

Detroit's Decaying Old Train Station Has 5 New Windows and No One Knows Why - schrofer
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/05/detroits-famously-decaying-train-station-has-5-new-windows-and-no-one-knows-why/5766/

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Claudus
_One would assume the mystery could be solved through city permit records, but
according to Todd, there are no permits, even though there should be. "For
that kind of work and the dollar amount that would come with it, yes, permits
would be required," says Todd._

Wow, you need a permit in Detroit to put glass into a window?

~~~
dsl
I live in a 10 story condo building in San Francisco, and had a window crack
during a Giants fireworks show. After speaking to our building manager I found
out the cost to replace a window above the 3rd floor is about $10k. You need
all sorts of specialized permits, a contractor, and a paramedic on site during
the work.

~~~
laurenstill
paramedic on the window floor, or at ground level?

~~~
thejosh
To what, catch the guy if he falls?

~~~
dsl
On the ground. I believe the concern is over falling glass picking up speed on
the way down.

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GavinB
Simplest explanation: The owners had them installed to test different
contractors, designs, and/or materials. Wouldn't you have someone put a few in
before you signed a contract to put them all up?

~~~
notatoad
Typically no, you wouldn't. Building contractors aren't teenage web designers,
they don't put up with that sort of nonsense. Either you give them the whole
job, or they walk away.

~~~
devicenull
You think someone is going to walk away from a job that size because you asked
them to put in one window to start with? I seriously doubt it

~~~
notatoad
Maybe not in Detroit, but most places, yeah. If a customer signals that
they're going to be a pain in the ass, the contractor will bail. There's no
shortage of work for builders.

~~~
unreal37
There are hundreds of windows to be added. The owner is a billionaire. The
contractor will do whatever he asks.

Also, maybe they're testing window designs and not checking out the
contractors work. "Does it fit?" "Let's order 3 and try." It's not hard to
imagine why someone would want to install a few windows in a big abandoned
building before installing all of them.

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joezydeco
If you're going to renovate the building into something like apartments or
offices, wouldn't you want to create a model unit to photograph (from the
inside) and use for later?

~~~
CaveTech
There won't be any "model" units in this building anytime soon, unless you
staff it with 24/7 security.

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akkartik
Ah, the owners are the 'bridge to Canada' family:
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4695608>

~~~
e2e8
Thankfully the voters voted _for_ the new bridge.
[http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/michigan_pro...](http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/michigan_proposal_6_call_for_v.html)

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IvyMike
My guess is that someone was doing a video or photo shoot inside, and needed a
window for their scene.

~~~
mturmon
That was my guess too. But the owners do seem to be oddballs, so maybe seeking
a sensible reason is unwarranted.

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jwarzech
Will be interesting to see if anything starts moving with this. I drive by it
everyday (our office is downtown Detroit) and it never ceases to amaze me how
you can practically 'see-through' the building with all the windows missing.

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LeafStorm
The funny thing is that according to Freshwater Railway's fictitious "history
of Michigan Central Station" page [1], 2013 is the year that the Marouns sold
the station to Freshwater Railway Corporation to begin constructing a commuter
rail depot.

[1] <http://fwrail.org/mcs.htm>

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pudquick
"Work is continuously occurring in the interior"

Might be nice to have a window in a room so you have a dry area to stage your
work from or take a break in.

Maybe pair it with a lockable interior door for overnight storage.

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coldcode
I would have thought it should have 8 New Windows and no start button.

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aaron695
I assumed art, but also like the test theory

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mariuolo
Article doesn't it say whether the train station is abandoned or still
functional.

~~~
garrettlarson
> Michigan Central Station stopped serving trains in 1988 with multiple plans
> to redevelop the building falling through since. The Morouns have owned the
> building since 2001.

FTA

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rglover
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory>

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kwx
..squatters.

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KerrickStaley
Who upvotes irrelevant junk like this?

