It's been defunct since Michigan National Bank closed their call center/ IT department. It's been on the market well over 15 years, brokers have been itching to get it sold.
While I'm glad to see some jobs generated by the re-use of this building, I'd much rather see the whole site razed and platted for single family homes in the back, and duplexes and/or mixed use buildings along Saginaw. As it stands the site is pretty wasteful of space.
Yep, it was last used by Michigan National. It appears to be "wasteful of space" since it was originally a high school. It was originally constructed as the Lansing Diocese's John W. O'Rafferty High School. Wiki says that when it was sold to MNB it was used as their primary vault and partial headquarters, and then that later when MNB was bought by LaSalle Bank that it was used as a call center for the bank. I do remember when the bank occupied it, but since that sort of use doesn't lend to street life it was just kind of there.
Yeah, I'd really rather see the site redesigned all together.
Here it was I imagine soon after it was built courtesy a file photo from the LSJ:
Located directly north and also built in the 60's is St. Gerard Elementary and St. Gerard, itself. All of these are/were in St. Gerard Parish, which covers most of Lansing Township and Delta Township.
Cool stuff, thanks for sharing the history on that place. I agree that it is a waste of space for that area of Saginaw, I highly doubt an old school building from the 60's is using that lot optimally.
Somewhat related, but I wonder if the old thrift store on the south side of Saginaw Hwy near there will ever get repurposed. To be honest that one should be tore down and rebuilt.
Has anyone else noticed that the new Auto-Owners expansion is under way? I was down that part of 496 for the first time in a few months and I noticed a crane over there and they have one 5 floor elevator tower completed. I don't remember seeing any renderings, site plans or figures on square footage/height for this, was any of that ever released?
I was down 496 again today and there was a significant amount of the structure done on the Auto-Owners expansion. it's looking like it will be a fairly large building.
I read on lsj.com that a 200-acre cornfield out west of I-96 in Delta township is going to be developed into a mixed-use retail-housing district. While it is good to see more development anywhere, this one sounds like more of the same kind of development all along W. Saginaw with some big-box stores and apartments, they note Hobby Lobby is the first signed tenant which is not very exciting to hear that they will be leaving one big box center for another down the street. I will hope for the best but this one sounds like a "do we really need another development of this kind?" sort of project. I was thinking when I opened the article that they would be talking about the Waverly Golf Course project but I remember that is in Lansing Township.
I'd always wondered how this parcel had sat empty for so long. The good news is that this area is the only area west of the freeway in Delta Township zoned for commercial development, save for a small parcel at the southwest corner of Saginaw and Nixon, and a parcel along Saginaw right on the border with Oneida Township/Grand Ledge. So the township is very clear that it doesn't want much commercial development west of the freeway save for key spots.
What I would love to see resurrected was the talk years ago of the redevelopment around the Lansing Mall as a "town center," especially with many malls on their last leg. There is no longer any need for anywhere near the amount of parking the mall has, so a lot of it could be infilled.
Comments
Yeah, I'd really rather see the site redesigned all together.
Located directly north and also built in the 60's is St. Gerard Elementary and St. Gerard, itself. All of these are/were in St. Gerard Parish, which covers most of Lansing Township and Delta Township.
Somewhat related, but I wonder if the old thrift store on the south side of Saginaw Hwy near there will ever get repurposed. To be honest that one should be tore down and rebuilt.
What I would love to see resurrected was the talk years ago of the redevelopment around the Lansing Mall as a "town center," especially with many malls on their last leg. There is no longer any need for anywhere near the amount of parking the mall has, so a lot of it could be infilled.