Motor City Finally Runs out of Gas: Detroit has Debts of $20 BN
- Debt estimated to be as much as $20 million
- Union and pensions board refused to agree to last-chance survival plan
- City has been borrowing money to pay employees
Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline
Bust: After its boom years Detroit began a steady decline
Industry: Factories such as the Packard Automotive Plant, which helped Detroit become wealthy, are now abandoned
A team of financial experts put together by Mr Orr said that proposal was Detroit's one shot to permanently fix its fiscal problems.
Several factors, most notably sharp declines in the population and tax base, have been blamed on Detroit's tumble toward insolvency.
The city lost a quarter of a million residents between 2000 and 2010. A population that, in the 1950s, reached 1.8 million is struggling to stay above 700,000.
Desolate: The once-thriving city is struggling to convince residents to stay
Abandoned: Iconic buildings, such as Michigan Central Train Station, are deserted and residents are leaving
Photos below from
Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, Time Magazine
Michigan Central Station
Detroit's main train station, opened in 1913, has not been used since 1988.
William Livingstone House
Constructed in 1893 in the once elegant Brush Park neighborhood, this home, designed by architect Albert Kahn, was moved from its original location several years ago by preservationists who hoped to maintain it. It was demolished last year.
St. Margaret Mary School
Many of the city's Catholic schools have been closed, though the churches they are affiliated with remain active.
David Broderick Tower
One of the city's most prominent skyscrapers, this 35-story tower once housed the offices of many doctors, lawyers and dentists. It has been virtually empty since the 1980s. Developers hope to convert the building to residential units by 2010
United Artists Theater
This spectacular Spanish Gothic theater, built in 1928, was closed in the 1970s.
Packard Plant
Luxury-auto maker Packard produced its last car here in 1956
Lee Plaza Hotel
Once one of the most luxurious residential hotels in Detroit, Lee Plaza closed in the 1990s.
Lee Plaza Hotel Room
Marchand and Meffre found a lot of furniture and appliances left behind.
Wilbur Wright School
This public school closed in 2005.
Remains of a Deserted City
On their website, the photographers write, "Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes ... the volatile result of the change of eras and the fall of empires. This fragility leads us to watch them one very last time: to be dismayed, or to admire, it makes us wonder about the permanence of things."
END
More PHOTOs:
Detroit Ruins
from DetroitDerek Photography
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What's Left of the Historic Eastown Theater in Detroit
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Abandoned Train Station
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Abandoned Church
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