February, 2013 | McKay Tower

A new ballroom, refurbished apartments, and now a facelift for Grand Rapids McKay Tower

Posted on February 28, 2013

When one of downtown Grand Rapids’ most prominent buildings changed hands in May 2012, the new owners decided it was time to bring the grand lady into the 21st century by honoring her architectural history.

McKay Tower, with frontage on Pearl St. NW, Monroe Avenue NW, and Monroe Center NW, one of the city’s busiest corners, started out in 1914 as a two-story structure. The building grew by two stories in the mid 1920s to make space for the Grand Rapids National Bank, and shortly thereafter, construction of the main tower brought McKay Tower to 17 stories.

On the second floor, a marble-clad former bank lobby with soaring ceilings is in the midst of a transformation into a majestic event space. On the 15th floor, three luxury apartments overlooking the city below will soon be completed and available for short- and long-term leases.

And now, owners Steadfast Property Holdings, LLC, are planning a small facelift that will preserve the striking terra cotta around the fourth floor for generations to come. Passersby will see scaffolding and covered entries to the main level retail shops in place soon.

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Renovations Coming For McKay Tower

Posted on February 26, 2013

The outside of the McKay Tower in Grand Rapids will be getting a facelift this spring. It’s part of Steadfast Properties’ long-term renovation plans.

The building includes tenants such as Subs-N-More, Biggby Coffee, Kilwin’s and Sushi Yama.

The primary work will be cleaning and rust-proofing the steel behind the terra cotta exterior of the fourth floor. Scaffolding will be set up along the building’s foundation, but all retail tenants will continue to operate as normal. They’ll put up protective canopies to cover the public entrances.

Repairs are expected to last through late summer. They’ll happen between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Steadfast plans the early spring start date so the renovations will be completed in time to use outdoor seating areas when the weather gets warmer, and have everything available for ArtPrize in the fall.

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McKay Tower renovations begin in March

Posted on February 26, 2013

A downtown Grand Rapids landmark will get a makeover starting in March.

Exterior renovations will begin on McKay Tower in March and last late into the summer. Scaffolding will be set up soon and protective walk-thru canopies will cover the building’s entrances through the project.

All stores inside the building will remain open. The exterior renovations are part of the building owner’s long-term renovation plans.

“McKay Tower needs some exterior repair, so we’ll be working diligently to bring the building back to historic charm while ensuring the structure itself is completely taken care of,” said Chaundra Derks, Operations Manager for the building’s owner Steadfast Properties in a press release. “We will do all we can to minimize distractions to our retail and commercial tenants, and hope that the public will continue to support them as well.”

The primary work to be performed is cleaning and rust-proofing the structural steel behind the terra cotta exterior of the fourth floor. Grand Rapids-based restoration contractor D.C. Byers Company will perform the rust-proofing repairs while Illinois-based structural engineering firm Wiss Janney Elstner Associates will oversee the entire project.

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Exterior repair planned for McKay Tower

Posted on February 26, 2013

The exterior of McKay Tower in downtown Grand Rapids will get an early spring cleaning, as the historic high-rise undergoes some exterior renovations.

The project is part of the building owner’s long-term renovation plans.

The exterior repairs are scheduled to start in March and last through late summer, and be performed between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, according to a news release.

Scaffolding will soon be set up along portions of the building’s foundation at 146 Monroe Center. Protective walk-thru canopies will cover the building’s public entrances through the duration of the project, including entrances to all the building’s retail tenants. All retail tenants will continue to operate as normal during the construction.

“McKay Tower needs some exterior repair, so we’ll be working diligently to bring the building back to historic charm while ensuring the structure itself is completely taken care of,” said Chaundra Derks, operations manager for the building’s owner Steadfast Properties. “We will do all we can to minimize distractions to our retail and commercial tenants, and hope that the public will continue to support them as well.”

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Downtown scaffolding alert: McKay Tower façade renovations will ramp-up in March

Posted on February 26, 2013

Expect to see some scaffolding begin to crawl up the façade of McKay Tower this spring as exterior renovations on the venerable high-rise begin in earnest.

Cleaning and rust-proofing of the structural steel behind the terra cotta exterior on the fourth floor water table will begin in March and run through late summer, said building owner Steadfast Properties LLC.

The work will necessitate protective walk-through canopies over the building’s public entrances for the project duration. Retail tenants will operate as normal during the renovations to the historic building located at 146 Monroe Center NW in downtown Grand Rapids.

The work is part of the new owners long-term interior and exterior renovation and ongoing maintenance plans. The city shut down Pearl Street at Monroe Avenue NW last Friday, Feb. 22, while a crane installed new cooling units on the roof.

Inside, the old second floor Grand Rapids National Bank lobby is being converted into a ballroom event facility, and the upstairs condominium units are being converted into luxury apartments. New elevators and are being installed as well.

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Historic high-rise to get a touchup

Posted on February 23, 2013

McKay Tower to undergo exterior touch up work starting in March

The historic McKay Tower is scheduled to undergo some exterior renovations starting in March and lasting through late summer.

Scaffolding and machinery are currently being set up along the foundation of the building. Protective walk-thru canopies will cover the building’s public entrances through the duration of the project, including entrances to all the building’s retail tenants. Additionally, all retail tenants will continue to operate as normal during the construction.

“McKay Tower needs some exterior repair, so we’ll be working diligently to bring the building back to historic charm while ensuring the structure itself is completely taken care of,” said Chaundra Derks, Operations Manager for the building’s owner Steadfast Properties. “We will do all we can to minimize distractions to our retail and commercial tenants, and hope that the public will continue to support them as well.”

The primary work that will be performed is cleaning and rust-proofing the structural steel behind the terra cotta exterior of the fifth floor. Grand Rapids-based restoration contractor D.C. Byers Company will performing the rust-proofing repairs while Illinois-based structural engineering firm WJE Engineers will oversee the entire project.

The repairs are part of Steadfast’s long-term $4m investment in enhancing the historic high-rise.

“WJE informed us when we were purchasing the building that exterior repairs were necessary, so we decided to pursue this work sooner than later to avoid further damage,” Derks adds. “We hope our retail tenants and building guests understand these repairs are necessary.”

Steadfast intentionally chose March to begin some of the repairs, specifically near Biggby and Kilwins so to be completed before outdoor seating areas are in full swing. “So much of these repairs are weather-dependent, but we’ll do all we can to minimize interfering with any outside seating,” said Derks.

First floor building tenants include Subs-N-More, Biggby Coffee, Kilwins and Tanaz Hair Salon. Lower level tenants include Sushi Yama, Chic’s Frame & Poster and Charlie’s Shoe Repair.

All repairs will be performed between 7:00am and 4:00pm on weekdays.

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Downtown’s Pearl Street shut down at Monroe Avenue for McKay Tower work

Posted on February 22, 2013

Pearl Street is closed at Monroe Avenue NW, tentatively until Monday, Feb. 25, as Gelock Heavy Movers remove the old cooling system on McKay Tower and help replace it with a new one.

Jeff Smoes, cranes operator for Gelock Heavy Movers, said the team could potentially finish the project on Saturday, Feb. 23 if the wind cooperates.

“Otherwise, we have permission to close the street until Monday,” he said.

The crane Smoes operates weighs 265 tons and reaches 197 feet, with an extension of 86 feet.

Chaundra Derks, director of operations of Steadfast Consulting and Investments, LLC that owns the building, said they are placing the new cooling system on the roof.

Owners of McKay Tower, located on the corner of Pearl Street and Monroe Center NW, are remodeling the top floor of the building into apartments. Other parts of the building are rented to various businesses.

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