Most people would look at 120 E Hudson St. and think it doesn't have a future in downtown Royal Oak, but Jim Schneider and Jim Johnson are prognosticators of better times.
The building is one of a set of unremarkable industrial structures bookended by B&B Collision and the railroad tracks on the south side of downtown. Think plain-jane brick and cinder block edifices that have been rebuilt and expanded time and time again since their first incarnations as machine shops in the early 20th Century. These are not the buildings people want to hug.
That hasn't stopped Schneider and Johnson from giving 120 E Hudson a new lease on life. They are at the tail end of transforming a "down-and-dirty industrial building," according to Schneider, to trendy loft-style office space, adding some much needed foot traffic and renewal to a sleepy side of downtown. And they're not the first ones to do that. Two others on this block have already made the transition. Another one is on its way.
"Realistically, this is what Royal Oak needs," says Jim Johnson, developer of 120 E Hudson. "There are enough bars and restaurants around here. We need more office workers."
What is now 120 E Hudson used to be much bigger. Schneider, president of Royal Oak-based Schneider+Smith Architects, literally cut the building in half and put a small parking lot in between the two structures, creating what is now 120 and 200 E Hudson. Both are in the process of becoming offices.
120 E Hudson, which is nearly finished, doesn't even look like a light industrial building. Its exterior is now clad in brick, concrete, aluminum, and glass, giving it a modern, contemporary look. It looks like the developer listened to the architect when it came to the design, instead of the other way around.
The interior is similar in appearance, with an open floor plan flanked by a couple walls of offices on the ground floor. The L-shaped mezzanine with its steel staircase, railing, and caged fans above give the open area the feeling of a factory floor. Its metallic look and brushed concrete floors complement its aesthetic and history.
An advertising co-op of about 25 people is set to occupy the 7,000-square-foot building later this month. Johnson is still looking for a tenant for 200 E Hudson. That structure is still in the down-and-dirty industrial phase, but set to come online looking like its neighbor before the end of the year.
"It is a great use for these old buildings," Schneider says. "It's really green architecture if you think about it."
Source: Jim Schneider, president of Schnieder+Smith Architects and Jim Johnson, developer of 120 and 200 E Hudson St.
Writer: Jon Zemke
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