The 760,000-square-foot, 11-story Taubman Center for Design -- AKA the Argonaut Building -- is home to a second College for Creative Studies campus and an arts- and design-oriented high school. But the gigantic structure still has room for 130,000 to 150,000 square feet of commercial tenants.
Part of that space is being programmed as an arts incubator/accelerator by the Detroit Creative Corridor Center, but some of it will serve as retail for the student, faculty and New Center neighborhood population.
This fall, the first commercial tenant to sign on the dotted line, Tim Hortons, will open. It will be located on the ground floor across from a campus grill, bringing two dining options to fruition. "The agreement was just executed and the build-out is just beginning," says Eric Larson of Larson Realty Group. "This is a very exciting addition to the Taubman Center in the way that we serve the building population and in the way that we serve the surrounding area."
While storefront retail was considered, Larson says that interior space along the building's main ground floor corridor was selected to draw the community into the building. "(We consider it) a public boulevard as much as an internal one," he says, mentioning the John Chamberlain sculpture that is a focal point for visitors. "(We want) vibrant and public activity on the ground floor."
Larson says there has been a "fair amount" of interest from other commercial tenants -- think creative companies, like graphic or engineering design firms -- but no other leases have yet been secured.
Source: Eric Larson,
Larson Realty GroupWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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