Text: R. Collins For many northern Michigan businesses and organizations, the serenity of the area’s natural environment—composed by sandy bluffs, fresh water, dense deciduous forests, and awe-inspiring seasonal changes—often inspires the design of retail and gathering spaces. When it came time for Spa Grand Traverse, a full-service spa within the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan, to receive an upgrade…
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Motion in choreograph
“We are an idea-based firm. We can pivot off of any design problem and I think program is really just a vehicle to test ideas,” said Dwayne MacEwen, AIA, principal and creative director at DMAC Architecture P.C. in Evanston, Illinois. “Whether it is a hospital or a restaurant, I think you need to understand how it functions and it works,…
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Art on theMART
By: R. Collins On September 29, 2018, theMART, formerly known as The Merchandise Mart, will host a series of curated digital artworks projected across nearly 2.5 acres of its exterior riverside façade after dusk around 7:15 p.m., launching an inaugural program known as Art on theMART. The inaugural exhibition will showcase the works of renowned artists Diana Thater, Zheng Chongbin,…
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Traverse City’s East end
Text: R.Collins During the last several years, downtown Traverse City has developed as both a local and tourist destination filled with an eclectic assortment of eateries, venues, shops, and bars, leaving areas like the city’s eastern side less noticed. More recently, the East side has grown into having a similar reputation for locally-renowned venues and businesses that showcase the best…
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Detroit foundation
Newly transformed into a 100-room boutique hotel, the site of the former Detroit Fire Department Headquarters and adjacent Pontchartrain Wine Cellars expresses an authenticity to its landmarked designation by embracing and celebrating Detroit’s design, art, architecture, and industrial communities. “One of the interesting things about the hotel to me, is it is just full of richness and it is not…
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Among the stars
When the Capitol Theatre Building was completed in 1928, it not only epitomized the atmospheric style that would come to define John Eberson’s architectural career, but also was the largest theater in Flint, Michigan and among the Butterfield Theatre chain’s most lavish. While the theater shuttered its doors in 1996 and sat dormant for nearly two decades, a multidisciplinary group…
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Boutique beacon
By R.J. Weick In 1893, Chicago dazzled the world with its display of architecture, industry, and innovation. It was the year in which the White City received its moniker as neoclassical-inspired buildings were meticulously constructed and designed for the World’s Columbian Exposition—or more fondly known as the Chicago World’s Fair. As a palatial exhibition began to take shape south of…
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Element of beauty
It was only a few short years ago when the sights and sounds of bustling twentieth century summer life in Walloon Lake Village had faded to a distant memory. Time and consecutive years of declining tourism had all but muffled the vibrant melody of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad transporting eager guests from the sweltering heat to a northern…
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Guarding an icon
Text: R. Collins When vacationing on the sunny shores of Lake Michigan, visitors can sometimes forget how essential historic buildings are to the makeup of northern Michigan, such as the Point Betsie Lighthouse. Resting on a dune-laden stretch of Lake Michigan’s shoreline, the classic figurehead is located just south of the Manitou Passage. To those wearily navigating the waters of…
