“Why do all the cool buildings go up in smoke in Detroit?” laments an anonymous blogger at atdetroit.net.
The blogger was referring to 207 Henry St., a three-story, former brick beauty in the Cass Corridor. The bottom floor once housed the Moonrise Café and the Moonlight Restaurant. Now there are boarded-up doorways and dingy green paint at the street level and busted windows on the second and third floors. Pieces of the roof and other debris cover the diner’s counters and booths.
Steven Toma, a cashier at the Cass & Henry Market across the street, tells the Abandoned Structure Squad that the building caught fire in December 2004. The blaze caused its roof to collapse.
Vic Giller, owner of the property, says both the café and restaurant had been out of business since the late ’80s.
Demolition, he promises, is coming soon. Until then, the faded writing on the awning above what used to be the Moonlight Restaurant will remain, declaring that it is “open 24 hours.”
As you can see, it’s a message that still applies.
Editor’s note: If you know of an abandoned home you would like to see featured in this spot, send a photo and pertinent information to News Hits, c/o Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48226 (or e-mail [email protected]).
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