DETROIT – It was a packed gallery Saturday in Eastern Market. People were eager to hear how a famous Berlin nightclub owner envisions the future art scene in Detroit.
The site he's interested in is the former Fisher Body plant. Six stories in disrepair is exactly what he's looking for.
The former manufacturing mecca could become a techno nightclub and cultural center with a global appeal. While it's dangerous in there, it's also hauntingly historic, and could become the next IT place in Detroit.
Dimitri Hegemann became famous for transforming abandoned buildings into nightclubs and cultural centers back home. So why's a Berlin artist interested in Detroit?
Today as the Motor City begins its own renaissance, many Detroiters are excited to see what the European entrepreneur has in mind.
Hegemann's trademark is to take a building like the former Fisher Body plant and start transforming it one room, one floor at a time. That artistic idea may not be legal here to have people in a building that's not fully up to code, but it's a discussion Hegemann is eager to have with officials.
The idea is still in the planning stage, which is why the public meeting was held Saturday night. Hegemann will present his ideas to Detroit City Council and other planning groups Monday. The city currently owns the property.