Central Lansing Construction and Development.

[andrew.w]

And, finally, the building in the context of the neighborhood.

Now if the white tiled building would be restored. It looks like it must be the other half of the Dollar Deal.

[hood]

There isn't many of those ugly facades left downtown, thankfully. The only two I can think of off the top of my head is that one and Kelly's.

[RustTown]

The store in the photo is Clem's Comic, a relatively new addition to the square, and one of the few non-bar/restaurant businesses that stay open after 5, and on the weekeneds. Hopefully, he'll have enough business to support a matching facade grant to restore the building. I'm sure it's another historic construction "modernized."

I agree, downtown has come a long way in terms of facade repairs. Not even 5 years ago almost all of the facades still had their ugly "modernized" facades, and there is literally only a handfull left.

[hood]

Riverfront project dropped

I'm glad that Ferguson isn't going to get the chance to screw up this parcel. Hopefully this will not only push the power plant closer to feasability, but will make it possible to build a high rise at Shiawassee & Grand. Actually I think there is room for two large buildings north of the power plant, and even room for a smaller one on the southside of it.

[LA Dave]

Lmich: Great pics. That Greek Revival mansion is really something. Do you know the dates on it? I think the only comparable home in GR is the old GR art musuem on E. Fulton, but frankly I think the Lansing building looks more substantial.

[hood]

Lmich: Great pics. That Greek Revival mansion is really something. Do you know the dates on it? I think the only comparable home in GR is the old GR art musuem on E. Fulton, but frankly I think the Lansing building looks more substantial.

It was built in 1855, here is another pic of it:

There is another house a lot like it just a few blocks away built in 1900:

Are there any others you can think of Lmich?

[RustTown]

There's an even larger one up in Old Town on Washington. It's divided into quite a few apartment units, I believe, but the outside still remains. This was a popular style for Lansing. I think all of these mansions date back before 1880, and the Old Town ones dates back to the 1860's, I believe. In fact, the oldest standing house in Lansing in Old Town was Greek Revival, but has been altered beyond repair. You can't even tell.

Yeah, I'm so glad Ferguson realizes that the Ottawa Street Station lands would be much better developed together. That is what ultimately killed the plan. It would almost be impossible to market a new construction next to an vacant factory. This finally frees this up for something much more grand, no pun intended. It's really great to hear this news, because I thought Ferguson would keep the city waiting until the end of the tolling agreement in early May.

It still seems he and Granger are set on building the state office building, but it's good that these two projects aren't tied together, anymore. It made no sense (from the city's perspective, anyway) to tie those two together seeing as how one project was much more unlikely than the other.

[hood]

Then, the city was only trying to ensure two developments, when they otherwise would have had one, now it doesen't matter so much.

[RustTown]

BTW, I put together a downtown riverfront map showing the areas in question. Did I get the land right for the coal field? Is it the entire area north of the station, or just the area directly adjacent and to the north?

[hood]

It doesen't include the grayish blue 3 story building, the owner refused to sell. He will proabably wait for the power plant and the empty land top be developed to sell it for a much higher price for another tower to be built. Also, the property extends through that parking lot on the south side of the plant.

[woodsstephene]

Hey guys, wondering if you know anywhere I can get high-definition satellite images of Lansing/East Lansing. I live overseas right now, but am from EL and really want to see the development going on there, by my house etc. GoogleEarth hasn't done the high-def scans of the area yet. I know there used to be several outlets you could find them at. LMichigan, that scan you edited looks perfect--any way I could find those of the whole area? Thanks!!

[woodsstephene]

Hi again--just answered my own question lol. Looked at that image LMich posted and went to Zillow.com. Very cool.

[LA Dave]

There's an even larger one up in Old Town on Washington. It's divided into quite a few apartment units, I believe, but the outside still remains. This was a popular style for Lansing. I think all of these mansions date back before 1880, and the Old Town ones dates back to the 1860's, I believe. In fact, the oldest standing house in Lansing in Old Town was Greek Revival, but has been altered beyond repair. You can't even tell.

Yeah, I'm so glad Ferguson realizes that the Ottawa Street Station lands would be much better developed together. That is what ultimately killed the plan. It would almost be impossible to market a new construction next to an vacant factory. This finally frees this up for something much more grand, no pun intended. It's really great to hear this news, because I thought Ferguson would keep the city waiting until the end of the tolling agreement in early May.

It still seems he and Granger are set on building the state office building, but it's good that these two projects aren't tied together, anymore. It made no sense (from the city's perspective, anyway) to tie those two together seeing as how one project was much more unlikely than the other.

Thanks to you both. The addition in the back is unfortunate, but that is the price of progress. A great building. Nice to see how much is going on in Cap City.

[hood]

I'm suprised, looking at that arial, at much space the low-rise protion of Riverfront Towers takes up. I bet that in 10-20 years if downtown REALLY takes off (on level like GR) that tey tear down the low-rise prtion of Riverfront Towers to redevelop it more densly. Or at least develop the green space and maybe tear down a few of the buildings closer to Shiawassee. The same may happen for Capitol Commons but that may be far enough away from the action to be safe.

[RustTown]

In the same vein, I'm incredibly surprised that the City Market was never demolished. It always seemed to me that that would have been one of the first buildings to go when the riverfront was partially reclaimed from industry back in the 70's and 80's.

I also wonder if the Lansing Center expansion is really looming nearby or if it is still years or a decade away? This is something that the region should have got together years ago when they proposed the expansion. I still have the newspaper clipping from a few years back showing it, though, it is really faded. It looks like it would be a great addition, and add more to the riverfront.

[downtownlansing77]

The owner of that building is Fred Stackable and he has his law office on the first floor. It looks like it is falling apart from the outside, but the City of Lansing or Lansing EDC gave him money a while back to put apartments in there - I think 2 or 3. This was in the City Pulse when Hollister was still mayor:

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/020612/lansing/index.html

It's by John Pollard, so it has the usual John Pollard slant, but he probably still hasn't be contacted about any new deals.

It doesen't include the grayish blue 3 story building, the owner refused to sell. He will proabably wait for the power plant and the empty land top be developed to sell it for a much higher price for another tower to be built.

[RustTown]

Thanks to you both. The addition in the back is unfortunate, but that is the price of progress. A great building. Nice to see how much is going on in Cap City.

LA Dave,

Here is the other house I was talking about. I was just digging through my pictures and found it. It is the George Washington Peck House in Old Town, and though it's not as great of shape as it used to be, it's still lived in. I'm not completely sure, but I think it's rented out, and this area attracts a lot of LCC students and young families. Also, I always thought I was taking a bad picture of this house, but I really do now believe that it is leaning slightly into the small slope that its on. I hope I'm wrong.

[RustTown]

The owner of that building is Fred Stackable and he has his law office on the first floor. It looks like it is falling apart from the outside, but the City of Lansing or Lansing EDC gave him money a while back to put apartments in there - I think 2 or 3. This was in the City Pulse when Hollister was still mayor:

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/020612/lansing/index.html

It's by John Pollard, so it has the usual John Pollard slant, but he probably still hasn't be contacted about any new deals.

Be assurred, if anyone ever hopes to see this block developed, the Grand Building will have to go, and probably the neighborhood 2-story former BWL office building. I've always hoped, as well, that the North Grand Avenue Parking Structure Annex (the part that goes over Grand Avenue) will be demolished to open up the station land. It will almost have to be if they hope to fully integrate the station back into the streetscape. BTW, here's a pic I got of the area, last year:

[statedude3]

Nice picture LMich. My uncle had (maybe still has) an office in the Grand Building. It's a piece of junk inside. It's dark, cold and damp. I dont care what goes in it's place, but anything more than a parking lot would look better and probably serve the area better as well.

[andrew.w]

LA Dave,

Here is the other house I was talking about. I was just digging through my pictures and found it. It is the George Washington Peck House in Old Town, and though it's not as great of shape as it used to be, it's still lived in. I'm not completely sure, but I think it's rented out, and this area attracts a lot of LCC students and young families. Also, I always thought I was taking a bad picture of this house, but I really do now believe that it is leaning slightly into the small slope that its on. I hope I'm wrong.

If the house is leaning, the porch is sagging even more. The vinyl siding (Ugh) also doesn't seem to be straight so I think I would have to see the house to make any sort of judgement on its lean.

Also, if what I know about historical architecture styles is correct this house is Colonial/Neoclassical revival rather than the Greek revival of the other two houses. Then this house is more likely to have been built between 1900 and 1920. But then again, I could be wrong.

[RustTown]

Actually, it was built in the 1850's or 1860's. And driving by the house, again, today, it is definitely leaning to the south (left, in that picture). Yeah, the more I look at it, it's is much more neo-classical than greek revival. The roof would have to be pitched more, and only to the north and south for it to be greek revival.

[hood]

I really like that house, it is one of my favorite houses in that area, I hope that someone will restore it someday, before it gets too bad.

[LA Dave]

Lmich -- thanks for the heads up on the picture. From the looks of that house, if it were built in the 1860s, it has had a lot of "refinements" over the years. I might have placed in the Colonial Revival movement of the early 1900s, rather than the Greek Revival movement of the mid-1800s.

I also enjoyed the picture of the brick house in old town. It looks somewhat modified as well. It does not appear that Lansing has as many of the really old houses (those built before the Civil War) remaining as does Ann Arbor and GR. Was there more "urban renewal" in the Capital City, or am I (hopefully) mistaken?

GR lost a number of fine pre-Civil War homes when the freeways were cut through, including an incredible Octogon house that formerly sat atop Lookout hill. I remember it being pointed out to us third graders during our obligatory "discover the city" trip.

[RustTown]

Lansing was only founded in 1837, and remained a tiny village until the capital was moved here in 1847, so there isn't much left here before the Civil War. Even after 1847, the city was small until the early 1900's with the automobile industry setting up here, in Flint, and in Detroit. There really hasn't been much urban renewal. In fact, the only place that has been largely demolished and changed is the riverfront, which used to be heavily packed with polluting industries.

Another thing is that the city developed as three separate nodes that were connected by the river, and the city was confined, pretty much, to a small area along the river (about half a mile east/west, and a mile-and-a-half north/south). Unlike most other cities, Lansing was pretty much founded on a whim with no sizeable settlement existing before becoming the capital. Even with the capital here, it tooks a few years just to get a plank road up from Detroit, and even longer to get a rail line. It was a very wild and natural place, and from the history I've read on the city was nothing more than a swamp in the most heavily forested part of the the entire area.

A map of the three original settlements:

[hood]

Lansing had a rail line leading here in the 1870's, thats quite early. On top of Lansing not having much from before the 1880's Lansing did have more 1960's and 70's urban renewal, 2-3 story modern apartment buildings built on former house lots, often still between older houses throughout the neigborhoods bordering downtown. The entire old warehouse district was destroyed for Riverfront Park, Riverfront Towers and LCC. A large portion of the 1800's mansion district was razed for I-496 and a handfull of parking lots adjacent to it. Captiol Commons apartments destroyed a large potion of older neighborhood. The State's Captitol Complex Destroyed most of the rowhouses and older low-rise apartments (the worst loss). And finally, Lansing's nicest business district, North Washington was almost completely razed for various projects. It once had quite a few 4-5 story classic commercial buildings and the rest was all three floors, as opposed to little over two floors down South Washington. Also, fires devastated Old Town (destroying what would now be the most impressive buildings in the area.) Also fire destroyed most of Lansings turn of the century, 5-6 story office buildings, the few we had to begin with anyways.