Its strange to imagine a city being torn down around you. We usually think of buildings as so fixed, cities so permanent. But when you spend an extended amount of time in Detroit, you're bound to see at least one large element of the urban landscape recede. The first demolished building I witnessed was a parking structure on Elizabeth St (my pic above). Certainly not a signature building, this concrete frame structure was essentially a big white block, with rectilinear openings that had been filled-in with glass panels in a steel frame. A vintage painted metal sign that simply read PARKING in vertical lettering hung off the NW corner, carefully removed one day and carried off on a flatbed truck. My friend Tadd noticed that this was the well-known Detroit case of tearing down a parking structure for surface parking. Hmmm. Makes sense.
Here's a pic of the boxy building at night: pic
And some during the day: pic
In any case, I designed a coffee table dedicated to this structure for DisturbedSleep, a furniture design collective featuring handmade pieces designed by young Southeast Michigan designers. It will be fabricated this summer by Doormouse here in Detroit and then exhibited at ReView gallery on Willis in Midtown, Detroit this August. Some quick images are below.
Dimensions: 42" x 20" x 20". Materials: powder-coated sheetmetal and branded leather. Felt optional instead of leather. Aqui esta.
Close-up of shelf:
Copyright 2009 DisturbedSleep
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