After sitting vacant for nearly 25 years, an old landmark in the middle of downtown Sault Ste. Marie will soon be transformed into
Park Place City Center. The new development will feature modern apartments and retail space with a distinct historical flavor--all within walking distance of restaurants, coffee shops, nightlife, and entertainment in this more-than-300-year-old city.
Developers and city planners are putting the finishing touches on a major renovation project that started only 12 months ago. G. A. Haan Development, of Harbor Springs, is nearing completion of a project that started in February of last year. They've taken one six-story building, the old Central Savings Bank, and the three-story Masonic Lodge, and are nearly done converting them into two dozen apartments with 4,500 square feet of retail space on the bottom floor. Sixteen of the apartments are already spoken for.
The old, but structurally sound buildings were a good choice for the Harbor Springs developers due to its geographical location, historical importance--and, well, they just liked the buildings.
"It's a cool building," says Ben Ide, development coordinator with Haan. The historical nature of the building, while attractive, also allowed for some tax credits from the state of Michigan.
The $7 million project qualified for brownfield tax credits, state and federal historical tax credits, and
Michigan State Housing Development Authority and Urban Development funds.
"This gave us an edge over some other projects," says Ide.
The renovation is being done by
Oakwood Construction Company, of Traverse City, with the addition of several local subcontractors, according to Lee Brown, downtown development director for Sault Ste. Marie. She says they also rented a lot of the equipment they used on the renovation from local companies. And of course, there is the spinoff of business at local stores, restaurants and motels.
Once the project is completed, KMG Prestige, a fee-based property management firm based in the Midwest and California, will take over the management of the residential portion of the new development. Haan will retain ownership of the property.
A renovation of this magnitude doesn't come without some challenges. Working in a confined area so close to pedestrian traffic involves extra caution, making it difficult to bring in large equipment needed in the renovation.
Also, you never know what you might find when renovating a 100-year-old building.
"It was like peeling the layers of an onion," says Kathy Schorfhaar, project coordinator for Haan. She said with each layer there were some surprises, such as the fact that an 18-inch brick wall separated the two buildings, instead of the more usual lumber framing. They also encountered evidence of at least two fires.
Construction techniques have changed considerably in the last hundred years, which prompted site superintendent Jim Winters to spend some of his evenings at Bayliss Library researching construction methods from that era, which ultimately helped with restoring this building.
Due to the architecture of the building and historical preservation requirements, each living unit features a different layout, giving potential tenants a choice to meet their particular needs and life style.
"They've done a very good job of using the floor space," says Brown, who has been a part of the project since day one. "Very few are identical lofts."
Once in a while things fall into place and a major project gets done on time with no major hassles or bickering. This seems to be the case with this project, with each party singing the praises of the cooperation of the other.
"The city of Sault Ste. Marie has been fabulous to work with," says Schorfhaar. "We're right on schedule," she says of the goal they had set, which was to complete it in 14 months.
Brown is pleased with not only how it all came together, but what the project means for the city's downtown area.
"One of our biggest goals is to bring people downtown. To have that many people move into and live downtown is a big boost," says Brown. "A lot of people want to live, work and play within walking distance."
Neil Moran is a full-time copywriter and owner of Haylake Business Communications, based in Sault Ste. Marie. You can view his services and read more of his articles via his website.
Shawn Malone is managing photographer and can be reached via email.