Kendall College of Art and Design / Old Federal Building Redevelopment

The historic five-story Beaux Arts building was originally constructed in 1909 and served as a federal building until 1981. At that time, the City of Grand Rapids renovated the first three floors of the building for the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Following the move of the museum in 2007, the building sat vacant until Ferris State University chose to redevelop the building to provide space for its Kendall College of Art and Design.

A public/private partnership led by Christman assisted Ferris in its plan to redevelop all five of the floors to meet the standards of the National Parks Service and a the State Historic Preservation Office. The building provides a cultural/arts center for the University and includes an auditorium, library, art exhibition galleries, cafe, classroom space, art supply/bookstore, student workshops and more. Additionally, a “Center for Sustainable Design” was included on the fourth floor. With the completion of this building, Kendall now has a campus environment that allows it more space to offer more innovative programs and continue to thrive and grow.

Due to the condition of the building, massive repairs were needed to the plasterwork and historic woodwork. The Old Federal Building is full of unique materials and was built with many techniques that are no longer used, which provided several challenges throughout the project, as all of the historic fabric was maintained and restored.

The exterior is a solid granite veneer that has withstood the test of time but required tuck pointing and a thorough cleaning. To complete this work, the building was fully covered in scaffold for access, and all of the surfaces were reviewed to ensure it would last another 100 years. In addition to the granite work, Christman also restored all of the historic wood windows.

Restoration of the building’s interior historic materials was also necessary. All existing mechanical and electrical systems had to be replaced with current technology. The interior of the building contains historic oak woodwork that is installed throughout and was restored with a combination of stripping of the existing finish and reinstalling the missing trim that was damaged over the years of derogation. The flooring is a combination of marble, terrazzo and mosaic tile. All of the damage to the interior components was restored and a new finish was installed. This work required a tremendous amount of coordination with Christman and trade contractors to precisely open up the plaster in a strategic manor to minimize damage and allow for the rough in of the new systems. Communication ultimately became the number one tool and strength that was used on this project. It was important from the early stages of the project to listen to the needs and concerns and then communicate how we could solve the issues, and that foundation of communication carried through the remainder of the project with each member of the team.

Throughout the project, several unknown conditions were discovered. The existing as-built drawings were accurate, but not to the level that would be completed today. While the architect did an excellent job in ensuring the drawings were as detailed as possible, some of the unknown conditions had to be resolved in the field. Another unexpected challenge occurred as Kendall College opted to add a major change towards the end of the project: an outdoor sculpture garden. Christman helped navigate through the approval process to make sure that we did not jeopardize the tax credits and to complete the requested scope, allowing construction for that change to begin very quickly.

Christman led the LEED Gold Certification process from the early stages of development through the end of the construction process. The project architects designed the building to achieve the appropriate points, while Christman helped to guide the process and maximize the credits available.

This complex public/private partnership relied on a series of state historic tax credits, brownfield tax credits and low-interest federal bonds. The completed Old Federal Building, the Kendall College of Art and Design now occupies three contiguous city blocks dedicated to a community of student artists, designers and creative thinkers living and learning in downtown Grand Rapids.