CWD

[SupercityGR]

Nice, I think the trust building is one the best looking buildings downtown. 

[wingbert]

Word on the street is that BoA intends to get out of Michigan altogether.

 

Bank of Most of America?

[tamias6]

Looks like Rick Devos's Start Garden Venture will be moving into the Trust Building as well. According to this article they will be taking up the second floor of the building.

[GRDadof3]

CWD now owns the Calder Plaza Building.

[tamias6]

CWD now owns the Calder Plaza Building.

 

Confirmed by CWD's online press release right here.

[MJLO]

They are really bullish on acquiring the downtown office space.   I am under the impression that downtown office space is nowhere near critical mass yet.   Am I missing something?

[GRDadof3]

They are really bullish on acquiring the downtown office space.   I am under the impression that downtown office space is nowhere near critical mass yet.   Am I missing something?

 

They're renovating basically every office building downtown. They and Franklin Partners. One of the big challenges I've heard about getting office occupancies up downtown is that the interior spaces are all circa 1980's. Maybe they think it's the right time.

Confirmed by CWD's online press release right here.

 

When I post something as fact, it is indeed, fact.

[mpchicago]

I'm impressed with what CWD has done downtown. I love the accent lights added to 50 Louis, and the Trust Building.  As for the Calder Plaza Building, it appears the interior public spaces are in good shape, but do scream 1980.  Do I recall that the previous owners just completed a minor refresh of the public spaces?  Maybe it consisted of adding all those over-sized pics of the Calder. I know they added those awful signs on the outside of the building.

 

I can't wait to see what they have planned for 50 Monroe.

[SupercityGR]

They need to build more apartment buildings downtown. Just without the vinyl siding hahaha 

(yes I know its not vinyl, looks like a prison from afar) 

[hygge]

I dont live in GR anymore, but CWD does more harm to GR than what most people realize. From all of the conversations I have had with national developers and several foreign based developers while making small talk before meetings, I always mention that I lived in GR. And they always say something along the lines of "I wouldnt touch GR." Its funny because they light up about the potential, but they know they couldn't get away with most behind the scenes nonsense that CWD gets away with. Obviously that puts them at a huge disadvantage. It truly is borne out in the real lack of living spaces/associated amenities downtown. Just look at the anemic growth of it over the last 6 years.

[MJLO]

I dont live in GR anymore, but CWD does more harm to GR than what most people realize. From all of the conversations I have had with national developers and several foreign based developers while making small talk before meetings, I always mention that I lived in GR. And they always say something along the lines of "I wouldnt touch GR." Its funny because they light up about the potential, but they know they couldn't get away with most behind the scenes nonsense that CWD gets away with. Obviously that puts them at a huge disadvantage. It truly is borne out in the real lack of living spaces/associated amenities downtown. Just look at the anemic growth of it over the last 6 years.

 

 

Anemic really?   What's anemic commericial growth, or downtown in general?   I don't know if we are on the same website because hundreds of millions of $ are still being poured into Grand Rapids core, especially in the form of new housing units that are being absorbed faster than they could be built.  Renovations an new buildings are still going up at a rate that most cities envy.

 

I am not an insider in the real estate business so I don't know the inner workings.  I can understand CWD being able to have an upper hand behind the scenes.   The "D" in CWD has had an upper hand for the last 35 years and owns the majority of construction and real estate over that time period. 

[GRDadof3]

I dont live in GR anymore, but CWD does more harm to GR than what most people realize. From all of the conversations I have had with national developers and several foreign based developers while making small talk before meetings, I always mention that I lived in GR. And they always say something along the lines of "I wouldnt touch GR." Its funny because they light up about the potential, but they know they couldn't get away with most behind the scenes nonsense that CWD gets away with. Obviously that puts them at a huge disadvantage. It truly is borne out in the real lack of living spaces/associated amenities downtown. Just look at the anemic growth of it over the last 6 years.

 

Well a) I doubt that developers all over the globe even have Grand Rapids on their radar, not less have any knowledge of who CWD is. And b) while growth slowed down during what was Michigan's worst recession in human history, there were still a lot of small businesses and apartment projects opened downtown. GVSU built their new business school, the Downtown Market was completed (which I have to say I was there for lunch yesterday and it was pretty busy), Baker Lofts opened, and a bunch of other projects opened in Heartside.

 

CWD has bought a lot of their buildings downtown essentially out of foreclosure, because a lot of the previous owners overbought during the boom. Kudos for them for even being there to pick up the pieces.

[WMrapids]

Came across this while looking through Wikipedia sources.

These are not the same right? I think the older image was nearby, though.

[walker]

4 hours ago, WMrapids said:

Came across this while looking through Wikipedia sources.

These are not the same right? I think the older image was nearby, though.

Not the same.  I found a reference on Google to Dean Printing being on the fifth floor of the Blodgett Block at the corner of Louis and Ottawa.  Interestingly the still existing Blodgett Building around the corner on Ionia, which I guess would be considered in the same block, has somewhat the same window treatment on one of the its upper floors.