Detroit "Mammoth building" Approved for Demolition after Decades of Vacancy

A court has approved demolition of the 'Mammoth building' at Grand River and Greenfield in Detroit, which has sat vacant for over two decades after its last retail tenant, the Mammoth Department Store, closed in 2000

The building, which initially opened in 1949 as the Federal Department Store, has had changes in ownership since the Mammoth store's closing. Businessman Herb Strather acquired it in 2002, and in 2023 the building was acquired at a tax foreclosure auction by Bahy Hammoud and Gihad Nagi

Both Nagi and Hammoud, as well as their limited liability corporation, Grand Detroit Mall, LLC, are defendants in a lawsuit regarding the structure, with the City of Detroit as plaintiff (Case No. 23-005194-CH in the Third Judicial Court of Michigan)

It is unclear at this time when demolition of the structure might begin, or how long the process may take