Developer Shawn Elliott is putting the final touches on loft renovations he’s making to the second and third floor of the Ranney Building in Downtown Lansing.
Since November, Elliott and Mike Brown, with Brookside Custom Builders, have been renovating the top two floors of the building. Combined, the second and third floor come in at roughly 4,800 square feet.
The building was constructed in the early 1900s, but the second and third floors have been closed off since the early 1920s. In that 80-plus years, multiple pigeons had made their home in the top two floors, making the area uinhabitable.
“It’s amazing that the two floors of this building sat here for 80 years,” Brown says. “They’re two blocks from the Capitol.”
Within the next few weeks, Elliott will start taking tenants. Each of the two floors has five individual bedrooms, two bathrooms and a communal kitchen and living area. The idea is that tenants rent rooms individually and share the community space.
Elliott and Brown did their best to maintain the historical integrity of the building. The woodwork, tiling and transoms are in fantastic shape. Many of the rooms also have old fireplaces.
Elliott bought the property, which is located at 208 S. Washington Square, three years ago. Menna’s Joint recently opened on the first floor of the building.
Source: Shawn Elliott, Diamonds in the Rough
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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