By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Tucked between a pair of two-story homes, nearly hidden by low-hanging tree branches, sits 645 Cherry SE, a split-level 1950s office building with clean lines and rectangular shapes. This hidden gem at 645 Cherry St. SE has caught the attention of two Grand Rapids companies who will together invest $1 million in its purchase and renovation to create joint offices—Lott3Metz Architecture and Highland Group, a marketing and design agency.
“We wanted to be closer to downtown and we found a great opportunity to share a space with Lott3Metz,” says Scott Crowley of Highland Group. The company will relocate from its location near Watermark Country Club.
Lott3Metz, currently located at 3 Oakes St. SW, is running out of space.
“We’re in a storefront now that’s a bit rugged,” says Ted Lott. “The new space will be a lot more elegant and refined.”
Nine small offices occupied the 6,000-square-foot building before crews gutted it.
“A lot of sins were committed against that building in the last 30 years,” Lott says. “Now it’s wide open space from stem to stern, the open plan that was originally intended for that building.”
Highland will occupy the second level, Lott3Metz the main level, with the two spaces opening into each other to take advantage of the split-level layout.
Water leakage caused damage on all three levels, and nearly half of the building’s 53 windows are broken.
“We replaced the roof and we’re replacing every pane of glass but leaving the original frames to keep the historical accuracy,” Crowley says.
Both Crowley and Lott note the new location’s proximity to most of their employee’s homes; employees who will be able to walk or bike to work after the move.
Source: Scott Crowley, Highland Group; Ted Lott, Lott3Metz
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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