Detroit's Largest Department Store Building Demolished

by kate | December 26, 2006 at 07:34 pm

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I was just reading that this demolition happened (in a really interesting post by Sweet Juniper about how becoming a stay at home father has allowed him the opportuntity to get back in touch with the city) and then I came on this excellent history of the building on Detroit Blog. Why do these amazing buildings get torn down? The other thing I find amazing is that 1930s filing cabinets - regardless of what company they date from - aren't even cleaned out or looked through before a demolition .

The good news is the long-abandoned Book Cadillac Hotel is being renovated. The bad news is that an even older building right next door is being torn down to make room for a parking garage for its tenants.

The building, just to the east of the Book Cadillac, was originally built for the Peopleâs Outfitting Company, once one of the largest department stores in the city but now pretty much unknown by most Detroiters.