Detroit, Michigan – After more than two years of legal battles, crews have started to take down one of Detroit’s most iconic empty buildings: the Mammoth Building at Grand River and Greenfield, which has been empty for a long time.
The huge 135,000-square-foot building, which used to have busy department stores, has been unoccupied and falling apart for 25 years. It opened for the first time in 1949 as Federals. In the 1970s, it changed its name to Kingsway, and in 1990, it became Mammoth. When Mammoth shut down in 2000, the building fell apart and became a target for complaints about blight and safety.
City officials say it took a long time and a lot of arguing to get to the point of tearing down the building. After years of giving out blight citations, the city launched a nuisance abatement lawsuit in April 2023 to have then-owner Herb Strather fix or take down the building. Strather lost the property that same year because he didn’t pay his taxes and his water and drainage fees on time. The MBI Group, which is currently owned by Bahy Hammoud and Gihad Nagi, bought the site at a county auction in October 2023.
“For a quarter century, residents in this neighborhood have had to look at and live with this vacant and dangerous building,” said Mayor Mike Duggan, who has led an effort to rid the city of vacant commercial buildings that no longer were viable for redevelopment.
Duggan added that the only other major vacant building on his target list — the former Southwest Detroit Hospital — is set for demolition soon to make way for a new Detroit City Football Club stadium.
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Tate, who represents the northwest district, praised the outcome as a community win.
“The court’s decision paves the way for new life at this long-troubled site, turning a symbol of neglect into a springboard for neighborhood renewal,” said Tate. “Together, we can reimagine this intersection as a vibrant, welcoming space that reflects the pride and potential of our community. This is a win for Detroit’s future and for every neighboring resident who has dreamed of progress at the location.”
Before demolition began, teams from the contractor Homrich spent weeks getting rid of the asbestos. LaJuan Counts, the Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations, explained that her staff sees the task as more than just taking down walls.
The city thinks the building will be gone by the end of October. After that, crews will take down the underused sky bridge that connects the Mammoth Building to the Tower Center. The project will cost $2.6 million, and city officials believe they will get the money back from current owners through the courts.
Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett credited the Wayne County Circuit Court for managing the case efficiently, calling the result “a victory for the people of Detroit, especially those living near Grand River and Greenfield.”