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72 Grandville - Ice House Renovation

PBJ

By PBJ
in Grand Rapids

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
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Some of mine:

The Western-most side of the building. Would make for great office space.

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Many of the boards were irregularly sized, that you probably can't find anymore. There are beautiful pine plank boards on the walls upstairs.

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I believe this is the old boiler:

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Because it was originally three separate buildings, there are exterior walls inside the building:

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The old horse-stalls with a little heaving beneath the concrete floors:

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Rooftop bar anyone?

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Not everyone has vision to see the possibilities, but this one's a beauty!

Everyone else's impressions?

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terra firma Whistle-Stop

terra firma

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Thanks for the great pics GRDad !!

In all, we had 25 people through today--- very much a success in my book. These type of meetings should be the norm before any rehab project downtown occurs. It is a very inexpensive way for a developer to get good exposure for a project before it even starts !

Both Sam and I like getting input from anyone who has it; freely share any ideas any of you have now that you've seen the building !

Shortly after everyone left today the demolition program got ramped up and the sandblasters are coming along right behind demo. Roof, HVAC and base electrical systems are next up, then we'll get into some rough carpentry and, with the arrival of warmer weather, we'll do the exterior brick repair / tuckpointing, doors and entries etc. Then we get into tenant buildouts.

Let's plan to re-convene mid-spring when the building is in 'white box' mode, all cleaned up and pretty.

My sincere thanks to Mr. Tery Wisner, previous owner, for coming to our meeting today and sharing some history with us.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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...In all, we had 25 people through today--- very much a success in my book. These type of meetings should be the norm before any rehab project downtown occurs. It is a very inexpensive way for a developer to get good exposure for a project before it even starts !

Both Sam and I like getting input from anyone who has it; freely share any ideas any of you have now that you've seen the building !

...Let's plan to re-convene mid-spring when the building is in 'white box' mode, all cleaned up and pretty.

My sincere thanks to Mr. Tery Wisner, previous owner, for coming to our meeting today and sharing some history with us.

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joeDowntown Metropolis

joeDowntown

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This has always been one of my favorites. I am disappointed I couldn't make it. The building just oozes with potential. I can't wait to see what it looks like when the dust has been shaken out. If anyone would like to repeat what they heard about the history of the building, please indulge me. I love the story behind all of our old buildings!

Joe

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Allison Slater Town

Allison Slater

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I'll put my pictures up tomorrow (i.e.: tonight by the time most of you will read this.)

I didn't do too many artistic/detail shots.. just broader 'this is this room' kinda shots. I also nabbed a few of the exterior before everybody else showed up.

One thing I notised beforehand that I forgot to ask about.. behind the truck that was parked outside the front, there was a planked-in window in the old stables section that just seemed odd. It wasn't a traditional window for light.. it actually reminded me of a service window of sorts. Made me wonder if they used to sell product there as well at one time? It's too small to be used for much else..

Also GRDad, thanks for that shot of the old boiler. Either that was removed when we toured, we didn't go in that room, or I'm just blind.

Also thanks to Eric and Sam for the tour. You can go to museums in GR, Chicago, DC, but none of that compares to actually being in an old building, exposing its untouched, unaltered, raw secrets and history. I look forward to more tours, and to the finished product as well.

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twoshort Town

twoshort

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I'm really bummed I missed it. :( Some sick days combined with the holidays and Ford stuff downtown meant there was no way I was getting out of work for a few hours. The last tour was really cool. Hopefully I'll get a chance to check it out at the white box stage.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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After touring the building and looking at the floorplans, I have some ideas. I definitely think a sports bar/entertainment venue is the right way to go. The building is split up into some very cool separate spaces, that gives you the opportunity to make different uses in different rooms (much like what Gilmore ended up doing with The BOB. Except you don't have to split them up. It's already done for you. The loud game room would be separate from where people eat/drink/chat. If there is a band, it would still allow people to move to another room to hang out, etc...

348256190_7022164396_o.jpg

Secondly, the loading dock area creates some really neat opportunities to make the lobby a very cool introductory experience. There is a Mexican restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita, that is kinda cheezy, but very cool at the same time. When you walk in and make your way to the massive underground restaurant, you walk along what looks like an old Spanish village street, complete with storefronts, streetlamps, cobblestone/tile streets for flooring, trees, park benches for seating, and an artificial "sky" with stars above. The minute I saw the exterior walls inside the building in the loading dock area, I thought that you could create something similar in the lobby area. Almost like stepping onto a street back in time as you walked in the door. You could make the floor cobblestone, with streetlamps, etc.. Even pipe in some fog for a real "London" effect. :lol: Maybe create a false ceiling that looks like the sky. Or maybe a little more toned down.

345786363_f955c31e9a_b.jpg

Eric and Justin, if I think of other ideas, I'll just dump them in this thread. :thumbsup:

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Veloise City

Veloise

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...

Secondly, the loading dock area creates some really neat opportunities to make the lobby a very cool introductory experience. There is a Mexican restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita, that is kinda cheezy, but very cool at the same time. When you walk in and make your way to the massive underground restaurant, you walk along what looks like an old Spanish village street, complete with storefronts, streetlamps, cobblestone/tile streets for flooring, trees, and an artificial "sky" with stars above. The minute I saw the exterior walls inside the building in the loading dock area, I thought that you could create something similar in the lobby area. Almost like stepping onto a street back in time as you walked in the door. You could make the floor cobblestone, with streetlamps, etc.. Even pipe in some fog for a real "London" effect. :lol: Maybe create a false ceiling that looks like the sky. Or maybe a little more toned down. ...

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joeDowntown Metropolis

joeDowntown

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I noticed Moch's depot building is on the market. Is the Casa de Ugly apartment idea dead? Wouldn't that make a great all-year farmers market type development? Keep the building, freshen it up, and use the garage doors to open the space up in the summer. A nice railing along the dock with indoor/outdoor space, cafe, etc.

Back to the current topic at hand, it sounds like the Icehouse building would make an ideal bar/restaurant complex with cool different spaces. Some good thoughts GRDad.

Joe

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quoteme3 Whistle-Stop

quoteme3

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I noticed Moch's depot building is on the market. Is the Casa de Ugly apartment idea dead? Wouldn't that make a great all-year farmers market type development? Keep the building, freshen it up, and use the garage doors to open the space up in the summer. A nice railing along the dock with indoor/outdoor space, cafe, etc.

Joe

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cityslicker Whistle-Stop

cityslicker

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After touring the building and looking at the floorplans, I have some ideas. I definitely think a sports bar/entertainment venue is the right way to go. The building is split up into some very cool separate spaces, that gives you the opportunity to make different uses in different rooms (much like what Gilmore ended up doing with The BOB. Except you don't have to split them up. It's already done for you. The loud game room would be separate from where people eat/drink/chat. If there is a band, it would still allow people to move to another room to hang out, etc...

348256190_7022164396_o.jpg

Secondly, the loading dock area creates some really neat opportunities to make the lobby a very cool introductory experience. There is a Mexican restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita, that is kinda cheezy, but very cool at the same time. When you walk in and make your way to the massive underground restaurant, you walk along what looks like an old Spanish village street, complete with storefronts, streetlamps, cobblestone/tile streets for flooring, trees, park benches for seating, and an artificial "sky" with stars above. The minute I saw the exterior walls inside the building in the loading dock area, I thought that you could create something similar in the lobby area. Almost like stepping onto a street back in time as you walked in the door. You could make the floor cobblestone, with streetlamps, etc.. Even pipe in some fog for a real "London" effect. :lol: Maybe create a false ceiling that looks like the sky. Or maybe a little more toned down.

345786363_f955c31e9a_b.jpg

Eric and Justin, if I think of other ideas, I'll just dump them in this thread. :thumbsup:

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cityslicker Whistle-Stop

cityslicker

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Day 1 Demolition Pictures at 72 Grandville Ave, SW

Some of the pictures are a bit blurry...due to a few settings on my camera, which I will change in the AM. It was a succesful 1st day on the job for Walsh Construction! Ken and crew jumped on the scene just after 8am and went to town. 70% of the second floor has been demolished.... I am told we could be sandblasting by the end of the week on the upper floor :) We will do our best to keep the demo shots up to date! It will be difficult to keep up with the pace at which these guys (Walsh) operates though!!

Enjoy the pictures!!

http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q302/ci...andville%20Ave/

Best,

Justin

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