Video Marvin’s Marvelous Mechnical Museum
Robots and automatons and fotune tellers, oh my! Shoehorned between two halves of a Farmington Hill's shopping mall you'll find this mechanical menagerie of vintage arcade oddities.
Metromode Radio: The Arsenal Of Democracy
The ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY may have only been strong enough for one war 60 years ago. Today, Detroiters are asking Congress to save the arsenal of democracy. But Congress isn’t listening. So what is left of it? Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus looks for answers.
The View From Here – Metro Detroit 2008
Whether it's high-tech innovation or cultural inspiration, Metromode's photographer Marvin Shaouni has been there to capture the heart and soul of Metro Detroit. Now, as the clock counts down 2008 we offer a retrospective of his masthead images from the year. Happy New Year! We'll see you when we return on January 8th.
Metro Detroit’s Hookah Scene
Smoky bars are nothing new in SE Michigan but ones that smell like apple and peach? Hookah culture is becoming more and more popular with young Metro Detroiters, and Dearborn, with its large Middle Eastern population, is ground zero.
48 Hours In Berkley & Clawson
Nestled alongside its more notable neighboring cities, Berkeley and Clawson are all-too content to keep their small town charms a bit of a secret. Their downtowns are compact and have the kind of handmade feel other urban centers strive for and rarely achieve. Metromode spent 2 days exploring every nook and cranny just to give you the inside scoop.
Finished units all leased in Birmingham’s District Lofts
The District Lofts in Birmingham are filling up fast now that the development in the city's emerging Rail District has gone rental.All of the project's available units, nearly one third of them, are currently leased. The next third is set of units will come online in January and the rest are expected to be finished in March. "The leasing is going quite well," says J.C. Cataldo, developer of The District Lofts.The development originally started out as for-sale units with a starting price of $400,000. The tough real-estate market and even worse credit market made it nearly impossible to complete the sale of some of the units. That prompted Cataldo to make the switch to rentals, following other prominent luxury developments like The Fifth Royal Oak and New Street Lofts in Mt. Clemens. Urbane Apartment's redevelopment rentals in downtowns are going fast, too.The District Lofts appear to be following suit. Rents in the 24-unit development start at $2,700 a month for a 1,550-square-foot loft. That includes all of the utilities and an underground parking space. They go as high as $3,400 a month for just under 2,000 square feet.The development consists of a 4-story, mixed-use building where the homes are located above ground floor retail space and an underground heated parking garage. They are a few blocks east of downtown Birmingham on South Eaton Street in the Rail District.The old industrial corridor dotted factory buildings and a rail line is being converted to lofts and businesses as the city redevelops it. A stop for a northern extension of the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line is also planed for the area.For information, call (248) 593-6000.Source: J.C. Cataldo, developer of The District LoftsWriter: Jon Zemke
U-M considers $45 million in building projects
It seems like there is always some sort of major construction project on the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus. A quick look at the campus town's skyline reveals the ever-present view of sky cranes.Construction may just see a boom as tonight the University's Board of Regents consider approving seven new projects worth $45 million.The projects under consideration are: $4.8 million for a 10,000-square-foot expansion of the Engineering School's Engineering Program Building on North Campus. $20 million for an expansion of the Museum of Zoology and relocation of most of its "wet" collection to the University Stores building. $4 million to renovate and retrofit the guest rooms the Business Administration Executive Dormitory. $5.3 million to create a ultra-low vibration research laboratory in the basement level of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Building. $2 million to $2.8 million to create soccer fields on 12.5 acres next to the Varsity Tennis Center. $4.2 million to renovate 6,400 square feet of General Clinical Research Center at the U-M Hospital into the Cardiovascular Center. $4.5 million to renovate another 1,700 square feet of U-M Hospital to make room for new positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanners.Most of these projects are set to begin early next year and finish toward the later end of 2009.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke
Plymouth holds meeting to consider new YMCA proposal
A new YMCA is coming closer to reality in Plymouth. The city will hold a special meeting tonight on the proposal to build the new recreation center on the Bathey Property."We're a ways away from starting but the developer is anticipating construction in 2009," says Paul Sincock, city manager for Plymouth. The 16-acre site is just outside of downtown at Mill Street and Lilley Road. For years it served as an industrial plant for heavy manufacturing storage containers for the automotive industry. (Think of giant French-fry baskets that could oil an axel.) The site went vacant about four years ago when the city took possession of it after the owner failed to pay taxes. The developer, Royal Oak-based Connective Properties, bought it for $2.2 million late last year.Connective is still working out planning details with the details and financial details with lenders. However, it is also trying to take advantage of the Wayne County Land Bank's TURBO program.Source: Paul Sincock, city manager for PlymouthWriter: Jon Zemke
