Work Starts on Two Rehab Projects

Two projects along Michigan Avenue on the east side of downtown started work in recent days.  Demolition crews began tearing down a nondescript addition to the Alling & Cory warehouse on N. Division Street between Michigan Avenue and Elm Street.  The six-story building is being converted into 88 units of student housing.  Nearby at Sycamore and Michigan Avenue, construction has started on Lakeshore Behavior Health's adaptive reuse of a historic residence as homeless housing.

Developer/Architect Jake Schneider is converting  the Alling & Cory building, at 136 N. Division St., into an 88-apartment/dorm complex.  Vacant for several years, the building was built in 1910 and served as a warehouse for International Paper Co.  Located three blocks from ECC's City Campus, the complex will offer a mix of studio and multi-bedroom apartments and will include utilities, cable and Internet service.  287 tenants, mostly students, are expected to live there.

The six-story building will feature 24/7 security, a student activity center, a deli/café, video and pool rooms, laundry facilities and a small grocery store.  The project is expected to attract mostly ECC students, but will also be marketed at other colleges as well.  Three buildings along Michigan Avenue will be demolished.

At the corner of Michigan and Sycamore, a  historic brick structure is being rehabbed and expanded by Lakeshore Behavior Health, Inc.  The project, designed by BHNT Architects, will create a sixteen-bed homeless housing facility.

The existing 2½-story brick structure at 108 Sycamore Street, will be renovated to contain the major living and dining areas and a new commercial-grade kitchen.  A two-story, 2800 square foot wood framed addition to the rear will contain most of the living areas.  It will feature 16 single-occupancy rooms, multiple common baths, two sitting areas, a living room, dining area and kitchen.  Savarino Construction is overseeing the work.