Olympia Development in late April announced that it would tackle six projects in the District Detroit, a mixed-use development rising near downtown Detroit’s major sports and entertainment venues.
Olympia Development’s projects will include the restoration of three vacant historic buildings and the construction of three new mixed-use buildings near Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings.
These projects will launch the second phase of development in The District Detroit. The investment of neaerly $200 million will help connect Detroit’s Central Business District to nearby neighborhoods. The projects will bring more than 400,000 square feet of office space and nearly 70,000 square feet of street-level retail space to the district. Each of the buildings will feature new street-level retail development.
“We are enthusiastically building on the incredible success of Little Caesars Arena,” said Christopher Ilitch, president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., in a written statement. “This new investment puts the focus on the redevelopment of historic buildings while bringing high-demand retail and office space that will contribute to Detroit’s economy.”
According to numbers from The District Detroit, development in the mixed-use district has already created more than 20,000 construction and construction-related jobs and more than 3,000 permanent jobs following the opening of Little Caesars Arena. Two-thirds of these jobs were filled by Detroit residents.
The historic renovation projects on which Olympia is working include:
2210 Park Ave.: The 10-story former Detroit Life Building built in 1922 will be transformed into 32,000 square feet of office space and 6,000 square feet of street-level retail space just north of Columbia Street. Detroit’s Kraemer Design Group has been selected to design this $17 million renovation.
1922 Cass Ave.: The six-story historic building will be renovated into 66,000 square feet of office space and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail space. This building, dating back more than 100 years, once included a carriage and wagon shop and later a machine and engine shop. Detroit’s Albert Kahn Associates will design this $23 million renovation.
2110 Park Ave.: The interior of this six-story historic building would be renovated into 47,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of street-level retail space. Kraemer Design Group has been selected to design this $25 million renovation.
Olympia’s new-construction work announced for the district include:
2715 Woodward Ave.: This proposed $65 million development between Little Caesars Arena and Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University would include 110,000 square feet of office space and 17,000 square feet of street-level retail space.
111 Henry St.: This proposed $20 million mixed-use office, retail and parking development would be completed with 50,000 square feet of office space and 7,000 square feet of street-level retail space. Previously designated as residential, this property is now envisioned as office space to meet increasing demand for Class-A office space in Detroit.
120 Henry St.: This proposed $48 million project would be developed adjacent to Chevrolet Plaza at the new Little Caesars Arena. The development includes 100,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 square feet of street-level retail space. Previously designated as residential, this property is now envisioned as office space.
These are far from the only projects Olympia Development has taken on in The District Detroit. Since 2015, the firm has launched more than 12 major development projects here, including Little Caesars Arena; office developments for Google, the Detroit Red Wings, Olympia Entertainment and 313 Presents; four new restaurants; a team store; the Little Caesars world headquarters campus expansion; the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University; Chevrolet Plaza; and other public spaces, infrastructure enhancement and more.