Waterfront Bar & Grill in the City Market has lost their cases in the state Court of Appeals to stay in the market. They could attempt to take this to the state Supreme Court, but it looks like they were doing this to buy them a bit of extra time to find another location:
But that doesn’t mean Waterfront would disappear altogether. Simmons recently sought to move his company’s liquor license to a more secluded location at 419 Spring St. in REO Town. The appeal essentially bought him time — and kept revenue flowing — while state officials reviewed the application, appeals attorney Liisa Speaker previously explained in an interview with City Pulse.
419 Spring is a tucked-away modernist office building (circa 1954) in the very northeast corner of REO Town. The site is not easily accessible from the east (Spring does not intersect with Cedar); really, you have to access it from Elm Street a few blocks south. In either case, I'm glad to see this old office building getting a new life, and them adding something nice to the forgotten part of the neighborhood.
419 Spring housed the offices of the old Lyden Oil Company, and they kept the building up. You can get a great feel of the neighborhood from the River Trail. Lyden is now out past the airport on Grand River.
More good news for REOtown. The depiction is nice. I wish they would pull up about half of the block-long parking lot behind here. It seems like it is very large for such a small building. I know that rarely happens.
Up at the substation, they have removed a lot of fencing giving a better view of the wall. There is a huge pile of black topsoil near the new garden, and what I hope is just the start of planting there are three tiny new trees along Malcolm X and one on Washington. It is going to be a long time before those trees provide shade for the sidewalks, I hope there are some larger trees are in the plans.
It was noted today in LSJ that the bar in the City Market has to leave, and went on to say they thinking about moving to Spring Street by the river trail. I guess that would be the more modern building right under the big billboard. There is a large parking lot for that building, but it is not really on the riverfront. The older building just to the west does sit next to the river and trail and could have great views, maybe that is the one they are thinking about. I can not get a read on which building is at 418 Spring Street.
That building is in pretty good shape but seems large for just a bar/restaurant. If they do move down there it will be a challenge, it is kind of in a hidden area most folks would not know about unless they use the river trail. If they create a really fun destination and serve good food it could work. People have found the BaBa Gumps BBQ over there.
I am interested in the building across the street with the massive stone foundation, was that an armory, or an original Olds building? The current owners have it looking really good.
I think you're talking about the building on the north side of River Street (905 River)? That was home to S&S Tool & Die until relatively recently before they moved to the old Olofsson factory and warehouse building down on Lyons Avenue. You can see it from the Pennsylvania viaduct next door to Lyons Park.
Anyway, I used to cut through using River Street sometime on the River Trail, and used the street when they were doing reconstruction on that part of the trail. When they still occupied the building they had a old historic die press out on the front lawn. It's interesting, because they also owned the old workshop (830 River) kitty-corner from here, which was flush against the riverbank which is why they had to built the trail out into the river on a boardwalk, and you'd sometimes see them actively working as you'd pass and they'd wave.
Anyway, city records show that the complex of buildings (925, 905, and 830 River along with 300 Spring) is all owned by the same LLC. Looks like 419 Spring was bought almost exactly two years ago by the folks who either own or manage Waterfront Bar & Grill, since they are based in Williamston on Grand River and the owner has a Grand River address in Williamston.
Thank for the information. I remember the drill press out front, it is such a great building I'm surprised it is still standing. The building next to the river trail is occupied by a flooring company which they are using as a warehouse. I would put the bar/restaurant there. There is one other mysterious building across from the riverside building which is the Quonset hut building by the trail. There were two Quonset style buildings, one burned down last year. Is it some kind of a clubhouse? In the summer there is a BBQ party for kids out front and that is the only sign of life you ever see there. This building has a nice riverside location as well but no windows to see the river from.
The Quonset hut buildings are on a single parcel (300 Spring) owned by the same shell company I mentioned (River Street Industrial, LLC).
The address for these parcels (830, 905 and 925 River, 300 Spring, and 401 East Hazel) is 925 River, which is the big warehouse directly south of the old historic tool & die building. Kind of wish I knew what River Street Industrial does, but there isn't any mention of it anywhere I can find.
At the very least we know they own most of the real estate in this out-of-the-way area. Basically everything north of East Hazel save for where Waterfront Bar & Grill plans to occupy and the antenna property. I'm actually kind of surprised this area has stayed occupied, mostly, instead of being abandoned wholesale. I was sure when Lyden moved out that this area was going to go in decline, but quite the opposite happened. 401 East Hazel, which was formerly a warehouse, is now home to a cheerleading gym or something. You said the old machine shop at 830 River Street right on the trail is occupied. The rest of the properties are kept up if even vacant and 419 Spring is going to be Waterfront Bar & Grill.
BTW, which Quonset hut building burned down? The one on the River Trail or the larger one on Spring Street? I haven't been down that way in quite some time.
Edit: I'm seeing from the city records one of the huts was deemed a "dangerous building" by the city last year, and that there was a demolition permit pulled for it. Doesn't say which one, though.
The hut that burned and is now demolished was the smaller hut-building next to the larger hut on the trailside. The trailside hut is where they have the summer BBQ once a year which is the only time I see activity there. I often wonder what's in there?
It is an interesting area to consider building retail and housing, maybe start calling it River Point in REOtown, or even Rivertown. There are a couple of blocks of big old houses on the west side of the Red Cedar that could be renovated for single family or condos. There are a couple of lonely houses on the east side that should be taken down and replaced with light industrial or retail use. Just brainstorming here, the 419 building is large enough that it could be an entertainment center/night club. Maybe an outdoor patio in the parking area next to the trail could work and give them a real riverside area. Night time activity over there could be part of the draw to REOtown that will soon have a brewery, a distillery, a new Mexican restaurant/bar possibly a new hotel, adding to the businesses already there. It would be cool to see enough activity that people would stroll around the whole neighborhood shopping eating and drinking along the way, even at night.
I noticed a big backhoe is parked at the REOTOWN sign corner lot. It might be just being used for the BWL wall project or maybe sign of the start of the development on that corner starting soon. I think I have read they wanted to start this spring.
Comments
Waterfront Bar & Grill in the City Market has lost their cases in the state Court of Appeals to stay in the market. They could attempt to take this to the state Supreme Court, but it looks like they were doing this to buy them a bit of extra time to find another location:
419 Spring is a tucked-away modernist office building (circa 1954) in the very northeast corner of REO Town. The site is not easily accessible from the east (Spring does not intersect with Cedar); really, you have to access it from Elm Street a few blocks south. In either case, I'm glad to see this old office building getting a new life, and them adding something nice to the forgotten part of the neighborhood.
419 Spring housed the offices of the old Lyden Oil Company, and they kept the building up. You can get a great feel of the neighborhood from the River Trail. Lyden is now out past the airport on Grand River.
More good news for REOtown. The depiction is nice. I wish they would pull up about half of the block-long parking lot behind here. It seems like it is very large for such a small building. I know that rarely happens.
Up at the substation, they have removed a lot of fencing giving a better view of the wall. There is a huge pile of black topsoil near the new garden, and what I hope is just the start of planting there are three tiny new trees along Malcolm X and one on Washington. It is going to be a long time before those trees provide shade for the sidewalks, I hope there are some larger trees are in the plans.
It was noted today in LSJ that the bar in the City Market has to leave, and went on to say they thinking about moving to Spring Street by the river trail. I guess that would be the more modern building right under the big billboard. There is a large parking lot for that building, but it is not really on the riverfront. The older building just to the west does sit next to the river and trail and could have great views, maybe that is the one they are thinking about. I can not get a read on which building is at 418 Spring Street.
gb, I posted about it just above. 419 is a modernist office building on the north side of that block. It's the only building on that plot.
That building is in pretty good shape but seems large for just a bar/restaurant. If they do move down there it will be a challenge, it is kind of in a hidden area most folks would not know about unless they use the river trail. If they create a really fun destination and serve good food it could work. People have found the BaBa Gumps BBQ over there.
I am interested in the building across the street with the massive stone foundation, was that an armory, or an original Olds building? The current owners have it looking really good.
I think you're talking about the building on the north side of River Street (905 River)? That was home to S&S Tool & Die until relatively recently before they moved to the old Olofsson factory and warehouse building down on Lyons Avenue. You can see it from the Pennsylvania viaduct next door to Lyons Park.
Anyway, I used to cut through using River Street sometime on the River Trail, and used the street when they were doing reconstruction on that part of the trail. When they still occupied the building they had a old historic die press out on the front lawn. It's interesting, because they also owned the old workshop (830 River) kitty-corner from here, which was flush against the riverbank which is why they had to built the trail out into the river on a boardwalk, and you'd sometimes see them actively working as you'd pass and they'd wave.
Anyway, city records show that the complex of buildings (925, 905, and 830 River along with 300 Spring) is all owned by the same LLC. Looks like 419 Spring was bought almost exactly two years ago by the folks who either own or manage Waterfront Bar & Grill, since they are based in Williamston on Grand River and the owner has a Grand River address in Williamston.
Thank for the information. I remember the drill press out front, it is such a great building I'm surprised it is still standing. The building next to the river trail is occupied by a flooring company which they are using as a warehouse. I would put the bar/restaurant there. There is one other mysterious building across from the riverside building which is the Quonset hut building by the trail. There were two Quonset style buildings, one burned down last year. Is it some kind of a clubhouse? In the summer there is a BBQ party for kids out front and that is the only sign of life you ever see there. This building has a nice riverside location as well but no windows to see the river from.
The Quonset hut buildings are on a single parcel (300 Spring) owned by the same shell company I mentioned (River Street Industrial, LLC).
The address for these parcels (830, 905 and 925 River, 300 Spring, and 401 East Hazel) is 925 River, which is the big warehouse directly south of the old historic tool & die building. Kind of wish I knew what River Street Industrial does, but there isn't any mention of it anywhere I can find.
At the very least we know they own most of the real estate in this out-of-the-way area. Basically everything north of East Hazel save for where Waterfront Bar & Grill plans to occupy and the antenna property. I'm actually kind of surprised this area has stayed occupied, mostly, instead of being abandoned wholesale. I was sure when Lyden moved out that this area was going to go in decline, but quite the opposite happened. 401 East Hazel, which was formerly a warehouse, is now home to a cheerleading gym or something. You said the old machine shop at 830 River Street right on the trail is occupied. The rest of the properties are kept up if even vacant and 419 Spring is going to be Waterfront Bar & Grill.
BTW, which Quonset hut building burned down? The one on the River Trail or the larger one on Spring Street? I haven't been down that way in quite some time.
Edit: I'm seeing from the city records one of the huts was deemed a "dangerous building" by the city last year, and that there was a demolition permit pulled for it. Doesn't say which one, though.
The hut that burned and is now demolished was the smaller hut-building next to the larger hut on the trailside. The trailside hut is where they have the summer BBQ once a year which is the only time I see activity there. I often wonder what's in there?
It is an interesting area to consider building retail and housing, maybe start calling it River Point in REOtown, or even Rivertown. There are a couple of blocks of big old houses on the west side of the Red Cedar that could be renovated for single family or condos. There are a couple of lonely houses on the east side that should be taken down and replaced with light industrial or retail use. Just brainstorming here, the 419 building is large enough that it could be an entertainment center/night club. Maybe an outdoor patio in the parking area next to the trail could work and give them a real riverside area. Night time activity over there could be part of the draw to REOtown that will soon have a brewery, a distillery, a new Mexican restaurant/bar possibly a new hotel, adding to the businesses already there. It would be cool to see enough activity that people would stroll around the whole neighborhood shopping eating and drinking along the way, even at night.
I noticed a big backhoe is parked at the REOTOWN sign corner lot. It might be just being used for the BWL wall project or maybe sign of the start of the development on that corner starting soon. I think I have read they wanted to start this spring.