Judge signs order to demolish Charlevoix Hotel

(WXYZ) - The Charlevoix Hotel has been part of downtown Detroit for more than a century, but in the last 30 years, the building property has become a home to blight and a major safety hazard.

On Wednesday, a judge signed an order to tear down the old hotel.

If you walked to the Detroit Tigers home opener last year-- on Nearby Park Street, you had to dodge falling bricks.

During that time, the building owner, Ralph Sachs, was dodging our questions.

The original safety fence was close to the building, but when the bricks and the glass started to fall last year, the city had to contract workers to move the safety zone back and put up a new fence.

That new safety fence was knocked down weeks ago. The recent ruling is a step toward a permanent solution for blight in the area.

An attorney for the Charlevoix building owner says they want to tear it down too, and have secured a million dollars for demolition.