The former Dalgleish Cadillac building on Cass Avenue in Midtown will be the focal point of the largest construction project in the history of Wayne State University: a $93 million, 200,000-square-foot biomed research center. The first phase of the project is expected to begin this summer with demolition of the old American Beauty Iron Building at Burroughs and Woodward avenues. Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour said he plans to recruit half of the research teams from other universities, with about 450 researchers based in the facility once it opens. "We like the idea of being right between the Henry Ford Health System and the Detroit Medical Center," he said. Gilmour said that while the poured concrete and reinforced steel of the Dalgleish building will drive up construction costs, it will also result in a building that is perfect for the extremely sensitive equipment used in scientific research. "Instruments are so finely calibrated that researchers are always worried about vibrations. There won't be any worries about vibration with this building. It's solid," he said. Gilmour said phase two of the biomedical research complex will include eventually building something on the former site of the American Beauty Iron Building, "either by us or with a partner. More and more, the opportunities in research will come from partnerships." He said there is no timetable to begin phase two and no budget projections. Gilmour said the multidisciplinary approach is favored by such major grant organizations as the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health and will have as a major focus the creation of for-profit spinoff companies. A photo of President Gilmour is included.

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