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Architecture firm plans to rehab Mt. Clemens firehouse

metromode, 4/2/2009

Another historic structure in downtown Mt. Clemens is on its way to a rebirth now that Partners in Architecture plans to renovate the old Firehouse No. 2.

The building on New Street, across from the New Street Lofts, will be redeveloped into a mixed-use structure. The 16-person-and-one-intern architecture firm plans to turn the second floor and part of the first floor into its offices. The rest of the ground floor will be available for retail or office uses.

The ornate structure dates back to the turn of the 20th Century. It went from being a fire station to an office building to a combination of office and commercial space. Plans to turn it into lofts had been discussed before Partners in Architecture, which rents space less than a block away, bought it.

"It's rich in ornate detail," says David Gassen, who is co-principal of the firm, along with Michael Malone. "We have had our eye on that building for five years."

The firm plans to put an extensive green roof on the 2-story building so its employees can use it as a green space to relax. The plans also call for removing part of the second floor, so when people walk into the building they can see into its offices.

Construction is set to begin in early June and wrap up by October.

"If it had been demolished, it would be a vacant lot," says Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority. "They weren't going to building something, but they would rehabilitate a building."

Source: David Gassen, co-principal of Partners in Architecture
Writer: Jon Zemke

Mt. Clemens