After recently completing a round of construction jobs that totaled $22.8 million, Grand Rapids-based construction company Triangle Associates, Inc. isn’t slowing down just yet.
Either announced recently or currently underway, Triangle Associates has 11 more building projects in its state-wide summer line-up — including a few highly anticipated Grand Rapids rehabs — valued all together at $177.5 million when completed.
Kate Pew Wolters Center at IKUS (Indian Trails Camp)
Though the new Kate Pew Wolters Center at IKUS’ Indian Trails Camp falls into the completed category, having already held its grand opening earlier this month, the 17,500 square-foot facility is
one of a kind.
Established more than 50 years ago, Indian Trails Camp offers recreational camping for children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, and the new, fully handicap accessible activity center not only allows staff to work year-round with camp patrons for the first time, but is also tricked out with a full-court gym and bleachers, new staff offices and meeting rooms, a lounge/cafe area, and full kitchen and laundry rooms — all designed specifically for those with disabilities and geared toward fostering valuable learning spaces for students and campers.
“What is cool about these types of projects, at least for me personally, and I know for a lot of others at Triangle, is that moment you see peoples faces light up for what (the space) is actually going to do and how it’s actually going to impact these campers,” says Jim Conner, Triangle’s vice president. “…When you see that kind of smile and that kind of pride come out for people that have had a much more challenging life than many, that’s probably what makes me most proud.”
The Rowe (Atwater Brewery)
Located at 201 Michigan St., in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Triangle’s construction teams are nearing completion on the $24 million complete
renovation of the historic 1923 Rowe Hotel.
At an impressive 14,000-square-feet, 77 new residential units are being added to the hotel’s upper levels, while 5,800-square-feet of The Rowe’s ground floor will become the new home of Atwater Brewery. Complete with a 120-seat dining area and 20-stool bar area with glass viewing walls behind, the brewery space includes a gift shop and an additional 1,500-square-foot outdoor patio.
Connor says there were moments when the age and crumbling infrastructure of the old hotel made renovations a bit more difficult — the discovery of an abandoned underground canal that made incorporating underground parking a challenge, or the process of carefully removing existing terra-cotta fixtures on the buildings exterior and making a mold that was then shipped to an overseas manufacturer for production before finally arriving back in Grand Rapids, to name just a few. However, he says being able to keep the buildings authenticity in tact makes those smaller struggles worth it.
New additions to The Rowe include a new penthouse level with eight condominiums, underground parking, and rooftop collaboration space with a completed, move-in ready space scheduled for mid-August.
“We’re working a lot of hours to make that happen,” Connor says.
CA Frost Environmental Science Academy
It isn’t the first time Triangle Associates has worked closely with the Grand Rapids Public School District — in fact, Connor says Triangle has been working for GRPS on K-12 construction projects in some capacity for the past 15 years or more, and managed CA Frost Academy’s first construction project back in 2003.
However, with the school’s future expansion bringing its K-8 student body out to include preschool and grades 9-12, and new facility features that include everything from environmental science labs, a robotics room, outdoor classrooms, and a nature trail, Conner says managing CA Frost construction feels a lot different this time around.
“We build a lot of traditional K-12 school, so to be creating learning environments like CA Frost [is] a little outside of the norm,” he says. “I think GRPS is doing a lot of things right on many fronts, but one of them is how they’re creating environments and learning places to give students different experiences and help keep kids engaged.”
To learn more about what Triangle Associates, Inc. has worked on and is currently working on now, visit
www.triangle-inc.com.
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Triangle Associates, Inc.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.