Historic theater targeted by city
Officials in the City of Wayne want the owners of the old Palace Theater to either fix it up or tear it down.
The building, on Michigan Avenue between Wayne Road and Elizabeth Street, is commonly known as the Historic Wayne Theater. It was cited last week by the city under the Dangerous Building ordinance. A hearing was set for April 19.
“We can’t speculate on what will occur,” said City Manager John Zech. “The hearing officer hasn’t looked at it yet.”
The Dangerous Building Ordinance was enacted last year to spur activity on property that had been neglected by landlords or posed a blight or hazardous condition to the city.
The theater, among the most prominent structures on Michigan Avenue, has essentially been empty for 20 years as a dedicated group of volunteers have worked to restore it. It’s been closed since the front portion caught fire in 1985.
“The building has not had an occupancy permit for 20 years,” Zech said. “That’s an important issue for the city.”
It’s the second prominent building on the block that has fallen under the ordinance. The old Jamison Block building, its blue-boarded neighbor, was ordered to be torn down by the city last month. The city council approved a demolition contract for the structure and will proceed with it unless owner Grizel Butler schedules the demolition herself or stops the city through the court system.
City Engineer Ramzi El-Gharib said even if that didn’t happen, the city could not start to demolish the building after the March 20 deadline. They first have to have a firm identify any asbestos hazards.
“They go through it inch by inch,” he said. “It could take as much as 10 days.”
They then have to notify the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) 10 days before they begin any asbestos abatement. He said the earliest the building could be torn down was sometime in April.
Resident Nancy Pride said she didn’t like the dangerous building ordinance.
“You’re destroying our city by tearing down old buildings and putting up new buildings that look like old buildings,” she said. “I’m just disillusioned that you’re tearing down buildings like you are.”
Zech said the goal of the ordinance, though, was to improve properties. A demolition order is only issued in extreme cases.
“The buildings that have been removed have been in terrible condition,” he said. “We’re only dealing with the worst cases. It has been a catalyst to get people that own property but haven’t taken care of it to do something with it.”
Mayor Al Haidous agreed.
“We’re trying to bring the downtown back alive by doing what we’re doing.”