DeVos Family Headquarters (Old 5/3 building)

[joeDowntown]

Forgot I took this photo today until I got on UP.

 

[GRDadof3]

Rockford Construction Green. The battle is on. #RedvsGreen

 

[destijl]

For anyone interested in the history of the building, here's a scan of the brochure given to new tenants when the building opened.

MichCon Building 1.pdf

The photo on the second to last page is an interesting view of the urban renewal..

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by destijl
new information

[joeDowntown]

Awfully big crane for the size of this building.

 

[Raildude's dad]

GRD3 likes them big

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, Raildude's dad said:

GRD3 likes them big

  I did notice today that the operator's cab had a big Rockford Construction logo on it, which means Rockford bought this crane and is not leasing it. I told ya this was an ego thing (Pioneer has what, 4 cranes in the air right now?).  

3 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Awfully big crane for the size of this building.

 

Maybe they really are adding a few floors to this....

[metrogrkid]

3 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

  I did notice today that the operator's cab had a big Rockford Construction logo on it, which means Rockford bought this crane and is not leasing it. I told ya this was an ego thing (Pioneer has what, 4 cranes in the air right now?).  

Maybe they really are adding a few floors to this....

The notion of a few additional floors would certainly be nice but I believe the reason for such a relatively "tall" crane is a simple one.  Even with the low-rise nature of the upcoming DeVos HQ, the crane must need to be the height it is to clear the tightly adjacent Fifth Third Center roof/rooftop equipment line.   

[Chester Cheeto]

10 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Maybe they really are adding a few floors to this....

At least one floor.

Tough to see the dimensions I know, but level 7 (existing penthouse) was about 81' above grade, now to the top of the screen wall it'll be about 109'. Also, the yellow lines are where there will be exterior lighting on this building, so all the new bumpouts will be lit to stand out at night, I'm thinking it'll be a nice touch.

And there is also this:

[Raildude's dad]

On 6/12/2019 at 1:07 AM, metrogrkid said:

The notion of a few additional floors would certainly be nice but I believe the reason for such a relatively "tall" crane is a simple one.  Even with the low-rise nature of the upcoming DeVos HQ, the crane must need to be the height it is to clear the tightly adjacent Fifth Third Center roof/rooftop equipment line.   

There's no reason from the boom to reach that far unless it only has a fixed length boom (as in they bought a big one for possible future jobs) but even then that is a pretty long boom. Time will tell or GRD3 (Craneman) will get the scoop

[Sparty97]

On ‎6‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 3:23 PM, destijl said:

For anyone interested in the history of the building, here's a scan of the brochure given to new tenants when the building opened.

MichCon Building 1.pdf 2.2 MB · 30 downloads

The photo on the second to last page is an interesting view of the urban renewal..

 

This is cool.  Where did you find this?  Are there more?

[destijl]

4 hours ago, Sparty97 said:

This is cool.  Where did you find this?  Are there more?

My dad worked for the architect. I know I have a similar publication from when Woodland Mall was new buried in storage.

I thought it was interesting that the MichCon building was originally powered with 100% natural gas. Wonder how long that lasted.

[mgreven]

25 minutes ago, destijl said:

My dad worked for the architect. I know I have a similar publication from when Woodland Mall was new buried in storage.

I thought it was interesting that the MichCon building was originally powered with 100% natural gas. Wonder how long that lasted.

My dad worked for Daverman, too. I was just asking my mom if he worked in that building (he died in 1978 so I didn’t really know him...) after seeing that brochure. Sounds like he was in the Waters Building. 

[GRDadof3]

On 6/12/2019 at 8:29 AM, mielsonwheels said:

At least one floor.

Tough to see the dimensions I know, but level 7 (existing penthouse) was about 81' above grade, now to the top of the screen wall it'll be about 109'. Also, the yellow lines are where there will be exterior lighting on this building, so all the new bumpouts will be lit to stand out at night, I'm thinking it'll be a nice touch.

And there is also this:

What's that bottom image of?

 

It's definitely a big boom. You can see it from well outside of downtown now. Crane City again!

[Chester Cheeto]

16 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

What's that bottom image of?

That was just a blown up image of the same south elevation, highlighting the note saying there is the potential for retail/restaurant. It is this section of Lyon:

[joeDowntown]

Driving down Monroe yesterday, I noticed one thin “tube” of lighting on the side of the building. It’s right in the center, spans two floors, and is attached to the existing facade so I assume they are experimenting. 

I imagine (in a very Dr. evil-esque way), the Devoses watching this development from the top of the Windquest building. The workers below peer up with panic in their eyes as the DeVoses give them a thumbs up or thumbs down. Thumbs up means they did a good job and get their ration for the day. Thumbs down... ehh.  

Joe

[GRDadof3]

4 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

Driving down Monroe yesterday, I noticed one thin “tube” of lighting on the side of the building. It’s right in the center, spans two floors, and is attached to the existing facade so I assume they are experimenting. 

I imagine (in a very Dr. evil-esque way), the Devoses watching this development from the top of the Windquest building. The workers below peer up with panic in their eyes as the DeVoses give them a thumbs up or thumbs down. Thumbs up means they did a good job and get their ration for the day. Thumbs down... ehh.  

Joe

[GVSUChris]

I I meant to post this yesterday and walked by again today so I got a progress pic already! 

[joeDowntown]

Progress shot from today. It’s interesting how tall  each floor looks without the concrete facade  

 

 

[GRDadof3]

More panels removed. 

 

[MJLO]

Interesting to see how street level  views will change with this make over.  Maybe they will consider doing the same to the 5/3rd  tower fortress behind it. 

[joeDowntown]

7 hours ago, MJLO said:

Interesting to see how street level  views will change with this make over.  Maybe they will consider doing the same to the 5/3rd  tower fortress behind it. 

Thought the same thing, but I don’t know if CWD could pull of such an expensive undertaking and hike the rent of an existing tenant. We can dream though.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

Thought the same thing, but I don’t know if CWD could pull of such an expensive undertaking and hike the rent of an existing tenant. We can dream though. 

Isn't that what they just did with 50 monroe?

[MJLO]

40 minutes ago, Floyd_Z said:

Isn't that what they just did with 50 monroe?

It's got to be WAY easier than that project lol.

[joeDowntown]

12 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

Isn't that what they just did with 50 monroe?

True. But 50 Monroe was an underutilized building without many tenants. It needed major updates (leaking atrium, dated interior) to attract new tenants. I don’t know if it would make sense when they already have a major tenant, and I’m sure a long term lease locked in place. Unless 5/3 wanted a shiny “new” building, I don’t know if it would make sense. 

I could be wrong though. And I’d welcome a change. :)

Joe

[ironyisadeadscene]

Since we are dreaming, can we add a few floors to it?