[LMich]

This is really to showcase some interesting photos I found more than anything else, but a major fire happened in Lansing, today, burning down a historic warehouse that had just last month received tax credits to be developed into an artist colony is one of Lansing's most rundown corridors. It's a big loss to the developer. The developer vowed earlier today to salvage the project, but that was before the top half of the front facade collapsed.

The fire started at around 6:45 AM and was burning even when I was around that way at about 7:00 PM, so this is a complete loss. The structure was finished in 1923 as a coal storage warehouse, and was mostly recently used for storage by Lansing Community College. It was just a month or two from starting renovation.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/328839745_c1e10bdd36_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/328843843_521158e02a_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/328849923_29260754b6_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/328847670_f475bb2c66_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/328833168_269ff57f04_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/328586381_2c59ecb7a0_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/328851300_281c2a5a3c_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/328852086_c393851834_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/328855479_2efeee0a84_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/328856612_e535aed091_b.jpg
ktpupp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktpupp/

Rustbelt-atcha

To give you some context of where this building stands...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/201579079_05d550be5a_o.jpg

[mobyhead]

That's incredible. Arson?

[Exodus]

I can tell it was a nice looking building back in the day. What is really interesting is that the paint was burnt off to expose the original brick.

[LMich]

Moby,

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it's most likely an accidential fire. There was a fire in the building's basement before from homeless individuals trying to keep warm, and that's probably very likely what happened. What makes this so sad is that preliminary renovation work had already began.

I went by the site today (I really have to start taking pictures, again), and there's almost nothing left of the structure.

[hood]

It was actually a cold storage facility, not coal storage. Anyways they said on the news they have begun demolition of the rest of the building an that the cause is officially unkown, and that it will remain unknown.

[LMich]

Thanks for that correction. I was aware it had been used as a refrigeration building in the past, but I wasn't sure if that was the original usage. It looks like the LSJ has another fact I need them to correct. I already sent them a correction about the age, as they kept describing the building as over 100 years old, which it is not. They got back to me promptly and corrected that.

Yeah, I just read that because of how they had to demolish it, they will probably never know, which really sucks for the owners. :(

[Hayward]

Well, that's the end of that. Sadly.

Looks like it would have been an excellent project.

[Robert Pence]

Sad occasion.

I think the style of the brickwork and windows on the building definitely make older than 1923, probably pre-1900. I speculate that 1923 was when it was adaoted for refrigerated storage by bricking in the windows on the sides and probably insulating it heavily.

[Avian001]

That's really too bad. I think I recall seeing this building in Lansing some years back when I was there for a musical event. Is the structure now completely gone? If the developer still is committed to making something happen they might incorporate the damaged building as a ruin. Maybe similar to what was done here:

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5468/mplsmillruins03boc5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A new glass building was inserted within the stone walls of a burned out mill. (Photo by Michael Mingo Photography.)

[LMich]

The entire front facade, and front third of the building was demolished. It's a complete loss, and will be fully demolished.

*EDIT* - Got some information back from the paper, and it's been found the front half of so of the building was constructed before 1900, so that part is aged 100 years +. The structure was expanded along the back in 1923, which is where that date comes from.

[LMich]

Today:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/330583526_ceafca2cd3_b.jpg
MichSt - http://www.flickr.com/photos/12299238@N00/