Asian Americans are speaking out after a historic building in Detroit’s former Chinatown was demolished despite attempts to save it.
The 140-year-old building at 3143 Cass Ave. was razed Saturday, The Detroit News reports. Community advocates had once hoped it could serve as the focal point for the revival of what was once Detroit’s Chinatown.
According to the Michigan Advance, State Senator Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) said the building used to be like a community center for the Chinatown community.
“For many Asian Americans in and around the city of Detroit, this building represents where many of their relatives first placed their roots,” Chang wrote in a letter to city officials, according to the Michigan Advance. “Located in the center of what is historically known as Chinatown, this property began as a residence in 1883 and was eventually purchased by the Chinese Merchants Association in 1963.”
Chang added that the space was used by Chinese Americans for “community gatherings, religious celebrations, and educational activities.”
According to The Detroit News, the building has been owned by people connected to Olympia Development of Michigan since 2004. It has sat vacant for years.
In 2018, the city council ordered that the building be demolished, Detroit Free Press reports. Chang and other Asian American advocates have been trying to save the building ever since the demolition order was given.
“I have several friends whose families owned Chinese restaurants in the area and they are greatly upset by the demolition of the community center especially after the City Council voted unanimously to pause demolition until a cultural and historic review is complete,” Asian American advocate Jacob Molewyk told Detroit Free Press.
On Tuesday, the city council voted unanimously to pause the demolition until it could complete a historical and cultural review. However, the council does not have the legal authority to block the demolition.
So on Saturday, the demolition went ahead as planned. Georgette Johnson, a spokesperson for the city’s Building, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) told Detroit Free Press Olympia took charge of the demolition.
Olympia spokesperson Allison Gabrys told Detroit Free Press that it respecteed BSEED’s commitment to the city. The company awarded the demolition to Farrow Group Inc., a Detroit-based, demolition contractor.
“In addition to the recent approval of 10 new and historic developments in The District Detroit, we continue to work closely with the City of Detroit on developing a broader plan for all our real estate holdings,” Gabrys said via email, according to Detroit Free Press.
Roland Hwang, an attorney who tried to help save the building, told Detroit Free Press that advocates plan to hold a news conference on Monday to discuss their hopes for the location now that the building has been demolished.
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