More student housing coming to downtown Grand Rapids

As downtown Grand Rapids colleges like the MSU College of Human Medicine, Cooley Law, and the Aveda Institute continue to grow, the expected influx of students need places to live and one new prospect is an abandoned hotel sandwiched between the city’s arts avenue and the entertainment district.

According to excerpts from the story:

GRAND RAPIDS — In 1914, the Mertens Hotel was the city’s first modern fire-resistant hotel. It declined over the years until six years ago, when it closed after serving as a flophouse for the mentally ill.

The eight-story building may get new life as a student housing complex. George Dressander, of Rockford Construction Co., said they want to renovate it if they can knock down an old bar across the street to provide parking for tenants.

Read the complete story here.