An example of mid-century architecture and former home of psychiatric services to troubled girls behind the Detroit Institute of Arts is being demolished.
The work at The Barat House at John R. and Frederick began over the weekend, with construction equipment making quick work of the two-story structure that was built by the League of Catholic Women in 1961.
The demolition has raised the heckles of some in the preservation community, as the Barat House was designed by Robert Harter Snyder, a student of famed architect Eliel Saarinen (who has had his architectural impact felt across the region and is the father of Eero Saarinen, another important architect).
It had a honeycomb accoutrement, and you can see this in a picture we took before the demolition began below.
Of course, anything involving history, art and the DIA has to have a bit of social criticism. An unknown artist zip-tied the following snarky plaque, reminiscent of the kind you would find inside the museum itself.
The open space created by the demolition of the Barat House will make room for a 60-70 space expansion of the adjacent parking lot that covers almost the entire block.
How do you feel about losing this building?