Most Detroiters are too young to remember the United Artists Theatre being open. Only folks over 60 might be old enough to know a time when the theater, located on Bagley just off Grand Circus Park, was well maintained. Some seniors may even recall hints of a faded "Spanish Gothic" grandeur that famed architect C. Howard Crane imbued in his 1928 movie palace, smaller, but every bit as fantastically ornate as the Fabulous Fox, a few blocks away.

This was the era of intricate plaster detail, mosaics in soaring vaulted ceilings and breathtaking balcony views. For an idea of the architectural heritage hiding in plain sight, look to the United Artists sister in Los Angeles, now rentable event space that is part of the Ace Hotel chain.

It is exciting to think that the attached orange brick office tower may be renovated with apartments, joining the growing number of residential units downtown. However, the developer, Emmett Moten, claims that in order to make the residential project viable, the theater that gives the United Artists its name must be eliminated from the picture. And though the United Artists is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is not locally designated, meaning Detroit's Historic District Commission cannot prevent demolition.

Ilitch Holdings, owners of the United Artists building for the last quarter-century, has been mum on the matter of the historic theater's disposition. In fact, for as long as the Ilitch family has owned the United Artists, little has been done to meaningfully advance any redevelopment plan beyond artist renderings, splashy banners, and strategic cleaning and shoring up.

That the family who garnered so much praise for its investment in the Fox Theatre and adjoining office renovation in the 1980s would be so noncommittal to a very similar reinvestment opportunity seems to suggest one long term strategy — the Ilitches never intended to do anything with the United Artists. Unfortunately, it's not unlike the fate of most buildings owned by the family.

In the case of the United Artists, it was also squarely in the way of the site for Comerica Park when plans were being finalized in the mid-1990s. You may remember the ballpark was first slated to be west of Woodward. Representing this process for the Ilitches was the same Emmett Moten, who had been chief development officer in the Young Administration, and was then handling land deals between the city and the Ilitches as vice president of Little Caesars Enterprises. Is that why the United Artists was gerrymandered out of the local Grand Circus Park historic district boundary being drafted at the time? It would certainly make demolishing it for a Tigers parking lot much easier.

Fortunately, for the United Artists at least, Comerica Park finally landed on the east side of Woodward. And now, decades later, Moten wants to turn it into apartments. That's awesome. It seems like a no-brainer in the context of downtown's burgeoning real estate market. But it's not 1997 anymore. As Detroiters can't we expect more?

A renovated United Artists theater to complement Detroit's entertainment district would be deservedly one of the most important and impressive preservation stories in Detroit. It would rival aspects of Gilbert's incredible Book Tower project currently underway, and would surely be seen as Chris Ilitch's homage to his parents and their vision for restoring the Fox.

And therein lies the rub. The looming question that only grows with each passing year is what does Ilitch heir and Ilitch Holdings President and CEO Chris Ilitch actually believe? What is his vision for downtown now that Little Caesars Arena has been open for over two years? His family is worth billions and owns over 60 percent of the property in District Detroit, so much of it covered in asphalt parking lots and languishing under their watch for decades.

If District Detroit is ever going to amount to anything more meaningful than a half-baked idea, it will be because the Ilitches actually evolve their strategy beyond land speculation. They must risk to spend the money needed to activate historic properties like the United Artists Theatre, to inspire a new generation of investment that will fill in the gaps and create the active neighborhood the Ilitches claim they want, and that Detroiters deserve.

There's no time like the present. Here's to a new year and a new decade. And may the Ilitches resolve to do different in 2020. Or dispose of their properties to those who will.

Francis Grunow is former chair of the Arena District Neighborhood Advisory Committee and former executive director of Preservation Detroit.