HISTORIC DISTRICT

To the Editor:We are writing this letter to help inform your readers about the pending Historic District designation of a few streets in Grosse Pointe City. The process of reviewing and possibly implementing the Historic District designation that will affect homeowner’s property rights is already well underway. In the presentation, the consultant noted that within the proposed district, 102 homes were surveyed and of these 45 were deemed to be noncontributory to a historic district designation. The proposed historic district designation is a designation that will have real impact on the rights of homeowners. We love our old home and take great pride in caring for it, but we are adamantly opposed to the creation of this Historic District.

Courtesy of the Detroit Sound ConservancyEasily one of Detroit's most storied clubs has narrowly escaped demolition thanks to a recent Historic District designation by the City of Detroit.The historic Blue Bird Inn — where jazz legends like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Elvin Jones regularly performed and honed their craft — will fly again after demolition chatter began in 2017,reports.The venue, which was purchased by the Detroit Sound Conservancy in 2019 for $8,500 thanks in part to a grant from the Kresge Foundation, will now be able to move forward with restoration, as well as preserve the physical road-tripping Blue Bird stage . At the time of the purchase, however, the future of the Blue Bird remained uncertain, that is until Mayor Mike Duggan signed off on the venue's formal Historic District designation in October, removing it from the list of dangerous structures pending demolition.The DSC is now turned its focus on repairing, restoring, and redeveloping the site at 5021 Tireman so that it can serve as a community center for the west side neighborhood, as well as a music venue. Beyond that, the revived space will become a museum of sorts, as it will host the DSC's massive collection of Detroit music artifacts, spanning various eras and genres throughout the city's history. But first, it needs a new roof, which could cost upwards of $50,000.To advance restoration efforts for the Blue Bird Inn, folks can donate to the Detroit Sound Conservancy, via DetroitSound.org

In 2019, it was purchased by the Detroit Sound Conservancy with a plan to renovate the property. PREVIOUS: Detroit Sound Conservancy works to restore iconic jazz club Blue Bird InnHowever, the group soon learned that it was on Detroit’s demolition list. But the group was able to get the Blue Bird Inn designated as a local historic district, sparing it from demolition. The Detroit Sound Conservancy said the next step is to install a new roof on the building. WATCH BELOW: Detroit Sound Conservancy works to restore iconic jazz club Blue Bird Inn