Welcome to summer! Here are a few stories we've been reading over the past couple weeks.
Studebaker Building to transform into apartments
Milwaukee Junction has seen a ton of development activity in the last five years. The latest news is the future redevelopment of the Studebaker Building. The Platform is leading the $37.3 million development, which would turn the sales and service building into 162 apartments. The Platform is currently seeking brownfield financing for the project. It sits next to the Piquette Plant, and a few blocks from the huge redevelopment of the Fisher Body Plant. Crain's Detroit Business
Historic Henry Ford Detroit home for sale
Speaking of automotive history, Henry Ford's Boston-Edison house hits the market this week for the first time in nearly 40 years. Henry and Clara Ford lived here until they moved to Fairlane in Dearborn. The current owners have taken meticulous care of the 7,200-square-foot home, which sits on 3/4 of an acre. The house has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, numerous historical details, and an 1,100-square-foot carriage house. The house is listing for $975,000. Detroit Free Press Zillow
Washington Blvd. building up for demo
Another busy area of development is Washington Boulevard downtown. Bedrock is working on the stunning restoration of Book Tower. A new apartment building opened at Grand Circus Park last year. The Book Cadillac is getting a much-needed renovation. So now a building that's a bit of an eyesore is coming down. The Gateway Center Building, owned by Richard Karp, sits right at the corner of Michigan and Washington, and is surrounded by murals on the ground floor. Demo is happening this summer; no word yet on what will be happening after that. Crain's Detroit Business
Community on Kercheval
West Village has seen a lot of changes over the past 10 years, especially along the main Kercheval corridor. Model D talks to a few of the people working to take care of the community, including Belinda Gilmore, who bought a church and plans to open a brewery and community space.
From her home in Islandview and her building at Field Street, Belinda has seen the positive effects of the streetscape project firsthand. She’s seeing more and more people walking, jogging, and pushing their strollers along Kercheval, a sign that people feel safer walking here, she says.
“The semi trucks don't come through as much anymore because the city has redrawn the lanes,” Belinda says of the streetscape project, which instituted traffic calming measures throughout.
