Eric D. Lawrence

Detroit Free Press

Executive Director Jenenne Whitfield made her comments in an e-mail to supporters this week.

The e-mail followed a blaze last week at Tim Burke%27s Detroit Industrial Gallery.

Video footage from the Heidelberg Project office was turned over to the ATF and arson investigators.

The executive director of the Heidelberg Project is suggesting that the reason behind the rash of arsons in the area of the famed outdoor art exhibit in Detroit is a desire for land.

Jenenne Whitfield made her comments in an e-mail to supporters on Tuesday, days after a suspicious blaze damaged artist Tim Burke's Detroit Industrial Gallery, which is also on Heidelberg Street.

"It's really hard to understand (what) is going on but my personal feeling now, at this time, is that perhaps someone really does want the land. What else is there to think since each of the structures that have been set ablaze are unoccupied. It's horrifying to know that this has gone on for so long without being solved," Whitfield wrote.

The e-mail noted that arson investigators and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had retrieved video footage from the Heidelberg Project office after the Thursday morning blaze. Burke had said the front of the house, which was damaged but not destroyed by the fire, was set on fire with an accelerant. Much of the damage inside the house, where Burke had a 30-year collection of Detroit artifacts, resulted from firefighting efforts.

"There is evidence of an intruder but that's all we know. Everything is extremely hush-hush at this time. Tim, being new to this, is understandably very upset and emotional. We are standing by ready to assist him in any way we can," the e-mail said.

Burke, who said he bought his property on the east-side street through a land contract in 2001, has expressed dismay at being targeted and insisted that he "never had a beef with anyone in the neighborhood that would do anything to me."

Burke, 55, of Harper Woods, did mention a recent disagreement with Whitfield over his effort to stake out his property, although he noted that he loves Tyree Guyton, the artist behind the Heidelberg Project, and what he's done with his artwork.

A message seeking additional comment was left for Whitfield at the Heidelberg Project office.

The Heidelberg Project itself has been beset by arsons since last year, After the well-known Party Animal House burned in March, the Heidelberg Project noted on its Web site that it was the ninth fire at the art installation in 11 months.

Guyton was scheduled to be the guest speaker at the 25th Annual Design Retreat of the American Institute of Architects, Michigan, in Crystal Lake near Traverse City last Saturday, but Whitfield said Guyton stayed in Detroit "to be of assistance" while she spoke at the conference.

"At the very least, I am happy to share that the presentation was the highest ever attended at the Michigan Chapter's AIA conference and received a standing ovation that literally could be felt. What this confirmed for me is that burned structures do not define our existence, nor lessen our impact!" she wrote.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com