A vacant warehouse in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, an area often cited as the original Silicon Valley, will undergo a $1.8 million renovation project to convert the workspace into a dozen live/work spaces.
“Because of the community around it, (the developers) wanted it to be a place really open for artists,” says Amanda Kight, architectural designer of the Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group, which is working on the project. The Milwaukee Junction neighborhood was once known for being a major area for manufacturing and innovation, and is near Wayne State University, Techtown, Detroit’s Amtrak station, and the Fisher Building.
The development includes adding a second story to the former warehouse on 207 E. Baltimore St., along with significant infrastructure improvements. The developers will add more than 10,000 square feet of redeveloped space, with six two-story units and six three-story units, says Kathy Fagan of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Kight says the living room will be two stories and opens to a wood joist structure, giving the apartments an industrial look.
“(The second floor) is more of a loft, mezzanine area that can be used as an office, a studio, or even another bedroom. They are very flexible spaces,” Kight says.
The developer has submitted for the permitting process and if approved, construction could begin in the summer with an opening planned in early 2016.