Rehab/Renovation : Videos

Wallace Detroit Guitars uses reclaimed wood from abandoned houses in Detroit to make electric guitar bodies. The instruments emphasize the heritage of Detroit and build on the city's musical legacy. Video by Milk Products Media.   read on…

Detroit is facing enormous challenges with an abundance of vacant and abandoned buildings in the city. Demolition is a necessary part of moving the city forward, but Detroit can't just demo its way to revitalization. Here, individuals on the ground in Detroit show that through strategic preservation and rehabilitation of commercial and residential structures, you can change the dynamic one building at a time and demonstrate that just because it's vacant, doesn't mean it's blighted. Video by Michigan Historic Preservation Network.read on…

Michael Forsyth, Retail Business Development Manager of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) and leader of the DEGC's collaborative neighborhood renewal program REVOLVE Detroit, discusses how Detroit can be a world leader in how communities approach redevelopment. read on…

"A bleeding heart gives way to the consciousness that people are all interconnected and dependent upon one another in some way." This sentence is highlighted on the website for Bleeding Heart Design, founded by Rebecca Willis, and it captures the essence of Bleeding Heart's goal: to reimagine community spaces with art, design, and a sense of altruism and interconnectedness. Video by DETROIT LIVES! read on…

Each semester, Practice·Space takes on a pre-existing project that is rooted in Detroit for their incubator program. They are pleased to announce that their first project is renovating a store/house in the North End. read on…

Peggy and Tom Brennan might not know what the long-lasting implications of Green Garage will be for future generations, but they're excited at the prospects. Midtown's Green Garage is a green business incubator, office and workshop space, and community hub for people dedicated to a more sustainable way of living. They consider themselves the grandparents of a movement that they hope will reverberate for generations to come. Video by DETROIT LIVES!read on…

John George, founder of Motor City Blight Busters, says enough with all the talking: "Get off your ass and do something." Which is exactly how Blight Busters came to be. Tired of a house in his neighborhood being used as a crack house, he took it upon himself to board it up. Since then the nonprofit has boarded up, secured, demolished, rebuilt, repainted or otherwise positively impacted some 1,500 houses in the city with 120,000 volunteers logging almost 700,000 hours. You want change? Do it yourself. Video by DETROIT LIVES!read on…

coG Studio is an architectural design firm that focuses on youth-oriented spaces where kids can live, learn and play. coG Director Chandra Moore-Banks makes sure kids aren't forgotten when it comes to placemaking. Video by DETROIT LIVES!read on…

Jessica Brooke Williams leads Young Adults/Artists/Activists of Heidelberg (YAH), a branch of the Heidelberg Project that engages young adults to become leaders in the community and gain professional development in Detroit's arts industry. Video profile by DETROIT LIVES! read on…