Blair McGowan is tweaking the old saying of "Out with old and in with the new." He is throwing out the old blighted version of the Crofoot Building in downtown Pontiac and bringing back a new vibrant version filled with businesses and customers this summer.
The rehabilitation of the Crofoot Building, one of downtown oldest structures, is wrapping up this summer and set for an opening in the first half of August.
The Crofoot Building, located at the corner of Saginaw and Pike streets, has been undergoing a complete gutting for the last year. When finished the building will house two corner bars, a pool hall and live-show venue with a 1,000-person capacity. McGowan, the developer behind the project, sees the venue as similar to St. Andrews Hall in downtown Detroit.
The Crofoot Building was constructed in the 1830s and rebuilt in 1852. A fire in the 1950s destroyed the third floor and the building has recently sat vacant for more than a decade. McGowan, along with help from a $100,000 state Cool Cities grant, is restoring as much of the building as possible to its original 1852 state.
Source: Blair J. McGowan, owner of the Crofoot Building
Writer: Jon Zemke
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