Hotel Vermont.
Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Spring, 2007.
(Includes some photos from 23 where noted).
The Hotel Vermont. A downtown building that has sat derelict for quite some time. Both newspapers (The Free Press & Detroit News) simply reported the building as vacant and rundown. Even the Detroit Public Library turned up nothing (in a limited search).
In the above image, you can see two lighter painted squares on the corner of the building. The top one was the painted facade of Hotel Vermont and the other read $2 day/$5 week. They were painted over sometime between the All-Star Game and the Super Bowl because people don't want to see that type of thing on the side of old buildings.
Please excuse my sarcasm.
During this update; I also found another old picture of the Hotel Vermont where there was still a sign located on the front of the building. The image was watermarked 2004; so I can only assume they removed this sign as well as painted over the others to beautify Detroit for Super Bowl.
The significance of The Hotel Vermont from a nearby skyscraper. These are the buildings I enjoy the most; but likely that's just because I'm strange and like what everyone else doesn't.
The basement of the Vermont. I should state here that I might have had a few 40's by this point; so these pictures will be a little low quality on my part.
Also there's a few of 23's pictures thrown in.
Standing where the red chair was in the previous picture.
Old school record player. Vermont was really good because of the copious amounts of items left behind.
(Photo from 23)
Clothes Washer.
(Photo from 23)
Heading upstairs we found the main office window. As with the rest of the building; there was plenty left behind and we sorted through some paperwork for a while.
(Photo from 23)
A locked safe! You know this building was well sealed.
I have no clue what was in there (it looks like you could look through that hole now that I look at it).
(Photo from 23)
Vermont Hotel.
(Photo from 23)
Along with plenty of items in the main rooms; almost every room in the place seemed to be very full of stuff in their small spaces.
(Photo from 23)
(Photo from 23)
(Photo from 23)
(Photo from 23)
(Photo from 23)
One of the rooms had meticulously cut out scripture along with fake paper money taped all over its walls.
(Photo from 23)
A dresser reads, "You gotta do something better and better, and knows that there's a better life in that." "Trust; Me."
(Photo from 23)
And even that dresser contained items.
(Photo from 23)
A table with a plethora of old pictures strewn about.
We continued through the halls. The complete boarding up of the building and my shitty camera resulted in all flash pictures.
The upper floor rooms were more dilapidated as is the case in most of these buildings.
Looking back at these photos, I realized just how dirty some of these upper floor rooms were.
(Photo from 23)
Standing at just 5 floors; the Vermont offered a unique view of the skyscrapers found in Foxtown. The roof was v shaped, and featured a gentle slope and a very small (30cm) edge on the side.
A look at the host of skyscrapers blocking our view upon Woodward going downtown. In this picture you can see the Blenheim Apartments, Hotel Charlevoix, the Kales Building, Broderick Tower, &c.
Standing beside us was the Detroit Life Building, a vacant skyscraper that actually faces rehabilitation. I've never been in any of the skyscrapers in this direct area; so this was a unique view for me.
Behind us stood the Hotel Park Avenue.
To the opposite side of the Detroit Life Building; you see the Film Exchange Building.
Looking along Columbia Avenue, you can see the host of vacant lots that string together this area of Detroit. This is what Vermont is now; a vacant lot. This is the rumored location for the new Detroit Red Wings arena and recently Mike Illitch acquired over $100 000 to flatten the Hotel Vermont.
We thought we'd get another shot at this one; but we should have known better because Mike Illitch tends to favour demolishing buildings quick so that no one gets in his way.
This is what we discovered atop another skyscraper one night. I poured out a little 40 for this one.
The site of the former Hotel Vermont only a few days ago (mid May).
Wonder why I was being so thorough with a building that lacked story / narration? Well, there ya go. And talking with fellow explorers; I don't think that many people got into this one...so its views might as well live on in crappy narration and mediocre pictures.
Navi.
Sources: 1. Detroit News (Retrieved 05/17/07)
2. Urban Planet Forum (Retrieved 05/18/07)