By: Deborah Johnson Wood
A $6 million renovation of Grand Rapids’ historic Anheuser-Busch Ice House and beer bottling facility on the corner of Grandville and Oakes is changing the building into the Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s first permanent office and conference space. But the renovation is not changing the character of the circa 1905 structure.
“We have paid strong attention to the original character of the building because none of us wanted to see that be compromised,” says Diana Sieger, president. “The Grand Rapids Community Foundation honors the past, we don’t live in the past. We were adamant that we wanted it to be energy efficient and LEED certified to the highest level it could be.”
That LEED level is still undetermined.
The renovation reuses as many of the original wooden beams as possible. Some of the original doors, including the former stable doors, are still doors; others that are in poorer condition are now art pieces. Two interior bridges provide access to what had been the hayloft, creating unusual architectural focal points.
Visitors will enter at the building’s new address of 185 Oakes St. SW instead of through the former entry at 72 Grandville Ave. SW.
“When you come to this building, you’ll be struck by the fact that there’s this bridge in your sightline that’s sitting on old beams and looks spectacular,” Sieger adds.
During the ice house days, workers rolled barrels of beer shipped from St. Louis, Mo. into what is now a multi-purpose meeting room with a 100-seat capacity.
“One of the primary reasons we needed a building was to create space for meetings and people,” Sieger notes. “We were having to go offsite so often that it was getting expensive.”
Source: Diana Sieger, Grand Rapids Community Foundation
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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