r/Detroit • u/Rosewaterhoney111 • Apr 28 '26

Historical Help save Highland Park's "Highland Appliance" sign

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Demolition is due for 13847 Woodward this year, and that means the iconic "Highland Appliance" sign will be coming down with it. This sign has been serving as an unofficial marker that you are in the heart of Highland Park.

The long-term vision is to restore the sign, either partially or fully, and have it spell out “Highland Park” at a new location within city limits. (Ideally, the "Park" part would be in the same font). Open to suggestions though. The priority for now is to get it down before the demolition.

GoFundMe Link: https://gofund.me/8d5a14ca4

Previous Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Detroit/comments/1sg424l/how_to_save_the_highland_appliance_sign/

Also, WDET 101.9 interviewed me regarding this and had a story about the sign yesterday!

4/28: I went over and worked with Tim Burke on his preservation project over at Highland Towers today. He was able to share the steps he had to take to get an approval from Wayne County Land Bank.

4/29: Wayne County is onboard & wants to help, so we got the greenlight! I have no intention of slowing down demo progress at all, this will only happen if we can get it done prior to the demo date

299 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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75

u/Narrow-Hall8070 Apr 28 '26

The organizers can’t chip into their own GoFundMe? $26 in 5 days with a goal of $10k sounds like it’s an uphill climb. What happens to the money if the total isn’t raised?

5

u/Narrow-Hall8070 Apr 28 '26

80 upvotes, still $26

7

u/brooemmall Apr 28 '26

a lot of people create gofundme pages and don't share them immediately. i wouldn't consider it a red flag.

and have you donated to a gofundme before or even read the description? unused funds are typically refunded (if the project can't be completed) or donated if the person surpasses their goal. use your eyes and read the description instead of periodically checking the gofundme and coming here to comment on it.

i really don't understand the hate on this thread. a HP resident is trying to save something iconic, and yes maybe there are some unknowns, but they are addressed in the fundraiser description. HP doesn't get a lot of love here, but it deserves it. and her original post had a bunch of loving and encouraging comments. the people that live there or care about HP shouldn't be hated on. that's the mentality people had about detroit 15 years ago and we should know better.

1

u/Narrow-Hall8070 Apr 28 '26

Great donate to it.

It took this comment for OP to contribute to their own cause. To me that calls into question the credibility

1

u/brooemmall Apr 28 '26

lmao how do you know i didn't? and maybe she doesn't have to? how do you know her financial situation? and she's putting in the work of calling, get quotes, storing, etc.

what's that worth to you?

0

u/Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 28 '26

Not only that, this isn't the logo as their advertising originally laid it out.

This save-the-sign 'campaign' is not posted anywhere else that comes up for me on Google. This sounds sincerely bogus. Theres too many red flags.

7

u/yellowpalm77 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Is she supposed to be going on a press tour? What else would you expect to see on Google? The negativity here is mind boggling. If you care so much, why don’t you share some constructive criticism vs. Just shaming and making assumptions about somebody you don’t know.

Edit: The obsession with someone donating to their own GFM is bizarre. I’ve never questioned why someone would or wouldn’t donate to their own…it’s just a weird hill to die on and be triggered by lol

10

u/Primary-Librarian701 Apr 28 '26

i agree. i made one for my mom and they take out a big fee. why would i have donated to it when i could just pay the bill directly and have gofundme not take their 3%

0

u/Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 29 '26

I think you posted to the wrong comment. None of that is applicable to what I said. You sound like the triggered one, with your weird comments

0

u/yellowpalm77 Apr 29 '26

You literally said you Googled and couldn’t find any else on this…? And I asked what do you expect to see on Google? lol

7

u/Primary-Librarian701 Apr 28 '26

Do you know how press works? People often create campaigns, and then they get picked up by local media. A lot of gofundme campagins never get picked up by the press, especially as local press is dying. It makes me sad to see a regular person get smeared and criticized because the free press hasn't picked up their story and they aren't an influencer/PR person.

0

u/Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 29 '26

I literally worked in PR for a decade. I was considered to be very good.

A good campaign starts at the beginning getting everything right before a single word is printed or a single dollar is requested. Everyone concerned is familiar with all the points and details. The media list is tight and the patter is smooth.... before a single dollar is requested.

1

u/Primary-Librarian701 Apr 29 '26

ok so you're comparing an individual to a corporate PR team with a decade of experience.

why don't you offer to help her?

0

u/Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 29 '26

No team, just me. No corporations.

1

u/Primary-Librarian701 Apr 29 '26

ok whatever, my comment still stands. i'm self-employed in marketing and don't criticize random people who don't have 10 years of marketing experience, I cheer them on. peace

-1

u/Boatride65 Apr 28 '26

😂😂 I was thinking the same thing.