2007-01-25

Detroit Govt Closes Famed Kronk Boxing Gym

People around the world revere Detroit's Konk Boxing Gym, home of legendary -- and still extant -- trainer Emanuel Steward. Yet somehow Detroit's government has managed to moth-ball this gym, tossing out Steward's still-thriving operation, sending it to a Gold's Gym in Dearborn. Kronk's is the type of place that holds tourist and residential appeal for Detroit: it is (or was, and would be) a point of interest for people considering a visit, or considering a move, to Detroit.

I see this kind of misstep also in New Orleans, which you would think would enjoy fine formal appreciation of its historical masterpieces. But not so.

4 comments:

Nadir said...

Once again the Detroit News tells half the story. Read the full story in The Michigan Citizen where the story appeared back in October before the gym closed.

Thieves broke into the Kronk building and stole the copper pipes. Officials said Detroit's sagging budget wouldn't allow their replacement so the rec department couldn't reopen the gym.

The Detroit News editors and observers like Paul can sit righteously from their suburban homes and shake their heads at the poverty that engulfs the city. Ultimately, what are they doing about it besides shaking their heads?

Paul Hue said...

Good point, Nadir, in showing that this isn't just Detroit city managers making a stupid mistake, and in showing that the corporate press files incomplete stories that raise more questions than they answer.

I am rooting for Detroit's residents to create a great city, which would include residents not ruining facilities run by people trying to make positive moves.

Nadir said...

Scrapping is becoming big business in Detroit. Let's also advocate for suburban contractors refusing to buy the copper that they know has been gutted from buildings like the Kronk or from unfinished homes.

Paul Hue said...

I'm with you on this, Nadir, but perhaps you don't share my view that this represents a case of Detroit residents ruining their own city with nobody to blame but themselves.