Rumors of the building's impending structural demise are swirling, but developer Stewart Beal says it's sound and the new scaffolding is only there until the building is painted on Friday. Want to guess the color?
Proposed new international bridge: If you’ve driven over the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor anytime recently, you probably concluded what most experts already agree on — that a new bridge is needed. That’s why we continue to support the proposal to build a second international bridge between Detroit and ...
This story has been updated with additional information from the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's office. Jacob Popiolek was sentenced Tuesday to 5 years of probation for setting fire to the historic Thompson Block building in Ypsilanti. Judge Donald Shelton told Popiolek, 21, he has a choice to take his future on ...
A man accused of setting fire to the historic Thompson Block building in Ypsilanti's Depot Town in 2009 has pleaded no contest to an arson charge in the case. Jacob Popiolek, 21, of Ypsilanti, pleaded no contest Tuesday to the charge of arson — preparing to burn property of more ...
Construction on the fire-damaged Thompson Block building will resume for the summer season on Friday, but the project’s new plans call for an all-residential instead of mixed-use development. Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Ypsilanti City Manager Ed Koryzno. Ypsilani developer Stewart Beal also said he expects ...
A man accused of setting fire to Ypsilanti’s historic Thompson Block building in September 2009 is heading to trial for arson. Jacob Popiolek, 21, was ordered to stand trial on a single count of arson of real property following a recent preliminary hearing in district court, records show.
The City of Ypsilanti and developer Stewart Beal have reached a deal on how to proceed with initial renovations on the Thompson Block building, the first sign of real progress since legal maneuvering began four months ago.Per the agreement, all exterior walls will be stabilized, all shoring will be removed from the Cross ...
A 21-year-old man accused of starting a fire that severely damaged the Thompson Block building in Ypsilanti turned himself in to authorities. Jacob Robert-Andrew Popiolek was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of arson to real property, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He was released on ...
Supports propping up the west wall of the Thompson Block building have been removed from River Street in Ypsilanti. Developer Stewart Beal, whose Historic Equities Fund 1 LLC owns the structure, said his employees started working to remove the supports this morning and completed the project within eight hours.
Authorities say a suspect accused of setting fire to the Thompson Block building in Ypsilanti's Depot Town last fall has likely fled the state. Ypsilanti Fire Chief Jon Ichesco said he received an anonymous tip that the suspect, Jacob Robert-Andrew Popiolek, 21, is now in Arizona.
After months of inactivity, Thompson Block developer Stewart Beal says he's moving forward to get the beams out of River Street and has secured $1.8 million in tax credits to renovate the historic Depot Town structure. The City of Ypsilanti issued Beal, whose Historic Equities Fund I LLC owns the structure, ...
A new report conducted by an independent engineer says a portion of the Thompson Block building could collapse into Cross Street. The report also detailed extensive damage to portions of the exterior walls and recommended 70 percent of the west wall and 40 percent of the south wall be demolished ...
Ypsilanti city officials secured an administrative search warrant to get an independent engineer access to the Thompson Block building property for an inspection. City officials say they hired the engineer to inspect the condition and safety of the building, but their requests for access were ignored by developer Stewart Beal, whose Historic Equities Fund ...
A month after prosecutors levied charges, Ypsilanti police haven't been able to find a 21-year-old man suspected of starting the Thompson Block fire. Jacob Robert-Andrew Popiolek is charged with arson of real property, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
By design or by default, Ypsilanti’s historic Thompson Block building is in some danger of coming down. Some might call it good riddance, given what an albatross the structure has been over the years. But we wouldn’t. We’d much rather see Ypsilanti officials and developer Stewart Beal tone down the ...
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com AnnArbor.com's partner news site MLive.com is on a quest to find the best barbecue in ......
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com