The Detroit Free Press building is ready to undergo a massive renovation to change what was once a newspaper building into a mixed-use building with retail, office, and residential space. On April 25, Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group announced it was selected as the architect of record and historic consultant for the project.
The building, located at 321 W. Lafayette, is one of the last high-rises in Detroit’s downtown core that remains abandoned. The restoration will include structural updates, complete masonry restoration, new energy-efficient windows, and a new interior design that will better equip the building to handle its new mixed-use role.
Many of the 271,858-sf, 14-story building’s historic elements and details will be preserved. The rest of the structure will be modernized to eliminate any hint that the building was vacant for 19 years. “We understand the challenges and preservation techniques needed to maintain historic elements while adding modern amenities,” KDG Principal Brian Rebain says in a release.
Kraemer Design Group is no stranger to historic preservation in the Detroit area. The firm has also worked on the East Main Redevelopment in Milan, Mich., which earned a Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation.
The renovated Detroit Free Press building is scheduled to open in 2020.
Related Stories
Resiliency | Apr 22, 2024
Controversy erupts in Florida over how homes are being rebuilt after Hurricane Ian
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently sent a letter to officials in Lee County, Florida alleging that hundreds of homes were rebuilt in violation of the agency’s rules following Hurricane Ian. The letter provoked a sharp backlash as homeowners struggle to rebuild following the devastating 2022 storm that destroyed a large swath of the county.
Building Materials | Apr 22, 2024
Tacoma, Wash., investigating policy to reuse and recycle building materials
Tacoma, Wash., recently initiated a study to find ways to increase building material reuse through deconstruction and salvage. The city council unanimously voted to direct the city manager to investigate deconstruction options and estimate costs.
Mixed-Use | Apr 9, 2024
A surging master-planned community in Utah gets its own entertainment district
Since its construction began two decades ago, Daybreak, the 4,100-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, has been a catalyst and model for regional growth. The latest addition is a 200-acre mixed-use entertainment district that will serve as a walkable and bikeable neighborhood within the community, anchored by a minor-league baseball park and a cinema/entertainment complex.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Mar 28, 2024
Longwood Gardens reimagines its horticulture experience with 17-acre conservatory
Longwood Gardens announced this week that Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, the most ambitious revitalization in a century of America’s greatest center for horticultural display, will open to the public on November 22, 2024.
Sustainability | Mar 13, 2024
Trends to watch shaping the future of ESG
Gensler’s Climate Action & Sustainability Services Leaders Anthony Brower, Juliette Morgan, and Kirsten Ritchie discuss trends shaping the future of environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
Laboratories | Jan 25, 2024
Tactical issues for renovating university research buildings
Matthew Plecity, AIA, ASLA, Principal, GBBN, highlights the connection between the built environment and laboratory research, and weighs the benefits of renovation vs. new construction.
Airports | Jan 15, 2024
How to keep airports functional during construction
Gensler's aviation experts share new ideas about how to make the airport construction process better moving forward.
Giants 400 | Jan 3, 2024
Top 140 Reconstruction Contractors in 2023
STO Building Group, Turner Construction, HITT Contracting, Gilbane, and Whiting-Turner top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest building reconstruction/renovation general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 3, 2024
Top 70 Reconstruction Engineering Firms for 2023
Integrated Project Services, Alfa Tech, WSP, CRB Group, and McKinstry head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest building reconstruction/renovation engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 3, 2024
Top 200 Reconstruction Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, Stantec, HDR, Corgan, and PBK Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest building reconstruction/renovation architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.