By: Deborah Johnson Wood
A yearlong, $1.2 million renovation of downtown Grand Rapids’ historic Ledyard Building is wrapping up. Steve Dodgson, co-owner in the building, hopes the renovations will attract new businesses to downtown.
“We have new investors, Three Oaks Group and Valkyrie Property Fund, that came in last year from the Ann Arbor area,” Dodgson said. “Together we’re on this new drive to rehab the building and bring it to the next level.”
“We just put on a white reflective thermoplastic membrane roof system. We removed the green [fabric] awnings, which exposed some nice storefront glass fronts; we added metal canopies with glass tops, wood entry doors, and renovated the Ottawa Avenue entry in the north atrium.”
Freshly cleaned and tuck pointed historic facades now overlook Ottawa Avenue and Pearl Street. A re-engineered sidewalk, created to enhance the storefronts and accentuate the entryways, runs nearly 200 feet along Ottawa. Interior updates include new paint and carpeting, and upgrades to the HVAC and energy management systems.
The 130,000-square-foot building is 65 percent full with retail and office tenants, but still has nearly 20,000 square feet of space available. The north atrium, which has three stories, can accommodate individual offices from 250 square feet up to 10,000 square feet. The average lease rate is $14.50 per square foot.
Dodgson’s father, Michael Dodgson, helped create the Ledyard Building in 1986 when seven formerly separate buildings were combined. The combined buildings front along Pearl Street, Monroe Center, and Ottawa Avenue. The north atrium is historically registered and features an original skylight; the south atrium used to be an alleyway between buildings.
Source: Stephen M. Dodgson, Dodgson Realty Co.
Photograph by Brian Kelly
Related Articles
New business to open in historic Ledyard Building
Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.