An astounding work of Mediterranean Revival architecture, Thomas M. Cooley High School was designed by the renowned Detroit firm Donaldson & Meier. It opened in 1928 and flourished as a school for many decades until it was closed by the district in 2010.

One group, the Cooley Reuse Project, has been trying unsuccessfully to redevelop the building for years. In 2017, a fire ravaged the showpiece auditorium, making it less likely the school will be saved.

Built in 1927 for the Kelvinator Corporation, an appliance manufacturer, this complex eventually expanded to 1.46 million square feet. The company merged with the American Motors Corporation, hence the building’s name change, which was later bought by Chrysler. After going bankrupt in 2007, Chrysler sold the building for $2.3 million.

The AMC building nearly got demolished in 2016. Then there were hints in 2018 that the city might buy it from the county and find a developer. But there’s been no news since.

“It went from a towering symbol of wealth to a towering symbol of Detroit’s decay,” writes Historic Detroit.

This extravagant Art Deco building opened in 1927 as “residential hotels” for Detroit’s elite. It struggled to stay afloat almost immediately and eventually closed in 1997. It’s suffered from vandalism ever since: its copper roof was stripped and 24 terra cotta lion stolen.

It’s also been the subject of redevelopment speculation (and failed plans) for years. In 2019, the city of Detroit sold the building to developers who presented a $50 million plan to turn it into 180 apartment units, many of which will be for low-income renters. Because of the amount of work required, we’re still taking a wait-and-see approach.

Despite being in a prime real estate location across from Michigan Central Station, this attractive triangular building has sat undeveloped since it closed over 20 years ago. New York-based Sequoia Property Partners bought the building in 2014 for $900,000 and has done nothing with it since. It avoided demolition in 2016, but we’re still waiting for someone to develop it.

Built in 1926 as the Hotel Fort Wayne, after new ownership its name changed to the American Hotel in the 1960s. The 300-room hotel closed in the 1990s and has remained vacant since.

Owned by the Ilitches, the family’s firm Olympia Development of Michigan said that it would restore and convert the building into 163 apartments as part of its multi-neighborhood and unfulfilled District Detroit project. Aside from boarding up windows, there’s been no visible movement on the property.

Built in the late 1800s, the six-story Romanesque building had high-end apartments for most of its existence. As the Cass Corridor declined, so did the building, which first became a motel, then back to apartments for low-income renters before closing in 2006.

The Alhambra is also owned by the Ilitches, which bought the building in 2009 and announced plans to turn it into a 46 apartments as part of District Detroit. It missed a development deadline in 2018 and there’s been no movement since.

This Neoclassical building was built for the fraternal organization of the same name in 1922. While several plans have been floated over the years to bring it back to life, including one from 1994 to turn it into a nightclub, it’s been vacant for decades.

The lodge is yet another building owned by the Ilitches, which bought it in 2007 for $1.5 million. The company did some cosmetic work to the facade in 2013, and teased the public with possible redevelopment plans in 2017, but nothing has come to fruition.

It’s surprising that this over 100-year-old theatre designed by C. Howard Crane, with its prominent location on Woodward near Brush Park, hasn’t been redeveloped. Perhaps it has something to do with its fascinating and sordid history.

It last sold in 2016 for $1.3 million to Birmingham pharmacist Hany Boutros. He never released his plans for the building, which has been lightly used over the last two decades, and no visible work has taken place.

This Albert Kahn–designed office building on the edge of Grand Circus Park opened in the 1920s but has been vacant for many years. In 2018, it had begun to deteriorate so badly that debris was falling on the sidewalk.

Later that year, it was bought by Rino Soave for $4.9 million. The developer announced major plans to convert the building into up to 100 apartments at a cost of $10 million to $15 million. But little work has been done on the buiding since

Opening in 1928, it was another of Detroit’s “movie palaces” designed by C. Howard Crane. Historic Detroit has a great description of the interior: “The UA featured a grand, circular lobby, complete with mirrors and huge Indian maidens on the walls that looked down on audiences. The United Artists’ auditorium was like a cathedral of cinema and said to be acoustically perfect, and was decorated with Gothic plaster and interesting brass light fixtures.”

After years of decline, it closed in 1975. The Iliches bought the building in 1997 and even back then planned on demolishing it. Olympia released the development rights to Bagley Development, owned by Emmett Moten who is planning a $56 million redevelopment of the building, but at the cost of demolishing the theater.

An ornate work of Beaux Arts architecture, the 44,625-square-foot, 18-court room Wayne County Building opened in 1902. From Historic Detroit: “The interior is decked out in mahogany, oak, birch, maple and sycamore. The halls are lined with a variety of marbles, including Sienna, English vein, white Italian, Alps green, Verona, red any yellow Numidian and others. The columns throughout the building are imitation marbles representing Siennas and Numidians, among others.”

Though the county left in 2010, the building is still in good shape. Unlike others on this list, parts of the building have been restored over the years, most recently in 2018. It’s owned by a group of New York investors who have been looking for a tenant since purchasing the building for over $10 million in 2014.

Detroit has always been an important shipment hub, as proven by this former armory just east of Belle Isle, which served as a training site for the Navy and Marines. The Art Deco building with a huge indoor drill floor opened in 1930—Joe Louis fought his first bout there in 1932.

The building closed in 2004 and scrappers have done significant damage to it. For years, the city, which owns the building, has unsuccessfully tried to find a developer. It would certainly be a fascinating opportunity should the right buyer come along.