• Court denied request for stay granting the City the authority to demolish dangerous privately-owned structure that has loomed vacant over Grand River and Greenfield for a quarter century
• City’s Construction & Demolition Department begins demolition following two months of asbestos removal
• City is paying for $2.6M demolition up front but will go after owners to repay cost
• Mammoth is one of the last major commercial buildings in Detroit needing to be demolished 
   

Following two years of legal battles, the City of Detroit’s Construction & Demolition Department today began the demolition of the Mammoth Building, the site of a former department store that has sat vacant at the intersection of Grand River and Greenfield for the past quarter century.  

The building first opened in 1949 as Federals department store, which operated until the 1970s when it was replaced with Kingsway department store and then and later became Mammoth department store in 1990. It has sat vacant and deteriorating since 2000, when Mammoth closed.  

In April 2023, after years of issuing blight tickets, the City of Detroit filed a nuisance abatement lawsuit to compel the owner at the time, Herb Strather, to remedy the blight, whether through repairs or demolition. Later that year, Strather lost the building to Wayne County tax foreclosure after failing for years to pay delinquent property taxes and thousands of dollars in past due water and drainage bills. The building was purchased out of the Wayne County tax auction by current owners, Bahy Hammoud and Gihad Nagi of the MBI Group nearly two years ago 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. “Thanks to the leadership of Council President Pro Tem James Tate, our legal team led by Conrad Mallett and demolition team led by LaJuan Counts, the area of Grand River and Greenfield soon will have a chance for a real revitalization.”  

Duggan said that the one other vacant building on his list is the former Southwest Detroit Hospital, which will begin demolition by its owner in the coming weeks to make way for a new stadium for the Detroit City Football Club (DCFC).

Council President Pro Tem James Tate, who represents the northwest section of the city applauded the city for its efforts to rid his district of its most notorious vacant building.

"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."

The City’s Construction & Demolition Department began work in June to remove asbestos from the 135,000-square-foot building prior to demolition. That work and the demolition itself are being done by Homrich.  Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations LaJuan Counts said her team takes great pride in helping to improve neighborhoods by removing major blight.

“The demolition of the Mammoth Building is about more than removing bricks and steel. It is about delivering progress for the residents who have waited a long time to see change,” said LaJuan Counts, Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations. “This is a promise kept, and another step in fulfilling the Mayor’s vision to transform blight into beauty. Every structure we take down is part of a bigger picture—creating safer, stronger neighborhoods across Detroit.

Counts said that it expects the building to be fully down by late October. Counts added that after the Mammoth Building is complete, workers will remove the sky bridge that spans Grand River and connects to the Tower Center.  The bridge also has not been used since the Mammoth Building went vacant in 2000.

The total cost for the work is $2.6 million.  Once the demolition process is complete, Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett said the city will seek to have the owners of the building repay the city for its costs to remove their dangerous building.  

“The legal process managed fairly and efficiently by the Judges of the Wayne County Circuit Court resulted in a victory for the people of the City of Detroit particularly the residents living near Grand River and Greenfield,” said Mallett.