DETROIT – The Boblo building in Detroit, which was one of the worst examples of commercial blight, is finally coming down after sitting dormant for decades.
The demolition was a little sad because it stood as a nostalgic reminder of good times.
Heavy machinery has slowly torn the 97-year-old building to pieces.
For most of its history, this riverfront building was used as a storage depot for goods loaded on and off Detroit River freighters.
But many Detroiters remember the building for something else.
“I remember coming here when I was about 12 years old,” said Jerry Innes. “My older brother drove us down here to take us to Boblo Island. You’re on that big magical boat ride to an amusement park.”
It’s a growing pile of twisted metal and concrete now, but the building was the starting point for an exuberant day of fun for several years.
Boblo boats last docked in 1991. The Boblo Amusement Park shut down permanently a few years later.
Although the Boblo name has been on the building for decades, Boblo is just a small part of the building’s history.
Built in 1926, the giant warehouse was known as the Detroit Harbor Terminal Building for decades.
When it opened in 1926, it was the biggest facility of its kind anywhere on the Great Lakes.
But since 2003, the building has been vacant, and it ended up on the city’s list of the worst blighted commercial buildings.
For a brief time in its 97-year history, the Detroit Harbor Terminal Building was The Boblo Building. And as long as the building stood, It brought back happy memories for many Detroiters.
The Ambassador Bridge Company bought the building in 2021. Demolition is expected to be done in September of 2023.
The city says the bridge company plans to move its concrete company, Hercules Concrete Downriver, about a mile to that spot.
“The demolition is part of its plan to consolidate the company’s construction material handling facilities on the riverfront.”
Ambassador Bridge Company