If I had any balls, I would move to this town and make my dreams come true. Unfortunately, I have never been a pioneer (Tribeca and its lack of all night delis is roughing it for me) and am no bueno at moving to places on the verge. If you, however, are that type and have the gumption to live in a place where there are huge possiblities for people of creative conceit- move here. Now.
I am so impressed by this city, I knew I would be but was not sure to what extent. I am hoping to see more of it this week, but from running around in a Durango scouting locations for a shoot, I can tell you this- the architecture in this town is not to be believed- Mies is here (you can buy a Mies townhouse for $100K). Saarinen is here. Frank Lloyd Wright is here. Beautiful, decaying and heaving train stations and garages are begging to be alive again. I was in an old garage that was just bought by a restauranteur that I would die to own- it's the perfect spot for a cool jeans and boots shop, with maybe a haircutting chair in the front. I've mentioned before that one of my favorite things to do in new cities I visit is to imagine what living there would be like, and what the city I'm currently hanging in needs in terms of retail or business ideas.
If I was more courageous, I would come here and buy a house (many people are telling me that you can literally pay off the taxes on some of these vacant homes and buy one for $3000) and start making stuff here again. It's incredible to be in a city that was once the place where some of our best "Made in America" products were designed and built- American engineering could live here again, and as Patti Smith said (who was married to a member of Detroit's very own MC5), New York is simply too expensive for artists to live these days. If I were you, I would move here. Quick. If you do, please don't build a bunch of wine bars and bullshit. This is a city that deserves to be cooler than that (there are surely places here like Birmingham that feel very much yupped out, and it's nice but has no soul). There is a vacant train station here that is absolutely outrageously beautiful and gothic and could very easily be turned into an awesome artists space for live performance, vendors, and studios. It's true I have not experienced this town in winter, but I am sure you can take it with the right gear.
Maybe it's the American optimist in me, but I can see where this town could rise again, and it's already happening as artists start to populate the city and magazines like Clear are based here. Yea you may not be able to buy a house in areas like Cranbrook, but you can have an urban experience and home that is simply out of reach in big cities like New York or LA. So if you have bigger cajones than me and like to explore, the Motor City is genius. It has a lot of heart and is super cool.
From an article I found on the chicagoreader.com blog, I loved this quote: “Detroit is the most democratic city in America,” writes Mitch Cope, one of the catalysts of the aforementioned artists’ block, on the blog at powerhouseproject.com. “Not in the political sense or government, but because the neighborhoods are ruled and run and controlled and developed by local citizens. It’s a city where you can do things, both bad and good as you choose without much oversight, enforcement of law, or rules imposed from above. It is up to the residents to decide what it is they want to do, how they govern their particular block or street, and therefore what they want their city to be. Democracy in Detroit has ironically come out of the lack of a functional government/political democracy.”
This city simply needs to rise again, and give birth to a new American dream- we have really lost our way and could use some people to reinvent and make stuff here again. What's disturbing to me is driving around this town in places like Cranbrook and Birmingham, you can see that there is much affluence here- so what happened in this post industrial age and where were these folks when their city was falling apart? And more importantly, where are developers like Tony Goldman of Miami Design District/Wynwood gentrification fame? This place is amazing and offers great opportunites for visionary minds. Think of the architects that built here and think of the design that took place here- it's a city that deserves more innovation and whose culture is steeped in creativity and great design.
Today I'm shooting a big old church and am excited to check out yet another beautiful spot here. I'm tired of seeing all of those images of burnt out buildings (though hauntingly beautfiul)- I'm ready to see some photos of the great Detroit rising again. And that's what's up this hopeful day in the 248. Detroit is amazing. Come here and kick out the jams.XO