Gabriel Richard Building prepares for ground floor tenants

The Archdiocese of Detroit-owned Gabriel Richard Building is undergoing significant improvements to its first floor retail space. The building is located on the southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Washington Boulevard, kitty-corner from the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel.

There are two separate spaces — one is 2,800-square feet and the other is 3,200 — that are being gutted and white-boxed for potential tenants. Previous work on the building included fascia replacement and the installation of new windows and mechanical systems.

Michael Moran, the archdiocese’s director of properties, is in discussions with a number of restaurants and other retail services. “Frankly, since we started renovating and the hotel opened, we’ve been getting a couple of calls a day,” he says. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a Kinko’s or an Enterprise Rent-A-Car? Something that would prop up the local
streetscape and be of benefit to the area?”

Moran says the Book Cadillac has added an instant jolt of energy to the west side of downtown. “We’re pretty excited about that corner and looking at the regeneration,” he says. “Our employees are happy to see a difference on the street.”

Source: Michael Moran, Archdiocese of Detroit
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh