Businesses Urged To 'Light Up Detroit' For ALCS
DETROIT (WWJ) - Downtown Detroit businesses are being asked to turn on their lights for the Detroit Tigers ALCS game, Tuesday evening, in an effort to cast a positive glow on the city.
Tamara Knapp, Vice President of Bedrock Real Estate Services, says people who live in the city and visitors feel more comfortable when downtown businesses are lit up.
"... It can't be dark. You need to see the light; you need to be comfortable walking around a building," said Knapp.
"And lighting up, not just the perimeter but the full buildings all the way up, it makes an amazing glow when you walk down the sidewalk," she said.
The eyes of the nation will be on Detroit during Tuesday's game. Game 1 of the ALCS drew 6.8 million TV viewers.
Knapp says, with 40 downtown properties and 8 million square feet, Bedrock plays a big part in the city's image.
For months now, she said, they've been keeping the lights on until about 3 a.m.. seven days a week.
"We light up all of our family of companies' spaces in all of our buildings," Knapp said. "We ask our tenants to do the same thing."
Knapp said other real estate companies have been following suit.
"It means everything to our tenants and the people who live, work and play here. They wanna feel safe; they wanna feel the vibrancy of the downtown area," she said. "I think tonight when you see the city, you will see a much different look than you saw before."
A majority of the city, however, is likely to stay dark. Detroit has tens of thousands of vacant buildings and roughly 100,000 vacant residential lots.
The Tigers take on the Boston Red Socks in ALCS Game 3, beginning Tuesday at 4:07 p.m. Hear the game live on 97.1 The Ticket.
