12619 Harper Ave
Abandoned Since late 2006/early 2007
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Unit pictures are grouped together via a designated number in the caption of each photo Ex. (1)
Info on 12619 Harper Ave
12619 Harper Ave is an abandoned apartment building that was abandoned in late 2006/early 2007. The apartment building sits on the dangerous east side of Detroit and is located along the I-94 freeway. Most parts of the once apartment building are gone, replaced with many signs of homeless people who have occupied the building since it closed. The building seems like it would have been a poor living experience due to the small rooms and overall lack of space to make it your own. Some cabinets and drawers still remain in some rooms, but most units have been reinforced with wooden boards. Some units have seen better treatment than others since closing, notably the 2nd floor units are in better shape than the 1st floor units. Between 2013 and 2017, the building received a new paint job on the outside that was previously covered so badly that the original boards were invisible. By 2017, almost all the boards originally put up had been removed by vandals, but around 2018 new boards were put up. The building also had a major overgrown foliage problem common with many abandoned properties, especially residential ones in Detroit. This was resolved by August of 2018, making the building secure at the time. However, only a year later, the foliage returned along with vandals who removed most of the boards. By early 2022/late 2021, almost all the boards had once again been removed. New boards arrived by July of 2022, and since then, the building hasn't seen much change. During our visit in May of 2024, we were able to explore 4 of the 18 units inside the building, not including the basement. The rest were boarded off with heavy boards. We documented this unique complex that once held many stories. I bet.
Recollection from the author
This Abandoned Apartment Building was a interesting one off building for myself and the area it sat in spoke for it’s condition. while interesting it was nasty and every time a room was cleared you felt as if you were going to run into a squatter more and more as you saw more and more of there belongings from throughout the years. The FS numbers around the building showed this was a landbank property which you could tell was one of the properties no one wanted. Lucky for us we would explore many parts of this building but never again