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Nick Eyde had hoped to finish the reconstruction of downtown Lansing's Knapp's Centre in 16 months. It's taken longer, but it's worth every extra day.
The iconic building, vacant and in disrepair for too long, will have its grand opening this summer. By that time Eyde, and the rest of the company that bears his family's name, will have relocated to the Knapp's Centre from their current headquarters on Hagadorn Road in East Lansing.
Along with office spaces, the center includes 23,000 square feet of residential space in the form of apartments on the upper floors and retail on the ground levels - a new life for an old building. Altogether, the renovation will cost as much as $36 million.
The interior of the department store, built in 1937 and closed in 1980, has been hollowed out to create a spectacular floor-to-ceiling atrium. It is a different building altogether from the sturdy and functional department store that once anchored downtown Lansing. Open and airy, the office and retail spaces are modern, a touch European, in fact, all wrapped in the iconic art deco ceramic shell.
This...