Wayne State U. Pins New Hopes on Old Buildings

Libby Sander, a Chronicle reporter, has an article in the latest issue about Wayne State University’s drive to revitalize parts of Detroit:

With the help of Wayne State University, located just down the street, facelifts of a handful of old buildings, many of them once at the heart of the automotive industry, are leading the way in the revitalization of one small corner of this sprawling city. Building by building, block by block, the university is gradually helping to transform an area that was, until very recently, known more for its blight than for its bustle.

Just as its collegiate cousins in places like Philadelphia and Cincinnati have done, Wayne State is eager to spruce up the neighborhoods around its campus and bolster a local economy sagging under the weight of the foundering auto companies. Its early success is already evident. The areas known as Midtown, where Wayne State is located, and New Center, just a few blocks north, where the auto barons anchored their fledgling industry nearly a century ago, are gradually reviving at a pace not yet seen in other parts of the city.

Read more here.