The historic Pochelon Building located at 815 Bates St. in downtown Detroit is currently being demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development proposed by Dan Gilbert. The demolition of the building started on Friday, marking another step forward in the transformation of the Monroe Blocks site.
The Pochelon Building, constructed in 1925, spans approximately 23,000 square feet, while the adjacent building at 1000 Farmer St., also built in 1925, covered 24,000 square feet. Both structures have long been earmarked for demolition as part of the larger development plan. Notably, the National Theatre on the site will have its facade restored and incorporated into the new project.
Initially, the mixed-use project, now referred to as The Development on Cadillac Square, faced delays and setbacks following a groundbreaking in December 2018. However, Bedrock LLC, Gilbert’s real estate company, revealed earlier this year that the project has been reconfigured and is expected to commence construction after the NFL Draft in April of next year.
The revised vision for the Monroe Blocks development entails 250-280 residential units, downscaled from the original plan of 482 units. The office space has also been reduced from an anticipated 857,000 square feet to approximately 400,000 square feet. The project aims to incorporate a new 2,000-seat concert venue, repurposing the National Theatre facade, as well as a retail, restaurant, market hall component measuring around 90,000 square feet. Additionally, there are plans for 1,500-1,800 parking spaces.
The phased construction timeline for The Development on Cadillac Square includes the commencement of the National Theatre project and market hall components by September 1, 2024, followed by the residential, retail, and parking phase by October 1, 2026. Lastly, the parking, retail, and office space segment is set to begin by January 1, 2028.
Source: Crain’s Detroit Business