Michigan Real Estate History

Michigan Real Estate History: June 4 – June 10, 2018

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This week in Michigan real estate history features the incorporation of two of Oakland County’s most populous cities.

On June 7, 1955, the voters approved the incorporation of both the City of Troy and the City of Southfield. Both were previously organized as townships. The incorporation as cities preceded the dramatic growth in the population of both cities, as the migration of residents from the City of Detroit accelerated. The City of Detroit’s population has declined in every census since 1950. At the same time, the population of Troy grew from 19,402 in the 1960 census to 80,980 in the 2010 census. Southfield’s population grew from 31,531 in the 1960 census to 71,758 in the 2010 census.

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General Motors Building

This Week in Michigan Real Estate History: May 29 – June 3, 2018

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On June 2, 1919, groundbreaking for the construction of the General Motors Building was held in what would eventually be known as the New Center neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.

The building was originally known as the Durant Building, after William C. Durant, one of the co-founders of General Motors. However, Durant was ousted by the Board of Directors prior to the completion of the building, and it was renamed the General Motors Building. In 1996, GM purchased the Renaissance Center on the riverfront of downtown Detroit, and GM moved its last workers to the RenCen in 2001. The General Motors Building is now primarily occupied by the State of Michigan, and known as Cadillac Place.

The structure was designed by noted architect Albert Kahn and has approximately 1.4M square feet of space. When the building opened fully in 1923, it was the second largest office building in the world (behind only New York City’s Equitable Building).

 

Michigan real estate history

This Week in Michigan Real Estate History: May 21 – May 28, 2018

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This Week in Michigan Real Estate History features a strike by union tradesmen.

On May 28, 1962, the Carpenters Union declared a strike against metro Detroit home builders. This strike, which lasted until June 4, 1962, brought home construction in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties to a halt. The strike ended when the Union and home builders agreed to a 10-cent per hour raise.

[Note: This week’s edition was extended by one day due to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday]

Renaissance Center

This Week in Michigan Real Estate History: May 14 – May 20, 2018

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On May 17, 1996, General Motors purchased the iconic Renaissance Center (the “RenCen”) in order to relocate its World Headquarters. The RenCen is located on the Detroit River, in downtown Detroit.  The RenCen was developed in the early 1970s by Henry Ford II, the eldest grandson of Henry Ford.

Prior to the purchase of the RenCen, General Motors headquarters was located at the “General Motors Building,” which was located in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. The former General Motors Building is now known as Cadillac Place and is occupied by various agencies of the State of Michigan.

 

property tax

This Week in Michigan Real Estate: May 7 – May 13, 2018

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May 8, 1820: First Property Tax Imposed

On May 8, 1820, the Northwest Territory imposed the first tax on property. The Northwest Territory included the land now comprising the State of Michigan. If unpaid, the delinquent taxpayer was subject to imprisonment. The penalty for non-payment of the property tax was amended in April 1825. The 1825 amendment limited the penalty to the seizure of the property subject to the tax, rather than imprisonment of the taxpayer.

For more about the history of the State of Michigan, the e-book version of the 1889 book “The History of Detroit and Michigan” is available for free via Google’s book-scanning project.

For more of my posts on Michigan real estate history, click here.

Michigan real estate history

This Week in Michigan Real Estate History – April 30 – May 6, 2018

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David NykanenDavid Nykanen has over 22 years experience as a real estate lawyer. He is the former Chair of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Dave has represented property owners of virtually every type, including retail, multi-family, industrial, office, hotel, and high-end residential.

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