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Cathedral Square Project


GRDadof3

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The "warehouse" was C Bell Chevrolet dealership in the early 60's. The showroom was on the ground floor and the service department was on the 2nd floor. I'm not sure (don't temember :( ) if they drove cars to the floors above that. We didn't go there often, my dad drove Fords ;). I'm curious if those ramps are still in the building.

Don't know if the ramps still exist but there is a very large freight elevator in there that is big enough to move a car to any floor.

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I'd like to see the diocese take all this space and create a scaled down version of Vatican City (or at least draw some inspiration from it.)

Complete with pope?

The facade being proposed for the warehouse building looks like this building in Rotterdam and I don't like it. No sir. Not one bit.

06wv8.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Diocese sent out a communication today with some details on the Cathedral Square project.

It reads, in part:

In the coming days, we will begin to introduce this cohesive area of downtown Grand Rapids as Cathedral Square. It will encompass 11.5 acres of downtown property which is boarded [sic] by Division Avenue on the west, Cherry Street on the north, LaGrave Avenue on the east and Wealthy Street on the south.

The Cathedral Square neighborhood area and adjoining properties will include:
  • Cathedral of Saint Andrew

  • Cathedral Parish Office

  • Cathedral Residence

  • Catholic Central High School

  • Catholic Central High School/Saint Andrew Gymnasium

  • Saint Andrew School

  • Catholic Charities West Michigan/Catholic Social Services

  • God's Kitchen

  • 215 Sheldon SE (occupied by Saint Mary Health Care)

  • 359 S. Division (Now occupied by Heartside Clinic/Saint Mary Health Care)

  • 350 S. Division (Former Uptown Cleaners Building)

  • 355 Sheldon SE (Former Jobbers Warehouse (aka C. Bell Chevrolet))

There will be some immediate environmental clean up and site clearing. At the same time, we will begin to develop the area which, as it is completed over the next few years, will include diocesan offices/operations center, conference facilites and evangelization center. We are pleased that Saint Mary's Health Care services will share some of this new building with us. As you know, we are also selling the property on Burton Street to partially off-set the costs of renovating the new area and will look to bonds and donations to complete it.

Think of this as a new neighborhood within the strong Hearthside Area of Grand Rapids. This gives us an incredible opportunity to immmediately adjoin some of our closest friends such as Saint Mary's Health Care Campus including their Lacks Cancer Center, the Wege Institute, and the new Hauenstein Center currently under construction.

As we better understand the needs of this neighborhood, the broader community and Catholic partners, we will begin looking seriously at refurbishing Saint Andrew School as well as complimenting our neighborhood growth in the best way possible. We will learn a lot from Saint Mary's master planning as well as the Inner City Christian Foundation's plans to redevelop the area south of Wealthy and from Division eastward beginning this summer

Not sure if this is really anything new, but thought I'd put it out there. Might be time for the thread to be retitled "Cathedral Square"?

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If this building were two blocks west, it would be a very hip rehab. Why do they feel they need to cover it?! It seems like the side of the building could easily be made more symetrical.

Honestly, I don't know about putting a park there either. Just seems like 'yer asking for trouble by putting a park there. I probably would have put a building up on the corner and put the park in a more central location (like dead center in front of the hospital).

Joe

For easier reference, this is what the warehouse looks like currently:

505764658_134b456c58.jpg

(facing Division)

505764662_9501305eb6.jpg

(facing Wealthy)

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From Saturday's paper:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ss....xml&coll=6

A few points of interest (or confusion):

1. They are hoping Cathedral Square will serve as a gateway to the city and bring the neighborhood together.

2. The renovated warehouse will become a conference center and diocese offices. Entrance will be on the west side.

3. They don't know what they will do with St. Andrews School which was built for 1,000 but currently services 170.

4. Demolition will start as soon as next week.

What Joe thinks:

1. Why aren't they renovating the beautiful St. Andrews school first before turning to the warehouse? I don't get it? :dontknow:

2. Who's going to get the Uptown signs before it gets demolished?

I've dangled from a two story chicken to save a good sign ("more cluck for the buck"). Will I have to do it again?

Joe

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Complete with pope?

The facade being proposed for the warehouse building looks like this building in Rotterdam and I don't like it. No sir. Not one bit.

06wv8.jpg

Hey, I missed this earlier. Nice find suydam. Here's another similarly-styled building, in the Netherlands again of all places ^_^ :

3.jpg

8.jpg

Photo Thread

(you'll also notice the ING HQ in there)

Demolition of Uptown Cleaners is supposed to start this week or next.

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Hey, I missed this earlier. Nice find suydam. Here's another similarly-styled building, in the Netherlands again of all places ^_^ :

3.jpg

8.jpg

Photo Thread

(you'll also notice the ING HQ in there)

Demolition of Uptown Cleaners is supposed to start this week or next.

i like the last one.. if it looked like that i'd be ok, but no tthe tall one :sick:

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i like the last one.. if it looked like that i'd be ok, but no tthe tall one :sick:

Yeah, I kinda like the shorter building too. It would be interesting if the Diocese included something like the the diagonal elements in their design.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The signs are safe and according to John at my office, they're very, very heavy.

More info soon on the signs. Thanks to the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids for saving the signs!

~TripleG

Almost makes me wish I was Catholic.

No. Wait. I'm dutch and protestant.

Never mind.

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Since when does an ugly building from the 50s/60s count as historic? Just tear it down.

It's because it's in an historic district that they had to get approval to demolish it. Not necessarily because of the historic status of the building itself.

BTW: it's being torn down.

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Since when does an ugly building from the 50s/60s count as historic? Just tear it down.

Technically speaking, any significant structure over 50 years old may be eligible for nomination for the Historic Register. We're going to be seeing a lot more protected "historic" buildings from the 1950s.

MK

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