cy 1000 - seating 15 9000 - waste receptacles 10 3000 Site Preparation Sub-Total $31,600 - signage Is 2000 - amphitheater 2500 sf 40000 2. Site Draining & Utilities - bollards 50 30000 - entry sign - (a) Drainage Mt. Elliott Park Is 5000 - catch basins 2 4000 (d) Landscaping - piping 300 If 7500 - deciduous trees 10 4000 (b) Utilities - ornamental trees 5 1000 - Electric - shrubs 20 1000 - pedestrian lighting 8 12000 - drop-off lighting 4 6000 - misc. spots & signs Is 5000 Site Improvements Sub-Total $371,950 - Water - hose bibs 2 700 - piping 350 If 7000 - drinking fountain 1 1500 Irrigation System Is 4000 Site Draining & Utilities Sub-Total $47,700 69 C Mt. Elliott Park Improvements (b) Utilities (cont.) I . Site Preparation - Water - piping 2000 If 40000 (a) Demolition of: - drinking fountain 2 3000 - concrete block - hose bibs bldg. on east 20000 sf 100000 - Irrigation System 90000 (two levels) - partial Re-Steel building 21000 sf 105000 Site Draining & Utilities Total $293,000 - strip site of paving/gravel 340000 sf 75000 - fencing 2000 If 4000 @3. Structures - scrub growth Is 5000 - misc poles, walls, (a) Re-Steel Renovation bumbers, debris Is 10000 - repair structure Is 15000 - Mt. Elliott Street - translucent fiberglass south of Wight 20000 sf 8800 roof 21000 sf 105000 (b) Fill and Contouring - electric Is 63000 - view hill 80000 cy 320000 - paint Is 30000 - contoured seating Is 10000 (b) Service Building - berms 1500 cy 6000 - topsoil 1300 cy 13000 - storage facilities 6000 sf 150000 - restrooms 1000 sf 20000 Site Preparation Total $6561800 - concessions 8000 sf 200000 - offices 4000 sf 40000 2. Site Draining and Utilities - garage 1000 sf 5000 (a) Drainage Structures Total $628,000 - catch basins 6 12000 - piping 2000 If 50000 - misc. drains (sea- 4. Site Improvements wall, trenches, etc.) Is 5000 (b) Utilities (a) Grading topsoil 85000 sf 127500 - Electric (b) Paving - lighting 4 8000 - concrete walks 17000 sf 51000 - pedestrian lighting 50 75000 - promenade 30000 sf 90000 - misc. lighting - plaza special (bollards, step, paving/seating/ sign) Is 10000 play area 28000 sf 336000 70 (b) Paving (cont.) 5. Seawall - Fishing Bulkhead bike path (a) Existing sheet pile asphalt (not inc. - handrail safety ,I agility course) 7500 sf 7500 ladder 1100 ft 44000 (c) Site Furnishings (b) New sheet pile Marine Interpretive (curved design) - Michigan relief 22500 sf 337500 - sheet pile/tie backs/ - seven signs 7 7000 drainage 500 ft 500000 - course marking 1500 If 7500 - concrete cap 500 ft 115000 - backf i 11 7000 cy 35000 Jogging Course - handrail/safety 10 stations Is 4000 ladder/handi- capped fishing 500 ft 20000 Bicycle Agility Course Is 9000 (c) Drainage structures Nautical Monument Is 15000 Headwall at Mt. El I iott Is 50000 Children's Physical Fitness Play Area Is 7000 Seating 50 30000 Total Seawall & Fishing Waste receptacles 30 9000 Bulkhead $764,000 Signage Is 1500 Game Tables .5 1000 View Scopes 3 600 @d) Landscaping - evergreen trees 80 24000 - deciduous trees 100 4UOOO - ornamental trees 20 4000 - shrubs 150 7500 Site Improvement Total $1, 116,600 71 D Interpretive Center 3. Structures 1. Site Preparation Coast guard Conversion Construction Estimate (a) Interpretive Center (Supply Building) (a) Demolition of: Exterior - misc. retaining walls, oil tanks, - strip paint 1500 sf 750 debris, etc. Is 6000 - tuck point & clean - paving around brick Is 4000 bldgs. 15000 sf 65000 - repair and -paint windows 60 ea. 2000 (b) Fill & Contouring - remove elevator - berm at west edge 200 cy 1000 tower Is 1900 - berm around south - repair slate roof & side of Supply patch elevator hole Is 5000 Bldg. 200 cy 1000 - remove lights, basket- bal 1, signs, etc. Is 500 Site Preparation Sub-Total $739000 - waterproof where replaced berm is 700 sf 350 2. Site Draining and Utilities - paint all trim (except copper) Is .1500 (a) Draining Internal - catch basin 1 2000 - remove freight elevator Is 5000 - piping/c(nnections 150 if 3600 - remove stairs Is 500 (b) Utilities - remove partitions & - Electric drop ceilings 1500 sf 1500 - service Is 2000 - paint all metal and - pedestrian lighting 4 8000 wood surfaces Is 3000 - flood lighting 4 8000 - clean all brick - spots & signs Is 5000 surfaces 4000 sf 2000 - Water service 150 If 2000 - elevator Is 50000 - Gas service 150 'if 1000 - gas hot water base - Phone service 150 if 1000 heat I s 40000 - Irrigation system Is 2000 - new electric service Is 24000 - new scissor fire stairs 140 @steps 7000 Site Draining and Utilities - insulation in attic 3000 sf 2000 Sub-Total $34,600 - plumbing to first level Is 7000 72 (a) Interpretive Center (cont.) (b) Concession/Office Building (cont.) First Level General - restrooms 738 sf 10000 - remove unnecessary - lecture room 738 sf 6000 partitions & dropped - corridors 516 sf 1500 ceilings Is 5000 - gas hot water heat Second & Third Level throughout Is 30000 - corridors 1032 sf 2000 - new fire stair 40 steps 5000 - display areas 2952 sf 10000 - repair & check plumbing 1500 Fourth Level First Level - conference room 538 sf 2500 - paint & tackle - office space 200 sf 2000 concession 720 6500 - corridors 516 sf 1000 - food concession 1176 15000 - display space 738 sf 2500 - concession office 100 1000 1000 - restrooms 450 5400 Interpretive Center Sub-Total $195,500 - circulation 620 1860 Second Level (b) Concession/Office Building (ESA Building) - park office 725 sf 6500 - rental office 755 sf 6800 Exterior - meeting room 675 sf 6000 - strip paint Is 500 - storage - 112 sf 500 - tuck point & clean brick Is 500 - circulation 820 sf 3000 - repair and paint Third Level windows 50 ea. 1600 - storage 2416 sf 3000 - remove lights, signs, - circulation 620 sf 2000 etc. Is 500 - paint trim Is 1500 ESA Building Sub-Total $112,860 - repair roof (if req.) Is 5000 - open door on east Is 450 (c) Bike Rental (Garage) - open windows on north for concession I By concessionaire counter 5 ea. 1000 1515 @ 27 40000 - close garage doors on west 2 ea. 1500 - remove breezeway to Exchange 250 sf 1250 73 (d) Restaurant (A to N Building) By developer - one level - 65000 - two levels (roof deck) 120000 Structures Sub-Total $3081360 4. Site Improvements (a) Grading, topsoil, lawn 750 cy 1125 (b) Paving - plaza special paving 3000 sf 36000 - walks 7000 sf 14000 - bike path 1500 sf 1500 (c) Site furnishing - seating 8 4800 - waste receptacles 4 1200 - s ignage Is 1500 (d) Landscaping - deciduous trees 5 2000 - ornamental trees 10 2000 - shrubs 20 1000 Site Improvements Sub-Total $65)125 74 Alternative One Cos, Estimate Summary S i t e Site Drainage Si te Shore I i ne Preparation and Utilities Structures Improvements Stabil. Total A. Mt. Elliott Entry and Parking Structure 6,000 95,200 930,000 129@500 -0- 1,160,700 B. Entry Plaza and Wight Street Relocation 31,600 47,700 15,000 371,950 -0- 4661250 C. Mt. Elliott Park and Shoreline Stabi I ization 656,800 293,000 6281000 1,116,600 764)000 3,458,400 D. I nterpretive Center and Adjacent Site 73,000 34,600 308,360 65@125 -0- 481,085 Total Construction 5,566,435 Contingency 1,133)565 Sub-Total 6,700,000 A/E Fees 670,000 Total 7,370,000 75 M pz"Ww mu Wit.( J L ffi'T',rL- F.@ 90 900 @jv mve fWal ;6-M h AJEF 0 w SIM A. MT ELLIOTT B. ENTRY PLAZ C. MT ELLIOTT D. INTERPRETIVE 76 Alternative Two Cost Estimate A. Mt. Elliott Entry Improvements 3. Structures 1. Site Preparation (a) Bus shelter at Jefferson 1 $15,000 (a) Land acquisition (b) Demolition of: 4. Site Improvements - walks (where needed) 5500 sf 3000 (a) Spading, topsoil, - vegetation removal Is 2000 lawn area 5000 sy 7500 (c) Fill and contouring (b) Concrete planter box Is 5000 berm at entry at (c) Paving Jefferson 200 cy 1000 - walks 9000 sf 27000 - bike path 5000 sf 5000 Site Preparation Sub-Total $6YO00 - road resurfacing (asphalt) 21000 sf 21000 2. Site Drainage and Utilities (d) Site furnishings - entry sign at (a) Drainage Jefferson Is 5000 - catch basins - bollards 50 30000 (renovation) Is 3000 - benches 10 6000 - catch basins (new) Is 2000 - waste receptacles 10 3000 - drainage piping 100 if 4000 - signage Is 1500 (b) Utilities (e) Landscaping 4500 - Electric - evergreen trees 15 12000 - 'Gury electric & - deciduous trees 30 1000 - ornamental trees 5 phone lines 1100 ft 55000 - shrubs 20 1000 - street lighting (150' o.c.) 4 8000 Site Improvements Sub-Total $129,500 - minipark lights at Jefferson 4 4000 - misc. lights (bollards, signage) Is 2000 - Water - meter pit Is 1500 - hose bibs 2 700 - piping 150 ft 6000 Site Draining & Utilities 77 Sub-Total $86)200 B Entry Plaza 3. Structures 1. Site Preparation - bus shelter 1 $15,000 (a) Demolition of: - fences 800 If 1600 4. Site Improvements - walls/retaining Is 4000 - scrub growth Is 1500 (a) Grading, topsoil, - misc., oil tanks, lawn 300 sy 450 debris Is 1500 - remove paving/ (b) Paving parking lot 55000 sf 24000 - plaza special paving 3000 60000 (b) Fill and contouring - walks 1000 sf 3000 - berm at west edge 200 cy 1000 - bike path 1500 sf 1500 - topsoi I Is 500 (c) Site Furnishings - seating 8 4800 Site Preparation Sub-Total [email protected], 100 - waste receptacles 4 1200 - signage Is 1500 - amphitheater 2500 sf 40000 - bollards 50 30000 2. Site Drainage and Utilities - entry sign at Mt. Elliott Park Is 5000 (a) Drainage - catch basins 2 4000 (d) Landscaping - piping 300 If 7500 - deciduous trees 10 4000 (b) Utilities - ornamental trees 5 1000 - shrubs 20 1000 - Electric - pedestrian lighting 8 12000 - drop-off lights 4 6000 Site Improvements Sub-Total $153,450 - misc. spots & signs Is 5000 - Water - hose bibs 2 700 - piping 350 if 7000 - drinking fountain 1 1500 - Irrigation System Is 4000 Site Drainage & Utilities 78 Sub-Total $47,700 C Mt. Elliott Park Improvements (b) Utilities - Electric I. Site Preparation - I ighting 4 8000 (a) Demolition of: - pedestrian lights 40 60000 - misc. lighting - concrete block bldg. (bollards, step, on west 21000 sf 105000 sign) Is 10000 (two levels) - concrete block bldg. - Water on east 20000 sf 100000 - piping 2000 If 40000 (two levels) - drinking fountain 2 3000 - Re-Steel Bldg. 21000 sf 105000 - hose bibs - strip site of paving/gravel 200000 sf 50000 - Irrigation System Is 60000 - Mt. Elliott Street south of Wight 20000 sf 8800 Site Drainage & Utilities - fencing 1200 If 2400 Sub-Tota 1 $244,000 - scrub growth Is 3000 - misc. poles, walls, bumbers, debris Is 8000 3. Structures (b) Fill and contouring (a) Comfort station and - view hill 40000 cy 160000 shelter (new - contoured seating Is 10000 structure) 1200 sf 72000 - berms 1500 cy 6000 - topsoi 1 800 cy 800 Site Preparation Total $559)000 4. Site Improvements (a) Final grading, 2. Site Drainage and Utilities hydroseed 45000 sy 67000 (b) Paving (a) Drainage - concrete walks 17000 sf 51000 - catch basins 4 8000 - promenade 30000 sf 90000 - piping 2000 If 50000 - bike path (asphalt) - misc. drains (sea- (not inc. agility wall, tench, etc) Is 5000 course) 7500 sf 7500 - drop-off circle 10000 sf 30000 - 70 car parking 21000 sf 63000 79 4. Site Improvements (cont.) (b) New sheet pile (curved design) (c) Site furnishing - sheet pile/tie backs/ 500 ft 500000 drainage Marine Interpretive - concrete cap 500 ft 115000 - Michigan relief 27500 sf 337500 - backfill 7000 cy 35000 - seven signs 7 7000 - handrail/safety - course marking 1000 7500 1 adder/handi capped Jogging Course fishing 20000 8 Stations Is 3200 (c) Drainage structures headwall Bicycle Agility Course Is 7000 at Mt. Elliott Is 50000 Nautical Monument is 15000 Seating 50 30000 Total Seawall & Fishing Waste receptacles 30 9000 Bukhead $764)000 Signage Is 1500 View scopes 3 600 (d) Landscaping D. Interpretive Center (See Alt. One) - evergreen trees 60 18000 1. Site Preparation $ 73,000 - deciduous trees 80 32000 - ornamental trees 20 4000 2. Site Drainage & Utilities $ 34,600 - shrubs 100 5000 3. Structures $308,360 Site Improvement Total $785,800 4. Site Improvements $ 65,125 5. Seawall & Fishing Bulkhead (a) Existing sheet pile handrail safety ladder 1100 ft 44000 80 Alternative Two S i t e Site Drainage Si te Shorel i ne A. Mt. Elliott Entry Preparation and Utilities Structures Improvements Stab. Total and Parking Structure 61000 869200 15@000 129,500 -0- 236,700 B. Entry Plaza and Wight Street Relocation 34@100 47,700 15,000 1539345 -0- 250,145 C. Mt. Elliott Park and Shoreline Stabilization 559,000 244,000 72,000 785,800 7649000 2,180,800 D. Interpretive Center and 600 308,360 65,125 -0- 481,085 Adjacent Site 731000 34@ Total Construction 3,148,730 Contingency (20%) 631,270 Sub-Total 31780,000 A/E Fees (10%) 378,000 Total $4,158,000 81 PHAS I NG Phase Two The overall implementation plan can be con- Phase Two includes the adaptive reuse of sidered in three basic phases with a certain the E.S.A. Building for the Interpretive Cen- amount of activity occurring immediately at ter concession, the completion of Mt. Elliott minimal cost. Cost estimates are presented Park, and realigning Wight with the develop- for each phase. ment of the Entry Plaza in front of the Interpretive Center. Private development oc- Immediate Action curring during Phase Two includes the com- pletion of the American Natural Resources De- Immediate actions are intended to quickly velopment, the conversion of the industrial and efficiently provide. a small green space buildings north of Wight and east of Mt. at the river's edge to promote the positive Elliott, and the beginning of the City of aspects and awareness of the area, and to Detroit Development at Uniroyal. act as a catalyst for its total development. The immediate actlons include closing Mt. Phase Three Elliott Street south of Wight and creating a green space on Mt. Elliott Park with a sta- This Phase sees the completion of the Inter- bilized shoreline. This is possible since the pretive Center adaptive reuse and the con- land is currently city-owned. Also the area struction of the parking structure. The de- for the' mini-park at Jefferson is cleared and velopment of the Uniroyal parcel by the City the interpretive. buoy is installed at Wight is also completed in this final phase. and Mt. Elliott.. Phase One Phase One incliudes the improvement of Mt. Elliott Street, the Coast Guard land trade, beginning the Interpretive Center construc- tion, and building the Mt. Elliott Park up to the edge of Uniroyal. Private develop- ments occurring include the beginning of the American Natural Resources Development and the construction of the expanded Coast Guard facilities. 82 ~0 PHAS I NG I mmed. Phase Ph Actions I I pen minimal Mt. Elliott Park, shoreline stabilization Interpretive Buoy ~C ~0 Bike Route Si~qgnage (complete) E a- ~0 Coast Guard Land Trade a) > Mt. Elliott Entry Park at Jefferson Interpretive Supply Building (museum) u~- Center ESA Building (concession) ~.~0 Exchange and A to N Building (concession) ~:~3 ~Q- Mt. Elliott Park ntry Plaza F~4qz arking Structure ~4) ~0) ~0qANR Development E > 0 Industrial Buildings Conversion L ~d) ~C~L> City of Detroit Uniroyal Development ast Guard facilities - expansion and new ~2qL~q.~qC ~0 ~qt Temporary parking on Mt. Elliott site ~2q0 ~q2 Close Mt. Elliott south of Wight ~8q0 ~:~3 Realign Wight ~U ~6qL Close Meldrum and Iron ~qU ~qE ~qP ENTRY PARK BIKE ROUTE (C CLEARING u ,jtrr ewcw Nt I CITY WITH cl LJ "44%mD4T"XpJm vwa4w .. Pep- A;oAvm FID00-AlUAN ww"aftwo L. L....... _u co-V a L r 1011111 Jul 40WFL ........... ......................... L 4rr FITNwo. MAMMIll. AP& apNvem To a*42-ow Im"wTew+= cowiwo, IF !'INTERPRET IVE IBOUY j: . f@ ; I I -#W Ll mm" I mcm ^me^ NOY PEN PARK VeTROIT RIVER ftn%t' 4vtw1w- upwrf%.Fc" A.-ZA- SEAWALL FRKNZ MeWPFIOPT WITH 44." O&OOL 6aar &.oeo t4r VAAOTT "it PIT Cwlmy FVF rvbtlll@ WAIERTair Adx0fit, CKA-WIWOU lTh lmmVq5maff'j IMPRi;WtlAbwTlb' mjeolv- Fkwr w m"on JM- FCV&-lRW^*jjl'. CLOSE IVIT ELLIOTT -IMMEDIATE 84 MT ELLIOTT IMPROVEMENTS PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT u 71 M 4MVi. Ulm Ll L4, PMLCFMWT f4 7 VWTH I---I A+j L--d COAST GUARD LJ LANDA ADE INTER 'R TIVE welir o4z"em") At. =NTER lw&^rL-W,-mj eNTmf if's L WA To te#v4jm eow@ in IJ 3 R.- co%w &Yflp 0+0 WFOAWK". noile #,It Ao DEVELOP PARK -em milmw Mlmmlb MAIDIT IRNM oventeD" FCWL 4yovimb. nvmoimm mwe Dmewpw4wt wnH 4e"r 9KA-PO &-)A@po MT M4,WTT Wr tWIVTT M4-K twmftlou WITH /@ T OAMNMAWTev metv, wAftmparr J%@ PLWRI Vpppfftlzff 9N "01T or=, ta"m*?I&W OPHAI`zE ON E PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT j u 0 [ -L MT "CeT WTAI ll@wmcwvme-," I . - - 01 0 Lj .. . , I: "I -' puxmom r"Fw4miti. INTOPIFt"lue Cw, _HT -16 L--- luill film Ae coaL Ir 1 ENTRY,--' P LAZA C8 A BUILDING I ij 11 NVERSION . .......... % COMPLE Moni'lb epove PeTROIT RNM rooL ftAut, ivcwiw.. "WX 0 K &(r vud,7TT mv-K CxpM4tlou WITH IMR%D:r W1. @j T MT eL(,IOTT IMPIRmemb"Fl, T exn.#,VACU wr a"oTr IWFR:ff MX1 FeCfPf"'4A*$S, talm Ce W10"T OPHASE TW( 86 PRIVATE DEVELOPK u fAT M40" 'ITRIMT - -------- ol 0 ------ cirf F"t,31 T Vomkzrme"T WnH C, RK NG ?AftA. I L--j URE czwvq cla@wd Jr- r I Li 4111111flo "C 0% tF WMT -v tONCESSIONS, VIM, C41-" &YfW OrKFACW At.0 OAFKOA@Aeknv. C&W veit eDft rlftl@@ NQA. EXTRCXT NVCR tweitmIc" nl@t^ - PRMIM otweLopNimiT WITH Ziw 40AM 00 Nfr V.'AOTT A4W rutiv,- V"haeRINMM,-@ W?W-lou WIT" MWIC, ViMt"MOO A4ca" MT DAAOTr OMW 0 PHASE THR ST 01 Phasing Cost Estimate Summary Immediate Actions Phase Two Mt. Elliott Entry Mini- Interpretive Center Park Clearing 6,000 (ESA Building) 1129860 Interpretive Buoy 19000 Mt. Elliott Park 500,000 Close Mt. Elliott Entry Plaza and South of Wight -0- Wight Street 465,250 Open Mt. Elliott Park 101000 Shoreline Stabilization 620,000 Sub-Total 11078,110 Sub-Total 6371000 Contingency 217,890 Contingency 1299000 A/E Fees 129,000 A/E Fees 761000 Total 1,425@000 Total 8429000 Phase Three Phase One Interpretive Center Concessions By Others Interpretive Center Parking Structure 930,000 (Supply Building) and Site 368,225 Sub-Total 930@000 Mt. Elliott Park 2,328)400 Mt. Elliott Street Contingency 202@000 Improvements and A/E Fees 1151000 Mini-Park 224,700 Total 11247,000 Sub-Total 21921,325 Contingency 584,675 A/E Fees 350@000 Total Construction $7,370,000 Total 39856,000 31856,000 8 8 FUND I NG such as the parks, would be eligible for General Obligation Bonds, which may not be The present situation makes projections for available until 1984-1985. Thus, the recom- funding far more difficult than for previous mended phasing will have to remain flexible studies of this nature. Assuming the con- and may be delayed. tinuation of present national policy for at least three more years, major funding sources On the other hand, housing and commercial such as Land and Water Conservation Fund, development is proposed, flanking the pro- Coastal Zone Management, National Endow- posed public development east and west. ment for the Arts, Corps of Engineers and The western portion (55 acres owned by Transportation Funds may be drastically cut American Natural Resources) is further along or completely eliminated as funding sources in study than the eastern portion (the City for this project. Thus reliance must be of Detroit owned Uniroyal parcel). placed on Community Development Block Grant Funds, which currently have tremendous de- Since much of the public development directly mands placed upon them, and incentives enhances the private development (the Mt. such as Urban Development Action Grants that Elliott entry at Jefferson, Mt. Elliott Street may be available to private commercial de- improvements, the Entry Plaza, the parking velopment. structure), it is not illogical to assume that a coordinated approach to development would While cuts are continuing on the state level, include a portion of the cost of the public transportation funding and projects costs re- development as an integral part of private lated to adjacent private development, such development costs and funding. as housing, might still be sponsored by the Michigan State Housing Development Author- Without a new increase in public funds, im- ity. Additionally, regional involvement by plementatin will require private investment agencies, such as the Huron Clinton Metro- in many of the elements of the public sector politan Authority, should be investigated for activity. if there is a future change in participation in the park. national policy or an improvement in local economy, public sources could supply suffi- The major source of funds must, however, cient funds to meet the projections in the come from local sources or, as indicated recommended implementation phasing. Never- above, federal sources under local options theless, a portion of the costs of the public such as the Community Development Block improvements still could and should be Grant. Elements of the project which are undertaken by the private development. revenue producing, such as the parking structure, could be constructed through Reve- nue Bonds. Non-revenue producing elements, 89 OPERATION & MAINTENANCE to include the Mt. Elliott Interpretive Center. In his charge would be a Junior Historical The feasibility of new projected public devel- Curator, who would supervise the daily oper- opments cannot be fully evaluated without ations of the Center. Together they would understanding the cost implications of opera- schedule and arrange displays, staff the tions and maintenance, since developmental facilities with attendant and maintenance costs do not completely represent the total personnel, secure funding for continued oper- cost of the project. ations, schedule the conference and meeting spaces, and arrange for special exhibitions The Interpretive Center and Mt. Elliott Park and anyother required operations procedures. are proposed to be owned and maintained by Two attendants would be required to maintain the Detroit Recreation Department, with the security and supervise displays and man operations of the Interpretive Center's exhi- the information and gift counter. bition, conference and museum facilities to be under the control of the Dossin Great Lakes Display and exhibition costs include two Museum on Belle Isle with the Detroit Histor- basic conditions. First, initial set-up, ical Museum. which will require an immediate outlay for cases, display material, and signage. The The Recreation Department would maintain majority of the historical items can be found the Mt. Elliott Park, the grounds of the In- in storage at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum terpretive Center, and all maintenance and and the Detroit Historical Museum, or will be .custodial duties of the buildings of the In- gathered by private sources, such as the terpretive Center. In preliminary discussions American Natural Resources Company, the witl@ the Recreation Department, the addi- Coast Guard, or the Bureau of Immigration tional staffing required for this would be and Naturalization, and so are not expected two park grounds employees and one custod- to add to the initial costs. ial person, to maintain the converted Light- house Supply Depot and the ESA Building. Other initial set-up costs will include con- The other buildings would be maintained by ference and office furniture, a video-monitor the private concessionaires operating them. securi ty system (the multi-level nature of the building requires it), and miscellaneous The operations of the Interpretive Center furniture, fixtures and amenities. have been discussed with representatives of the Dossin Great Lakes and the Detroit His- The second set of exhibition costs will be torical Museums. The primary cost of oper- the on-going costs of supplies, equipment, ating the Center includes staffing costs and and consultants to maintain existing perma- display costs. nent displays, and to arrange new displays on a periodic basis. Rotating exhibits aver- The duties of the Curator of the Dossin Great age $700-1,000 and are presented for three- Lakes Museum are proposed to be expanded to-six month intervals. 90 In addition to display personnel, operating Projected Interpretive Center Operating expenses would include utilities and general Expenses Per Year -(Lighthouse Depot) maintenance. A. Initial Set-Up (One-Time Cost) Income generated from recommended donations at the door of $1.00 per person brings in, 20 Display cases $ 60,000 Display boards/ in actuality, 180 per person - based on ex- I signage 20YO00 perience at the Dossin Museum. The total Conference/office estimated revenue generated from this is only furniture 10,000 $200 per week. Based on a 50-week opera- Video monitor system 7,000 ting season, this brings $10,000 per year. Audio/visual equip. 5,000 The experience from the gift counter at the Misc. furniture/fixtures 5,000 Dossin is that it covers expenses and does not generate any appreciable income. Thus Total 1071000 the museum/exhibition section of the Inter- pretive Center will require funding from out- B. Personnal Requirements side sources, including limited City funds, Junior Historical corporation or foundation donations, and the Curator $ 17,000 like. 2 attendants 31,000 Costs can be reduced through increased exhi- Total $ 48,000 bit preparation by outside sources, or through volunteer staffing of the Center, by C. On-Going Exhibits a particular group, or groups, willing to assume this responsibility. Since no volun- 2-to-4 displays/year $ 2,500 teer participation has been sought or offered, Misc. Maintenance 3tooo the operating expenses assume paid per- sonnel are used. Also, the Center can be Total $ 5@500 developed in a staged basis. By opening only the first two floors the first year and D. Utilities & Maintenance then increasing the area by one floor per Gas $ 6,600 year, the initial outlay can be reduced. Electric 9,500 The operations of the other buildings will be Phone 1,200 primarily through private concessionaires Water 3,500 and these costs are assumed to be covered Maintenance/Repairs 1,000 in the income generated by rentals. Miscellaneous 5,000 Total $ 26,800 First Year Total $187,300 91 P7 1, MR EMM AlVW 2" Vol 9 0 qel. i ok6h . .......... oW @V 'AR" 'd 92 SUMMARY The City of Detroit has an intriguing his- tory. Perhaps no other area of the City has as rich and intense a history as the river- front. The area that this study covers is slated for major new developments and also contains the dramatic Coast Guard buildings and slips and massive old industrial func- tions. It is in this mix that the greatest potential for future development lies. The Coast Guard buildings that are studied in this report are proposed for re-use as public structures (The Mt. Elliott Interpretive Center) to interrelate with the proposed Mt. Elliott park. This park is part of the Linked Riverfront Parks Project which will link the Central Business District with Belle Isle. The Interpretive Center and Park will work together to attract people to new de- velopment and catalyze activity. The City of Detroit is undertaking bold moves to plan a better future and to optimize its greatest natural asset, the Detroit River. It properly planned and executed Detroit can build on its strenghs and become a major tourist, recreation and entertainment center to balance its industrial/business base. The prime location of the Mt. Elliott Inter- pretive Center and Park make it essential to plan in a broad and exciting manner to allow and stimulate the greatest potential of 93 surrounding development. New market rate housing, commercial, warehouse and factory conversions, recreation, fishing, historic and interpretive displays, entertainment and res- taurants can generate a level of activity and worth unprecidented in the area's history. It is the recommendation of this study to pursue this goal, but only the dedicated work of both the public and private sectors will make it a reality. US Department of Commerce NOAA Coastal Services Center Library 2214 South Hobson Avenue 94 Charleston, SC 29405-2413 OAA,,C ASTAL SERVICES CTR LIBRARY 3 6668 14111537.0