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Gaslight Village - East Grand Rapids


GRDadof3

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I like this quote from the bottom of the article:

"Many of those homes are rentals or owned by first-time home buyers," he said. "I don't want to see those people priced out of East Grand Rapids."

Waaaaaaaaaa... mommy and daddy can't afford to buy me a house there any more.. waaaaa... :cry:

It's EGR people, not necessarily KNOWN for it's "Cheap" housing... :rolleyes:

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I like this quote from the bottom of the article:

"Many of those homes are rentals or owned by first-time home buyers," he said. "I don't want to see those people priced out of East Grand Rapids."

Waaaaaaaaaa... mommy and daddy can't afford to buy me a house there any more.. waaaaa... :cry:

It's EGR people, not necessarily KNOWN for it's "Cheap" housing... :rolleyes:

No kidding. Most everybody is already "priced out" of EGR.

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks Dadoff! Hey Jay, if you want to add something, get a shot coming from the Lake side, it has a commanding presence on the street scape.

I took one from that angle. I'll try to get it up here tonight. I had problems posting a picture in another thread - my link didn't work (it did when I posted it, now I've got the IPB red x). I saw instructions in a posting a while back. I might need to ask ya'll for help if I get stuck.

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From Grand Rapids Magazine, August 2003:

'Jennifer Metz, board member of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the Kent County Council for Historic Preservation, admits that she would have liked to see the Mutual Home Building left standing, perhaps even incorporated into the design of the new art museum.

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I agree with Jen Metz on attempting an incorporation of the Mutual Home Building into the new GRAM.

I guess it was just too hard to have this old building incorporated into the "cutting edge" design of the new museum.

I guess that it was just not "green" enough to keep an old building, but rather tear down the whole block to build a green building.

It is too bad that this building had to be moved and that the City of Grand Rapids lost yet another grand building. But the loss of this building for the city of GR is tempered by the fact that at least it is still intact someplace else. GR's loss is EGR's gain. And it has instantly become the best building in East Grand Rapids.

It is somewhat reminiscent of the best building in Allendale, the old fire station on M-45, which I believe was once in Grand Rapids(?)

Jade Pig should be given alot of credit for saving this building and incorporating it into their design.

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It is somewhat reminiscent of the best building in Allendale, the old fire station on M-45, which I believe was once in Grand Rapids(?)

Correct GRTP, that station used to be on the corner of Leonard and Monroe. Check out the picture on the wall of my office of the fire engine inside of that station. It's one of my favorite photos by Mike Buck.

RE: the Jade Pig facade, I have to say that "facadism" (the removal of the facade of a building and transplanting it somewhere else), doesn't factor well in my book. However, I'd rather have part of a historic building left then to have it gone completely.

The whole situation is bitter-sweet in my mind.

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I definitely think it will make Jade Pig's project look more "organic". Some of the new urbanism streetscapes seem a bit cartoonish, so to have the old facade mixed in will be awesome! I'm interested to see how it all ties together. I think a lot of EGR residents don't realize how cool of a downtown they are getting :whistling:

I don't remember the facade looking so Egyptian or Romanesque (don't know the particular description)?

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Dadoff: I can see a touch of Egyptian proportions in that facade, but see a more Classically proportioned Triumphal Arch look. Either way, glad to have it still here. I wonder if anyone knows what this building will be? That big rounded room shown in Jay's photos (thanks, by the way) looks interesting...

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Dadoff: I can see a touch of Egyptian proportions in that facade, but see a more Classically proportioned Triumphal Arch look. Either way, glad to have it still here. I wonder if anyone knows what this building will be? That big rounded room shown in Jay's photos (thanks, by the way) looks interesting...

OK, I'm not crazy then :P It's actually going to be a BANK (go figure). Bank One to be exact. :thumbsup:

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  • 1 month later...

The new white facade next to the bank is really an interesting choice of materials and design styles. They are really making progress on making this feel like it has some history, not just a new strip mall with no parking. The white buildiing looks like a car dealership from the forties or fifties that you would see in a neighborhood like this (UICA building was one, Post office in Easttown was one).

Really excited about this development.

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Does anyone know if there are any other flower shops going in this new development??

What about other small retails stores?

Can't imagine another florist. Kabloom just closed and Crescent St. Floral and D&W pretty much get the local business. As far as small retail I've heard nothing so far.

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Can't imagine another florist. Kabloom just closed and Crescent St. Floral and D&W pretty much get the local business. As far as small retail I've heard nothing so far.

A few months ago they were in talks with two people/groups to open a woman's boutique and they were only accepting one such store. The only other thing I know is that it isn't JB and Me out of Holland. They said they weren't interested, they have too much on their plate as it is.

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