Frankenmuth Developments

[wolverine]

Anyone pass by or see progress on the new hotel Frankenmuth is building along the river? The last time I saw it they were building the underground parking. I'm sure by now the walls have long been up.

[wolverine]

Okay I guess I'll do it.

Passed by the project today 2.4.07

Looks like they are pretty far along.

What's with the lack of a traditional onion-dome on the corner?? It would have looked much cooler.

I like the wood near the top though. It appears the balconies may cover up those air conditioner vents

From the back you see the terrace and underground parking. I guess the original building was supposed to be 1 story higher and entirely made out of concrete, but the ground was not strong enough.

Keeping with the downtown height limit of 4 floors! Seriously, Frankenmuth needs to up the height limits.

[dtown]

Thanks for the pics. I rarely get out to Frankenmuth, but every time i do, it seems to be doing quite well.

[wolverine]

Apparently exterior work has started. I can't get pictures this time.

[dtown]

I should get out to Frankenmuth one of these days, if i happen to get out that way, i will snap some pics.

[wolverine]

It would be nice if someone could snap shots of the Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company expansion as well. They took out some older apartment buildings to make way for their campus, so I'm guessing it's going to be fairly large. Not sure how far along they are on this though.

I've heard rumors the city's band shell is set to go Chene Park style with the big tent like structure and all. The hill will be replaced with a concrete amphitheater as well. All Saginaw County rumors though. I can't say whether they are true or not.

While we are at it, the community swimming pool will be demolished due to structural problems that are too costly to fix. The pool is built into a hillside and has lockerooms and a snack bar beneath it.

At the same time, Anderson Waterpark on Saginaw's East Side may reopen which may mean Frankenmuth residents would return to the city to swim.

Frankenmuth has also demolished the old outdoor skating rink because the ice never set evenly. The new Harvey Kern pavilion is now home to a professional sized skating rink. During warmer weather it is used for roller hockey and basketball, and of course the major festivals. The city plans to install a refrigeration system in the future to allow a rink to operate whenever necessary. It will cost about $650,000.

[wolverine]

Drove by the Mutual Insurance Campus to see the progress. They are ripping up the parking lot and demolishing the enclosed pedestrian walkways. I can't find any renderings, but this project is being done by Wolgast Corp. If it looks something like the Merrill Lynch office building in Saginaw that they did back in the 90's, I'll be thrilled. I still love the architecture of that building.

[dtown]

Im not sure what that building looks like, but im sure if you like it then it will look good.

[wolverine]

Completed

It looks really nice at night.

Too bad with the turnaround there is so much concrete out front. I know they had to get a variance due to be setback from the sidewalk, but hey at least all the parking is underground. Looks great overall

http://www.marvherzog.com/index.php?main_page=hotel

In other news, a fairly exciting condo development on main street should be announced in the future. It will be located where a nondescript vacant house/business sits. Very narrow at the street, but very deep and has river frontage.