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Rowe Hotel- Olds Manor

ericdriver

By ericdriver
in Grand Rapids

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Raildudes dad Hamlet

Raildudes dad

Posted
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It's located on Michigan directly east of the PostOffice and west of the GR Press offices.

(The post office is on land the train depot once stood as shown in the older photo)

South across the street is the new convention center where the old GRPolice

headquarters stood. It's a beautiful building and I hope, too, that its dignity is preserved.

The "old GR Police heaquarters" circa 1960 stood about where the Chase Bank(Union Bank) building is today. This gives my age away - 2 "Old GR police headquarters" in my lifetime :rolleyes:

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Veloise City

Veloise

Posted
Posted

The old Rowe Hotel/Olds Manor is apparently featured in a Rampage ad that will run during the SuperBowl today. The front of the Press today shows a giant Rampage player superimposed on the Rowe. Man I hope they don't tear this building down, ever.

GR Press Cover Page - bottom right column

Why endure the rest of the broadcast? Catch it here (after the third quarter). http://www.rampagefootball.com/fanzone/audiovideo/

(Jeff, I am disappointed; thought you read e-v-e-r-y post on here. The Press piece says that the player runs up & down the buildings, finally reaching the arena, along with a crowd of fans in T-shirts and shorts who are trying to not breathe through their mouths thus giving away the real outdoor temp.)

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Why endure the rest of the broadcast? Catch it here (after the third quarter). http://www.rampagefootball.com/fanzone/audiovideo/

(Jeff, I am disappointed; thought you read e-v-e-r-y post on here. The Press piece says that the player runs up & down the buildings, finally reaching the arena, along with a crowd of fans in T-shirts and shorts who are trying to not breathe through their mouths thus giving away the real outdoor temp.)

I'm just (pleasantly) surprised they would feature a vacant building, although it's one of my favorites.

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Thrillhouse Whistle-Stop

Thrillhouse

Posted
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The old Rowe Hotel/Olds Manor is apparently featured in a Rampage ad that will run during the SuperBowl today. The front of the Press today shows a giant Rampage player superimposed on the Rowe. Man I hope they don't tear this building down, ever.

GR Press Cover Page - bottom right column

The commercial was awesome. The people I watched the game with were like "Thats Grand Rapids?" after the first few building were shown.

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Thrillhouse Whistle-Stop

Thrillhouse

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Where did you watch the game, where those people from GR?

I just saw it, it was pretty kick ass.

Yeah I watched it here in town and all of us are from GR city or in my case, right next to it. I was kind of <_< that most people there didn't recognize the first few buildings.

GVSUSean, it was part of a regional ad block only for the viewership of the Western Michigan TV market unless they bought commercial time in the other markets around the state as well during that commercial break.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Someone told me that DeVos wants to build a skywalk from the Convention Center thru this building to Pill Hill.

You could then walk from the Heart Center, all the way to the Arena, without going outside.

Oh yippy. What are we, hampsters? My hope is that since they were interested enough in the building to put it in an ad, then they would be interested in keeping it. Maybe with the streetcar addition along Monroe, maybe they can adjust their thoughts about providing as much parking for this renovation?

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Prankster Burg

Prankster

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Maybe with the streetcar addition along Monroe, maybe they can adjust their thoughts about providing as much parking for this renovation?

Doesn't the Planning Commission dictate that in their building codes? I thought number of parking spaces were predicated on type of use, and square footage. Or was that the old code, and the new ones eliminated it.

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torgo Town

torgo

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Doesn't the Planning Commission dictate that in their building codes? I thought number of parking spaces were predicated on type of use, and square footage. Or was that the old code, and the new ones eliminated it.

I think some of that will be in the new zoning ordinance. It'll be a hybrid between euclidean (old-school) and form-based (new-school). The master plan talks a lot about establishing a maximum number of parking spaces, whereas most codes go by the minimum. I haven't seen much of the new ordinance, though, so I dont know if that will be the case. Perhaps a certain grcityplanner could enlighten us? :whistling:

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GRCityPlanner Unincorporated Area

GRCityPlanner

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I think some of that will be in the new zoning ordinance. It'll be a hybrid between euclidean (old-school) and form-based (new-school). The master plan talks a lot about establishing a maximum number of parking spaces, whereas most codes go by the minimum. I haven't seen much of the new ordinance, though, so I dont know if that will be the case. Perhaps a certain grcityplanner could enlighten us? :whistling:

Unfortunately, the zoning code is still very much in draft form, so I'm hesitant to say much either way regarding parking minimums or maximums. Sorry. Maybe I can say that the new code seeks to reflect the goals of the Master Plan as much as possible. ;)

I expect that we should have a solid draft that I can share in June or so.

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Veloise City

Veloise

Posted
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Unfortunately, the zoning code is still very much in draft form, so I'm hesitant to say much either way regarding parking minimums or maximums. Sorry. Maybe I can say that the new code seeks to reflect the goals of the Master Plan as much as possible. ;)

I expect that we should have a solid draft that I can share in June or so.

...after baby Schultz is a little older!

[that woman amazes me]

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Veloise City

Veloise

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Care to expound?

Can't find the article now...Suzanne Schultz is now planning director (a position that is usually held by retired university profs). Last summer the Press ran a piece discussing how, in December, she would deliver both the revised zoning ordinance to the planning commission, and...her third child.

But the best-laid plans aught go awry, and perhaps even SS can run out of steam. (Meet her sometime. She's a dynamo.)

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LA Dave Hamlet

LA Dave

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The "old GR Police heaquarters" circa 1960 stood about where the Chase Bank(Union Bank) building is today. This gives my age away - 2 "Old GR police headquarters" in my lifetime :rolleyes:

Oh, doesn't it. I don't have much memory of the "old, old" GRPD headquarters (I seem to remember it was near the old Fox Brewery) but I have a very clear memory of the "old" GRPD headquarters and the courthouse. Both buildings were essentially too small within a few years of their opening.

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FlawlessDeveloper Unincorporated Area

FlawlessDeveloper

Posted
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Olds Manor Option.

I would say that the Devos family owns the building, they anticipate buying the Post Office, putting a Casino on the river, connecting it to the convention center via skywalk and making the Rowe Hotel a world class Casino Hotel complex. I would say that Blue Cross/ Blue Shield came downtown in order to move out of their building -near the airport, and its new on/off ramp- that would become the new central post office location. I would say that was part of the reason for the Grand Rapids Press moving further out so that it can be redeveloped as world class retail to support the arena/convention and entertainment stuff. I would say that is the reason that Blue Bridge Ventures/ J. Buchannon and N. Seifulah was turned down when they were trying to build their hotel across from Devos Hall. I would say all that but because I only know the desires and not the intent. I won't start rumors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~Flawless..........................

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