City officials and developers know they want to turn the city's historic downtown Masonic Temple building into an arts center, but they just don't know what to call it yet.
The right name just hasn't jumped out to them as the owner of Detroit's 4371 Arts Center, Ric Geyer, and Wyandotte officials are putting together plans to turn the old structure at 81 Chestnut St. into a destination for the arts in Metro Detroit. After the deal is finalized, they hope to start construction later this year and start moving people in within a year.
The plan is to turn the basement and first floor into a place for visual artists, similar to the 4371 Arts Center in Detroit's Woodbridge neighborhood. The second and third floors, which house a stage, would be renovated to facilitate the performance arts.
The three-story building dates back to the late 1800s when it opened as a Masonic Temple. It has since served as the Church of Many Miracles before the city bought it this spring for $375,000.
Source: Joseph Voszatka, Community Development Director for Wyandotte and Ric Geyer, developer behind the project and owner of the 4371 Arts Center
Writer: Jon Zemke
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.