East Riverfront : Detroit Development News

The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle just completed a $2 million renovation that officially opened to the public this past weekend.
 
"The project was an ambitious project in that it touched everything we do there," says Bob Bury, Executive Director and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society. "Certain things were refreshed and re-enchanced; some things (are) brand new."
 
One of the new exhibits is called Built by the River, which documents the significance that the Detroit River has had in building this city. Integral to the growth of Detroit's major industries, the Detroit River was used to transport lumber during the early logging days, automotive parts in the modern era, and, yes, alcohol during Prohibition. The river still defines life for Detroiters in how we live, work and play.  
 
The museum encourages interaction – they want kids and adults alike to touch the displays and have a fully immersive experience, like in the S.S. William Clay Ford pilot house, the actual pilot house from the freighter, and the fully-restored Gothic Room, salvaged from the luxury passenger ship the City of Detroit III when it was decommissioned. On the grounds outside the museum rests the bow anchor from the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald.
 
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum attracted 1,000 people per day in its grand reopening weekend. Admission was free and will remain free for the forseeable future to encourage people to visit, whether they have a specific interest in Detroit's maritime history or not. The museum is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 
Source: Bob Bury, Executive Director and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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The former Detroit Dry Docks Engine Works complex and Globe Trading Company building, parts of which date back to 1892, will begin its transformation into an adventure and discovery center as part of an expansion of the William G. Milliken State Park & Harbor, Michigan's only urban state park.
 
The project was announced in May 2011 but has seen some delays. "The languishing has ended," says David Di Rita, owner of the Roxbury Group, the Detroit-based development firm overseeing the renovation. They closed on construction financing for the project in mid-March. Activity on the building will start within in the next two weeks.
 
The $12.8 million project is essentially a build-to-suit project for the Department of Natural Resources. Plans include the adventure and discovery center with rock-climbing, zip-lining, and other activities, but much more beyond that. "Really it amounts to a multi-use facility for the benefit of park visitors as well as people who may just wish to visit the Globe and participate in its activities, which includes a combination of exhibit and meeting space all designed around the idea of introducing the public to the state park system and provide year-round opportunities for people to enjoy the state park."
 
There will be activity space as well as permanent and rotating educational exhibits. The DNR will move its operations offices from Southfield into this building. The design includes a lot of attractive open space that can be used for business meetings and private events; the DNR envisions this space being utilized in much the same way as Eastern Market's Shed 5.
 
People will also be able to access the services of any state park office, such as getting their hunting and fishing licenses.

"The idea is really to take people here in the largest point of population in the state and give them a point of entry into the state park system," says Di Rita.
 
The project requires a partial demolition of some of the older portions of the complex, though Di Rita says, "We're doing our best to preserve as much of the facility as possible and are really focusing on the portion of the building that is most recognizable to the public."
 
Di Rita expects construction on the Globe to be complete around this time next year.
 
Source: David Di Rita, owner of the Roxbury Group
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg 

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Belle Isle has certainly been a hot topic of conversation lately, and it seems like the nation's largest city island park is going to get a little outside help after all.
 
Tickets are now on sale for the Orion Music + More festival being held on Belle Isle June 8-9, featuring headliners Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bassnectar, and many more. This is the second year for the hard-rock-centric music festival, which was first held over a single weekend last year in Atlantic City.
 
Seeking a new location for the festival, which is expected to draw in about 30,000-35,000 people per day based on last year’s attendance, the organizers – Austin-based C3 Productions -- approached the City of Detroit about using Belle Isle. Bradley Dick, the city's director of general services (who at the time was also filling in as interim recreation director), worked out a deal with festival organizers that would put money right back into Detroit's parks.
 
As part of the deal, the Orion Music + More festival is to pay a set fee of $100,000 in 2013, $100,000 in 2014, and $250,000 in 2015 which will be funneled directly back into capital improvements for Detroit's parks. Dick's idea was to split this revenue 50/50 between Belle Isle and Detroit's other 100-plus parks so that the economic benefit of the festival is widespread.
 
The City of Detroit will also receive a set percentage of all ticket sales, concessions and merchandise sales. All of this money will be re-invested into the city's parks, and will also provide significant seed money for the city to apply for matching grants, enabling them to turn, say, $200,000 into $400,000.
 
While Orion is on the books for 2013, years 2014 and 2015 are not yet confirmed. The festival has the first right of refusal for the same weekend both of those years and terms and conditions, should they continue in Detroit, have already been agreed upon.
 
As a burgeoning host city for major events, Detroit potentially has its own Lollapalooza/SXSW on its hands with Orion -- a diverse showcase of major artists held once per year. This is the largest music festival to ever be held on Belle Isle.

Source: Bradley Dick, General Services Department Director of the City of Detroit
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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The Detroit Yacht Club has created a namesake foundation to help preserve its historic structure on Belle Isle.

The Detroit Yacht Club is a private sailing club founded in 1868 and its current Mediterranean-villa-style clubhouse was designed by George Mason (who also designed Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel and Detroit's Masonic Temple) and opened in 1923. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places last year.

The Detroit Yacht Club Foundation is a nonprofit that will focus on fundraising and coordinating the preservation of the yacht club's nearly 100-year-old clubhouse. Although the building itself is still sound, the foundation will focus on securing and preserving its envelope features, such as its roof, walls, doors and windows.

"All of these areas are 89 years old," says Mark Lifter, president of the Detroit Yacht Club Foundation. "With Michigan's freeze-and-thaw cycles, water always finds a way."

The Detroit Yacht Cub Foundation's first order of business is to conduct an engineering study of the building before moving forward with any improvements. In the meantime the foundation is working on raising money and resources from members and people with a connection to the yacht club.

"Over time, there are probably millions of people with a connection or an affinity for the Detroit Yacht Club," Lifter says.

Source: Mark Lifter, president of the Detroit Yacht Club Foundation
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Now that work is finished at the Detroit Historical Museum, construction is about to begin at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle.

The Detroit Historic Society, which manages both museums, plans to begin renovations at Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Dec. 9. The project will preserve the popular aspects of the museum, such as the Gothic Room at the museum's entrance, and add a few new exhibits that focus on the Detroit River and how it and the city connect to the Great Lakes.

"There will be much more interactivity," says Bob Bury, executive director of Detroit Historical Society. "There will be an exhibit about what it was like to pilot a freighter on the Great Lakes."

The Detroit Historical Society recently finished a renovation of is principal attraction, the Detroit Historical Museum, opening it to the public last weekend. The newly-redone space attracted 15,000 visitors in three days, shattering its attendance record.

The Detroit Historical Museum, located at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Ferry Street in Midtown, has added a Sander's store and a number of new exhibits, including the Kid Rock Music Lab (which traces Detroit's music history) and Gallery of Innovation, which features the works of local innovators both old (Henry Ford) and new (Josh Linkner). The museum has also refreshed some of its popular existing exhibits, like its Streets of Detroit exhibit.

"They can take a deep dive to see what life was like in the 1850s," Bury says.

Both museums will be open to the public for free. The work on the Dossin Great Lakes Museum is expected to be finished on May 17.

Source: Bob Bury, executive director of Detroit Historical Society
Writer: Jon Zemke

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The Roxbury Group is taking on the redevelopment of the Globe Building overlooking Detroit's Riverwalk, a move that will expand the nearby Milliken State Park.

The Globe Building is a large industrial structure at the corner of Atwater Street and the Dequindre Cut, and across the street from the Milliken State Park. Henry Ford once worked in the building before starting Ford Motor Co. It has been vacant and derelict for many years as a few redevelopment proposals have fizzled, including a conversion to condos.

Now The Roxbury Group is partnering with Walbridge (which will handle the construction of the project) and the state of Michigan (which will make it part of Milliken State Park) to shrink and renovate the building.

The Globe Building is actually a hodgepodge of buildings that have been cobbled together over the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It currently stands at about 100,000 square feet but part of it will be demoed to make the building viable for the 21st Century.

"It's going to be a mix of old and new," says David Di Rita, principal of The Roxbury Group. "When it's done it will be 43,000 square feet."

The new space will house room for exhibits about the area's history and natural resources. It will also have spaces for youth education and activities, such as archery ranges. "It's going to be an integral part of Milliken State Park when it's done," Di Rita says. He adds that he hopes to begin work on the project before the year is out.

Source: David Di Rita, principal of The Roxbury Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

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The Paradise Valley Investment Group is leveraging the city of Detroit's federal neighborhood stabilization funds, extensively renovating multi-family homes in East English Village and Hubbard Farms.

The home renovation company, headed up by California-native Robin Scovill, is close to wrapping up renovating of seven units of small multi-family buildings that had been foreclosed on in strong residential areas of Detroit. These renovations include extensive green options, such as energy efficient windows and furnaces, along with insulation and Energy Star appliances.

"Robin loved the idea of going into a house and fully renovating it, getting as much out of it as possible," says Eric Novack, an investor in Paradise Valley Investment Group.

Novack adds that there has been a strong demand for the rentals, which are marketed at affordable rates. One duplex in East English Village was leased shortly before it was finished and there has been strong demand for the other units which should come online by the end of this spring.

Novack also says that Paradise Investment Group has broadened its business model, allowing some local investors to take shares in the company as it continues to expand its portfolio, which not includes buildings in West Village, Corktown and a few other well-known Detroit neighborhoods.

"That's the nice things about Detroit's rental market is you will see more outside investors as long as they have the right people on the ground," Novack says.

Source: Eric Novack, an investor in Paradise Valley Investment Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The first phase of the restoration of the Belle Isle Maintenance building is set to finish this spring, providing a future for one of the island's notable architectural gems.

The Belle Isle Women's Committee is heading up the restoration of the circa 1895 structure by the Belle Isle Conservatory. The first phase focuses on the exterior of the building, repairing its clay tile work and other aspects that will keep the weather out.

"A lot of it (the roof) was failing," says Ryan Smith, studio director for Kraemer Design Group which is helping with the restoration. "There were some structural issues. Our job was to make it water tight for the first phase."

The Belle Isle Maintenance Building was designed by George Mason, one of Detroit's most significant architects. Mason designed or helped design a number of major landmarks in the Motor City, such as the Masonic Temple, the Detroit Yacht Club, Gem Theater and the Belle Isle aquarium. He also designed the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

"He is a prestigious architect for Detroit," Smith says.

The 20,000-square-foot building has fallen into disrepair in recent years due to the elements, wildlife and the occasional squatter. Only a small portion of it is still used by island maintenance staff with the rest of it consisting of storage. A future use of the building has yet to be determined.

The second phase of the restoration will consist of window repair and tuck pointing. That is set to begin later this year.

Source: Ryan Smith, studio director for Kraemer Design Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The GREEN Task Force represents more than just a plan for establishing greenway paths for non-motorized traffic throughout Detroit's Lower East Side. It's also a symbol of bringing a number of big players together to connect a number of neighborhoods and institutions on the Motor City's east side with the rest of the city.

The task force has been able to bring together residents from a number of neighborhoods on the east side by the Detroit River with city officials, Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, The Villages Community Development Corp and the Mt. Elliott Business Community Association, among others. The GREEN Task Force is funded by a $213,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

"Good things are happening on the east side," says Brian Hurttienne, executive director of The Villages Community Development Corp. "The GREEN Task Force brought everyone to the table. We're keeping everyone at that table."

The GREEN Task Force's Vision of Greenways program is providing a blue print for creating greenways, linear parks, bike lanes and other pathways for pedestrians, bicyclists, roller bladers and others who want to travel without an automobile near Detroit's east riverfront between the Dequindre Cut and Grosse Pointe Park.

The plan outlines 16 miles of new or expanded greenways, including the Elmwood Connector, Belt Line Greenway (a rail trail conversion), Kercheval Greenway, Burns Connector, Conner Creek Greenway enhancements, Sweet Loop, Fox Creek Greenway, Far East Connector, Carstens Spur and the RiverWalk Extension. More information on the plan can be found here.

The plan recommends creating enhancements include: making East Jefferson Avenue between I-375 and Alter Road a "Complete Street," creating bike lanes on Lafayette Street between Iroquois Street and downtown, connecting multi-family housing on E. Grand Boulevard with Belle Isle and connecting the Creekside neighborhood to the Marina District via Freud Street.

"If you have a safe way of getting somewhere it just makes life better," Hurttienne says. "Transit is going to be a big thing for not only us but the city and the region."

Source: Brian Hurttienne, executive director for The Villages Community Development Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

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The city of Detroit's SmartBuildings program, overseen by the Detroit Economic Growth Corp, has approved 19 building improvement grants across the city worth $762,272.

The SmartBuildings program focuses on providing funding for energy-efficiency projects that improve commercial buildings. Among the recepients of this latest round of grants are a handful of buildings controlled by Focus: Hope and the Wayne County Community College District. The DEGC recently increased the coverage area of eligible buildings from the downtown area to commercial corridors throughout the city, including on East Jefferson, southwest Detroit and the city's University District.

"We expanded the area to cast a bigger net," says Scott Veldhuis, senior project manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.

The SmartBuildings grants, which are capped at $100,000 per building, will leverage $3.8 million in outside investment from building owners. Focus: HOPE is using its $320,662 grant as part of a $1.36 million umbrella project for nine buildings on its campus on Oakman Boulevard. The improvements will install insulation, high-efficiency lighting, low-flow bathroom fixtures, and other mechanical upgrades.

Wayne County Community College District received $200,000 in grants for energy-conservation updates to the Central Administration Building and the Downtown Campus Building on its downtown campus as part of $2.25 million project. Southwest Housing Solutions is leveraging$78,812 in grant funds toward $315,250 in projects that include reflective roofing and high-efficiency water heaters at the Harwill, Cole and Harrington buildings at 1453 Hubbard, 4516 W. Vernor Highway and 465 W. Grand Boulevard, respectively.

Other projects include the Hellenic Museum of Michigan (67 E. Kirby), New Center Stamping (950 E. Milwaukee Ave), Hacienda Mexican Foods (6100 Buchanan) a walk-in store at 5564 Woodward.

Source: Scott Veldhuis, senior project manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Developer Randy Lewarchik has always had his eye on green design. The East Riverfront's Elevator Building and the Cass Corridor's Brainard Apartments were both remodeled with recycled materials, grey water collection, double-paned windows, compressed foam insulation, U.V. reflecting roof coatings and gardens.

The two structures are becoming even more environmentally sustainable, as Lewarchik and SRI Energy prepare to install the first phase of 20-kilowatt solar panel systems on the roofs of both buildings. He hopes the solar panels will provide energy for all of the building's common area lighting, which would include hallways, parking lots, lobbys and laundry rooms. Eventually, Lewarchik says he hopes to install a total of 60-kilowatt solar panel systems on each building. "There will actually be solar carports in the parking lot, so they'll be really visible. And eventually, people will be able to plug their cars in the carports," he says."It will definitely help curb the carbon footprint for the building."

The solar panels are only the first step of a multifaceted plan for Lewarchik's plans to further integrate green design into his properties. "We were approved for a Smart Building grant, which is an energy-efficiency grant," Lewarchik says. The grant, which matches 25 percent of The Detroitist Group's energy-saving building updates, will provide at least $150,000 in funds. He's exploring the possibility of installing geothermal heating systems at both The Elevator Building and Brainard Apartments.

And the empty lot next to his apartments on Brainard Street? Lewarchik not only hopes to install a geothermal system in the ground, but he has plans to exercise his green thumb, as well. "We're planning on doing a very large tomato garden, like 150 by 100 feet, so I'm really utilizing that land," he says.

"This is a template that I'd like to further pursue with other properties," he says. "It's beautification, plus doing something with the land. It's a higher, better use."

Source: Randy Lewarchik, developer, Elevator Building and Brainard Apartments
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

A new mobile and graphic design firm opening in Rivertown's Elevator Building channels Detroit for its aesthetic and work ethic.

"GRIT is such a good name for our company," says principal Andrea Livingston, one of six co-founders of GRIT Design. "We are not pretentious. We earned whatever we have. None of us are born with silver spoons and we had to work incredibly hard for what we had. We don't care about flash and we don't care about show. We just care about doing the right thing."

The collective, all of whom came from high-profile agency gigs, burned the midnight oil building GRIT for years while working their day jobs until the business became sustainable. They now have 11 full-time employees and keep anywhere from three to six contractors on the payroll. 

Recent mobile IPhone apps from the company include Alphabet Writer (for the child who can't stop playing with your iPhone), BBQ, a seriously sweet guide to grilling, and GrixPix, which paints pixels from the phone to the air. They also produced a mobile app for the Detroit Medical Center that gives patients accurate wait times at each of its hospitals.

GRIT also contracts out design work with several high-profile international agencies, including New York's Ogilvy & Mather, while helping to manage SEO and digital footprints for their clients.

It's all taking place in their new 2,000 square foot open space on the first floor of the Elevator Building, where cubicles are outlawed and conference calls take place in the back alley.

"We love it, we love the aesthetics of it. It's not exactly well kept outside," she says, "but you can see the boats coming into the Riverfront. I'm really excited about the summer, and seeing more people out."

And even though Livingston says they considered relocating from Madison Heights to Ann Arbor, Detroit's central location and artistic resources made the move to the D an obvious choice for the collective.

"We wanted to be in Detroit, for the vibe of Detroit, and for the youth of Detroit. It's so close to CCS and Wayne State," she says.

Source: Andrea Livingston, principal GRIT Design
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

When Paris and Chloe Culberson came up with the idea of opening a salon two years ago, they never considered locating outside Detroit.

"We figured, why not the city? We're from the city, we love the city," Chloe Culberson says. "Everyone wants to attach themselves to something that's already big, or the ideal situation for a business. We figured that we'd start from the other direction, and help build Detroit city."

They rented space in the Elevator Building, on the East Riverfront, drawn to the building's character and history. "The space is brand new," she says. "Randy Lewarchik renovated everything. It has an urban feel, like a loft. It fits who we are. Even though it's not a storefront -- you have to go inside to get to the suite -- we figured out we just have to do better marketing, and people will know where we are."

And while the name might be Salon Paris Portland LA, this new hair care spot's moniker has a local origin.

"We have three sons, and they're Paris Jr., Portland and LA, so it's named after them," she says.

She says Salon Paris Portland LA will be known for its attention to customer service and expertise in all things hair. "Me and my husband are obsessed with customer service," she says. "Everyone is treated equally. It doesn't matter whether you're Obama or Jim Bob." And she welcomes the competition. "There are a million salons in Michigan. We make sure that we're highly educated, because I don't think a consumer should know more about a product than we do."

They'll count down to the grand opening on April 23 by offering five days of free hair care services to anyone, male or female, who walks through the door (yes, you read that correctly, April 18-22). And 100 percent of collected tips will be donated to the Detroit Public Schools.

"If I had $100 million, I'd give DPS $20 million of it," Culberson says. "But I don't have that right now, so I'm trying to use what I have right now, and just trying to help the children of DPS. We're just trying to help out where we can."

The ribbon cutting ceremony begins Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. Find out more about the Salon Paris Portland LA opening here.

Source: Chloe Culberson, co-owner, Salon Paris Portland LA
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

If Blake Kownacki has it his way, Detroit will be home to what he says will be North America's first urban vineyard and growing operation.

While Michigan has quietly increased its wine-making profile in recent years, vineyards are typically located in rural areas. Along with John Burtka, who owns the Cherry Creek and Sleeping Bear wineries upstate, Kownacki is launching Detroit City Cellars, with the goal of creating a vineyard and tasting room on Belle Isle.

"We want to plant the vineyard on Belle Isle because, in our professional opinion, it's the most ideal microclimate that exists," Kownacki says. He and Burtka are currently in talks with city politicians to plant 10 acres of grapes on the southeastern point of Belle Isle, near Lighthouse Pointe. The 10 acres would be 100 percent open to the public and accessible by a current walking trail. He also dreams of turning the Belle Isle Casino building into a year-round tasting room that's open to the public.

There's talk that the grapes are an invasive species, something the nonprofit Friends of Belle Isle has worked hard to eradicate on the island. But Kownacki, who has worked extensively as a winemaker in California and Australia, says it's not a concern: grapes are poor germinators, and the European strains of grapes can only be grown by physically attaching cut grapevines to native rootstock.

"All the experience in the field says that's a non-issue," Kownacki says. "Napa does not have wild grapes growing anywhere."

He's hoping to work with the Friends of Belle Isle to plant the vineyard. "We don't want to build anything on the island. What we want to do is help bring the island back to its natural urban splendor," Kownacki says.

Detroit City Cellars is currently working with Randal Charlton of Tech Town to secure investors for the project, and they've also reached out to the Greening of Detroit to create a grape-growing cooperative of urban planters who will supplement the vineyard's annual harvest.

"I think Michigan is the sleeping giant of the wine industry," Kownacki says. "The potential is through the roof."

Source: Blake Kownacki, Detroit City Cellars
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School is undergoing a $46.4 million transformation that includes the renovation of the auditorium and performing arts building and the construction of a new gymnasium, natatorium, cyber cafe, media center and 65 teaching stations that can accommodate up to 1,500 students. The majority of the existing structure will be demolished once students relocate to the new facility.

The school's new commons area, which includes a cafeteria and small auditorium, faces Larned and McDougall, where it is visible from Jefferson Ave. "Its anchors the corner of this exceptional site," says Jennifer Mrozowski, a spokesperson for Detroit Public Schools. The facade includes 1,000 square feet glass panels that are situated to best capture natural light -- a contributing factor to the school's anticipated LEED Gold-certification.

Jenkins/Granger, a 49 percent Detroit-headquartered firm, is the design/builder for the MLK project, and TMP Architecture is the architect of record. Construction began in the summer of 2010 and will be complete by fall of 2011.

The project is funded by Proposal S, which enables DPS to access $500 million in federal money for school capital improvement projects. Seven new schools will be built, six will be renovated and the entire district will see technology and security upgrades. All work must be complete by fall 2012 to comply with federal guidelines. "We made a promise to voters to do these projects on time and efficiently," says Mrozowski. For more information go here.

Source: Jennifer Mrozowski, Detroit Public Schools office of communications
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh