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Detroit studio gets historic marker after facing demolition

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A legendary recording studio in Detroit has received a historic marker just four years after being targeted for demolition.

MLive reports United Sound Systems installed the approximately $5,000 sign last week after the Detroit Sound Conservancy helped it acquire a historic designation.

The studio once welcomed Aretha Franklin, George Clinton, Berry Gordy, Miles Davis and others, but shuttered its doors in the mid-2000s. The building was targeted for demolition in 2013 under a plan to widen I-94.

Federal authorities sought to seize the property last year. Court records show that investigators believe it was purchased in 2009 with money from cocaine trafficking.

A trial for Dwayne Richards, who authorities say bankrolled the building's purchase for $20,000, is set for October.

State transportation authorities have backed off from demolition plans.