A nearly century-old building in the shadow of Little Caesars Arena is being targeted by the Ilitch family for demolition even though it is in a local historic district.

The pizza and sports dynasty's Olympia Development of Michigan real estate company said the vacant Alden Apartments at 145 Temple St. north of the new arena is structurally unsound and not a candidate for redevelopment, a determination made in recent weeks before a notification was filed with the state of its intent to demolish the property. The notification says the demolition is scheduled to begin next week, but Olympia said it won't begin demolition until and if it receives approval from the city.

The Alden Apartments, which was one of the buildings at the center of the city's eventual approval of the Cass Park Historic District 2 1/2 years ago, is slated for demolition using an excavator beginning Thursday, with the process being complete by Sept. 7, according to a document filed with the state Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on Aug. 2.

The 26,000-square-foot building at 145 Temple St. is owned by an entity, TSD Solutions LLC, tied to the Ilitch family's Olympia Development of Michigan.

"The building at 145 Temple Street is structurally unsafe and not viable for redevelopment," Olympia said in a Friday statement. "As such, we are following appropriate steps to gain approval for demolition. Our organization will continue to pursue development opportunities that generate density, are financially viable, and support the long-term goals of the city and The District Detroit. Including the Fox Theatre, a National Historic Landmark, we have a strong record of supporting historic redevelopment in the city. Ten historically designated buildings in The District Detroit are either already completed or in the planning, financing, or leasing stages, including 150 Bagley, 1922 Cass, 2110 Park, 2210 Park, 100 Sproat, 408 Temple, and 100 Temple."

The Duggan administration said there have been no demolition permits issued for Alden Apartments.

"Additionally, there have been no requests or proposals submitted to the Historic District Commission requesting approval to allow for demolition. HDC approval is required before BSEED (the Building, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department) can issue any demolition permit. Without both of those approvals, no demolition can proceed at this property," Arthur Jemison, the city's chief of services and infrastructure, said in a statement.

However, a spokesman for the city said that if the director of BSEED determines the building is in need of emergency demolition, approval from the Historic District Commission is not needed to tear it down.

The debate over the Alden Apartments, originally built in 1924 as a 22-unit apartment building and a few months later expanded by another 20 units, began in 2015 when the Ilitches were considering widening the south side of Temple Street between Woodward and Cass avenues from 50 to 100 feet.

At the time, Olympia representatives had publicly discussed renovations of buildings in the area on the north side of Temple: The Hotel Fort Wayne kitty-corner from The Alden, the Alhambra Apartments to the east on Temple Street and a commercial building at 2900 Cass Ave. on the north side of Temple, according to a 2015 story in the Detroit Free Press.

The Hotel Fort Wayne and Alhambra were part of plans announced last year to bring close to 700 residential units to the downtown market; work on those buildings has yet to begin.

Three other buildings, however, were to be demolished as part of the plan. The Alden Apartments was initially one of them, although later it was added to the Cass Park Historic District, meaning that the Historic District Commission has to sign off on any demolition or alteration to the building.

The other two were the Will Mar Garage at 131 Temple St. and the William E. Cole House at 2753 Park Ave. They were torn down to make way for the new Olympia-owned parking deck at 123 Temple St.