By Rob South, WKAR
Lansing, MI –
Reigniting an Icon - WKAR NewsRoom reports on the Ottawa Street Power Station -- one of Lansing's most storied and recognizable buildings.
This story originally aired Oct. 9, 2007
When it was dedicated in 1940, the Ottawa Street Power Station made the cover of architectural and utility trade magazines across the country. This was no ordinary home for a power plant. Its art deco styling gave it a look of strength and power that rivaled no other downtown building, save the state capitol.
It still holds that same place of reverence for many. Accident Fund spokesman Steve Reynolds says because of that, few if any changes will be made to the exterior.
"The windows are beautiful in that building. There are some unique architectural items on that building that you may not see readily. The front doors have this wonderful lightning bolt. On one side of the building the bricks change color as they go up -- as the colors change, it indicates going from the black of the coal to a clean burn."
But it's the building's inside that had vexed so many would-be renovators. Dozens of ideas have been proposed for the building since it was decommissioned in 1992.
The utility spent millions of dollars removing the boilers and power turbines, and abating asbestos and other hazardous materials. But what was left was a shell of industrial leftovers: twisted metal I-beams, rusty catwalks, and lots and lots of dirt.
Former BWL spokesman John Strickler gave me a tour last year.
"Everybody sees the potential of this building: the problem has been finding somebody that wants to put out the $50-60 million it will take with no guaranteed revenue stream in return."
The Accident Fund's $182 million renovation project is expected to turn the main building into ten stories of prime office space.
Steve Reynolds says after exhaustive study, it became apparent that renovating the Ottawa site was the right thing to do.
"This is a surprisingly adaptable building for Class A office space. Any of the environmental issues with a building like that, like many of the buildings in an industrial type city, were not uncommon, not out of the norm, and very manageable."
But the power station alone won't be enough to house the 1,200 workers the Accident Fund hopes to employ as its business grows. A new building will go up adjacent to the old, the Ottawa Street Parking Ramp will come down, and a new parking structure, complete with office and retail space, will be put up. The project also includes a boardwalk along the Grand River to complement Lansing's river trail system.
It's a dream come true according to Bob Tresize, the director of Lansing's Economic Development Corporation. He says for too long the BWL Power Station has been a symbol of failed development ideas. But its rebirth is still a long way off. State and local tax abatements still need to be approved, and the BWL's governing board has to agree to sell the property. But Tresize says all the work will be worth the effort.
"And it makes sense when you talk about an $182 million investment, creating up to 500 new jobs at possibly $70,000 average salary, taking a building on our skyline that was a symbol of failure for twenty years and turning that around, and all the other development that we're going to get out of the deal. I think it's an awfully good deal for all of us."
If all the pieces fall into place, reconstruction is expected to begin in about a year, with the Accident Fund moving in in 2011. The spokesman for the company says it will likely stay at that site for at least thirty years.