GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — One of downtown Grand Rapids' development pillars will undergo a major conversion with a new purpose.
Several floors of the Fifth Third Bank building at 111 Lyon Street NW will be renovated from office space into apartments. The transformation from business to living space is the first of its kind in Michigan.
"This is a very historic site, part of Vandenberg center, named from for one of Grand Rapids most famous and impactful public servants," said CWD Managing Partner Sam Cummings. "The several blocks surrounding this building were the Acrisure Amphitheater, or Van Andel Arena of its day. In 1967, at a time when all others were fleeing to the suburbs, Old Kent bank, now Fifth Third, made a massive commitment to staying downtown and anchored this redevelopment with this building, originally called One Vandenberg Center. This commitment and this building was the birthplace of the public-private culture of our city, a culture that is alive and well today. It's so fitting that the building is seeing new life now and is leading our city and our state once again in this conversion to residential use."
The 92,025-square-foot building will soon house 140 apartments. The lower floors will remain office space dominated by Fifth Third Bank.
City leaders say the changes will help with the vitality of downtown Grand Rapids.
"The idea of downtown being a neighborhood means that they're going to be people here who are going to be maybe going and having a beer in Belknap neighborhood. Maybe they're going to be taking a bike up into the Creston neighborhood. Maybe they'll be going to East town," said Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand. "So the fun and funky neighborhoods in Grand Rapids talk to each other. People move from one to the other, and having downtown is a viable option, and a real living neighborhood is going to be a new and exciting thing."
"We have a goal in downtown bids to get to this tipping point of having 10,000 people living downtown and calling downtown home," said former Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss. "We know that with that number, we spur additional vibrancy downtown. It's a number that will help us support retail and commercial and our restaurants and our bars, and we know how critical that is, and this project is going to help us get there."
Apartments will be offered in 1 and 2 bedroom configurations. The building will also offer residents amenities like a member's lounge, catering kitchen, event space, full gym, indoor pickleball court, indoor pool, a golf and driving simulator room, pet washing station, and paddleboard workshop.
The start of the renovation process was marked with a sledgehammer ceremony in the 4th floor on Wednesday. Project leaders used sledgehammers to start the demolition process.
Construction is expected to wrap up by the summer of 2026.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
