Monroe Place Purchase

[GRDadof3]

Someone mentioned the Street Talk section today, and they mention Second Story buying "Monroe Place". Which building is this? Are they talking about 50 Monroe Place (where Huntington is)? The story also mentions Til Midnight. There is a restaurant in Holland called Til Midnight that has been closed due to a fire. Could this be a link?

[twoshort]

Someone mentioned the Street Talk section today, and they mention Second Story buying "Monroe Place". Which building is this? Are they talking about 50 Monroe Place (where Huntington is)? The story also mentions Til Midnight. There is a restaurant in Holland called Til Midnight that has been closed due to a fire. Could this be a link?

Could it be the Monroe Place parking lot? Can you post a link to the article?

[GRDadof3]

Could it be the Monroe Place parking lot? Can you post a link to the article?

It's a short blip in their Street Talk Section, for you non-subscribers:

"Speaking of development, we

[twoshort]

"You’ve got Til Midnight to take the bet."

What a devious little blurb. We need another mole at second story!

[GRDadof3]

What a devious little blurb. We need another mole at second story!

Yah, and as I mentioned, the way they spelled "Til Midnight" caught my attention right away, because I was just reading about Till Midnight in Holland moving to the Baker Lofts:

http://www.tillmidnight.biz/baker_lofts_3.htm

Or maybe they close on the deal today at midnight Very devious blurb, indeed! Are they talking about the lot, or the entire building? Maybe Sam read mpchicago's posts about that building being re-skinned in the 70's or 80's and decided to buy it and "un-skin" it to bring it back to its old glory. LOL.

[twoshort]

Or maybe they close on the deal today at midnight

Yeah, perhaps he has an option (I think that's what it's called and I have no idea if that's even appropriate for this situation) that expires at midnight. I would love to see something done to that building. It's horrible looking.

[GRDadof3]

Yeah, perhaps he has an option (I think that's what it's called and I have no idea if that's even appropriate for this situation) that expires at midnight. I would love to see something done to that building. It's horrible looking.

Maybe that's why they've let the exterior go It would just be weird coincidence that we were just talking about that building about a week ago. I wonder if that is why Macatawa Bank hasn't done anything yet on their property at the corner?? Maybe they are thinking of combining the whole block Oh to be a fly on the wall of those meetings. It's funny, I just saw Sam Cummings and his partner John Green walking up Ionia toward Monroe Center about two weeks ago.

[twoshort]

What a devious little blurb. We need another mole at second story!

I see acarlton has been around here a few times in the past weeks, perhaps she has some info.

[Coleco]

Monroe Place?

I've heard of Monroe Center and Monroe Avenue. Monroe Place? Is that what they used to call Rosa Parks Circle?

This is the building that housed the GR Chamber of Commerce and also houses Four Friends, and the Dog Pit. A firm from the suburbs is moving into the space above. A major facade renovation is planned that will restore some of the original detail.

Til Midnight is indeed the restaurant in Holland. Maybe they're considering a second location in GR? That's what bugs me about Street Talk. They just put stuff in there without attribution, essentially making it a gossip column where they can dump stuff they hear without doing any real reporting....

[GRDadof3]

Monroe Place?

I've heard of Monroe Center and Monroe Avenue. Monroe Place? Is that what they used to call Rosa Parks Circle?

This is the building that housed the GR Chamber of Commerce and also houses Four Friends, and the Dog Pit. A firm from the suburbs is moving into the space above. A major facade renovation is planned that will restore some of the original detail.

Til Midnight is indeed the restaurant in Holland. Maybe they're considering a second location in GR? That's what bugs me about Street Talk. They just put stuff in there without attribution, essentially making it a gossip column where they can dump stuff they hear without doing any real reporting....

I don't think that 140 Monroe Center is the building they are referring to. They already "reported" that purchase by Second Story as "news" back in February:

http://www.grbj.com/GRBJ/Nav/Login.htm?Art...C-4579DA75582E}

Whoops! Wrong link corrected

[twoshort]

Any new info on this from you GRPress and GRBusiness Journal readers?

[allbusiness]

That's what Street Talk has always been -- rumor, "street talk" and name dropping. That's why everyone reads it! Not everything works out, but it captures the flavor of what people are talking about. Plus some savvy people have been known to leak an idea to Carole to float trial balloons.

If I had to guess, I'd say the "50" dollar bet, and "Monroe Place" mean just that -- 50 Monroe! 'Til Midnight would be a nice addition to downtown GR, but my info says Jodi and her brother are not interested in a Grand Rapids expansion just yet. They haven't really even opened the new place in Holland at baker Lofts yet.

[MAU]

50 Monroe has been for sale since around March. Or, if it hasn't been for sale since March, that's at least when the owner began discussing the sale of it.

[gr2newbie]

'Til Midnight would be a nice addition to downtown GR, but my info says Jodi and her brother are not interested in a Grand Rapids expansion just yet. They haven't really even opened the new place in Holland at baker Lofts yet.

Food for thought (like the pun) I had dinner earlier in the year at Sierra Room and saw the former owner of 'Til Midnight on staff. Perhaps...there is a connection to this rumor.

[GRDadof3]

If in fact they are related, let's take this to the next level. What would be the plans for 50 Monroe Place and Till Midnight? If Second Story bought 50 Monroe Place, would they plan to make space for a new restaurant on the ground floor somewhere? Kick out TGIF? Here's a wild thought, Sam Cummings has been workiing with Greg Gilmore and Macatawa Bank, and intends to de-skin 50 Monroe and create a massive entertainment complex linking 50 Monroe, the new House of Blues and Hotel, the BOB, and Macatawa's property on the corner of Louis and Ottawa, since they are all intertwined in that dense area anyway

Any other wild ideas?

[GRDadof3]

Article this morning in the Press about 50 Monroe Place being sold to two local businessmen (and not to Sam Cummings), and proposed renovations. The new owners are saying they will spend at least $1 Mil. to renovate the two buildings, but nothing is off the table as far as how extensive they will be. Although the article repeatedly talks about the skin that was added in the 80's, there is no mention from the new owners as to whether they will take it down. I'm sure they have to study what can be saved and will it be feasible to do it.

http://www.mlive.com/business/grpress/inde...1970.xml&coll=6

I think whatever they do will be an improvement. According to the Press, one of the new owners, Craig Hall, owns other historic buildings downtown and he talks about how important the vitality of downtown is to Grand Rapids. Exciting news!

Edit: there's also an interesting before picture here:

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/frontpage/pdfs/Bu_Saturday.pdf

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