Local historic preservation efforts got a boost when Public Act 192 was signed into state law on Dec. 22, 2009. The bill, which was introduced by State Rep. Bert Johnson (D-Detroit), will provide historic rehabilitation tax credits for the redevelopment of, in Detroit, the David Broderick Tower downtown and the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education (formerly called the Argonaut Building) in New Center, as well as a rehab of Grand Rapids' Federal Building.
Johnson says he was inspired to sponsor the bill because of his belief that historic preservation is integral to a city's rebirth. "These projects really add to the fabric of a city," he says. "When I travel around the country, it's evident to me."
The Broderick Tower, known as one of the country's tallest vacant buildings, has had numerous development fits and starts since it became mostly vacant in the 1980s. Current plans call for a mixed use of rental apartments and retail and entertainment tenants.
The restoration of the Argonaut Building was completed by the College for Creative Studies in 2009. Read more about that project
here.
Source: State Rep. Bert Johnson
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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