McKay Tower is a building in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, located on Monroe Center.[2] The building is mixed-use for apartments, office space, retail and is a venue for events.[3] It is currently the fifth tallest building in Grand Rapids.[4]
History
19th century
The location of McKay Tower is where the first non-Native American marriage took place in Grand Rapids in 1834, only a few years after settlers arrived and the area was surveyed as part of the Michigan Territory.[4][5] The marriage took place in a cabin that was owned by the American pioneer, Joel Guild which involved his daughter Harriet Guild and Barney Burton.[5] The first town meeting was also held at the cabin that had a total number of nine voters.[5]
20th century
The Wonderly Building was then built on the location in 1890.[2] The first two floors of McKay Tower were then built in their current manner in 1915 and the building was then known as the Grand Rapids National Bank.[4] Another 11 floors were added between 1921 and 1927.[2] In 1942, the tower was bought from the Grand Rapids National Bank by Grand Rapids businessman and politician, Frank D. McKay.[4] In the early 1940s, two additional mechanical floors were added to the tower.[4]
From the completion of the tower in 1927 to 1983, the McKay Tower was the tallest building in Grand Rapids until the completion of the Amway Grand tower.[4] The McKay Tower was also the tallest office building in Grand Rapids until Bridgewater Place was completed in 1993.[2]
21st century
In 2000, the University of Michigan, which acquired the building from McKay's will, sold the tower.[4] The building was sold to Greystone Associates later that year.[1] Mark Roller, an internet businessman, purchased the tower in 2006 for $7.8 million,[1][6] who later listed the property for sale in 2009 for $11 million.[6]
McKay Tower was sold to Jonathan L. Borisch, founder of Borisch Manufacturing Corp. (now Amphenol Borisch) in May 2012 for $10.5 million through his Steadfast Property Holdings company.[7] In January 2020, the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan and the Huron Band of the Potawatomi purchased McKay Tower for $17.5 million from Steadfast Property Holdings.[3]
Architecture
McKay Tower is a Greek Revival structure.[4] The tower currently has a three-story penthouse and a metal dome.[2]
Gallery
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Site of McKay Tower in 1874. -
The Wonderly Building in 1912. -
McKay Tower site circa 1915. -
Construction of McKay Tower in the early 1920s.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "146 Monroe Center, N.W. The McKay Tower" (PDF). History Grand Rapids. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "McKay Tower". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ^ a b "2 Michigan tribes partner to buy McKay Tower". WZZM. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ellison, Garret (September 18, 2012). "McKay Tower in Grand Rapids Quietly Sold to Borisch Family for $10.5 Million". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c History and Directory of Kent County, Michigan, Containing a History of Each Township, and the City of Grand Rapids; the Name, Location and Postoffice Address of All Residents Outside of the City: A List of Postoffices in the County; a Schedule of Population; and Other Valuable Statistics. Grand Rapids, MI: Daily Eagle Steam Printing House. November 21, 1870. pp. 114–136.
- ^ a b Knape, Chris (June 5, 2009). "Internet entrepreneur Mark Roller lists McKay Tower for $11 million". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ "McKay Tower in Grand Rapids quietly sold to Borisch family for $10.5 million". MLive. September 19, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
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