DETROIT - The historic Albert Kahn-designed former Detroit Free Press building has undergone a major makeover and now consists of 105 apartments as well as commercial space right in the heart of Downtown Detroit.
The Press/321, located at 321 W. Lafayette Blvd. is now leasing for both residential and commercial and features plenty of amenities including a rooftop pool and lounge, only the second of its kind in Detroit’s Central Business District. Completed by next spring, this area will also have a sundeck and gas grills, not to mention panoramic views of downtown. Residents also get those terrific views of the city from the windows of their apartment.
An artist rendition of the rooftop pool/lounge on the 7th floor of the 14-story The Press/321 building, located at 321 W. Lafayette Blvd. (Photo courtesy of Bedrock Detroit)
There’s also a fitness center, community work lounge and conference room, fiber internet and bike storage. Oh, and about that robot valet system. Located in the basement, it’s being called the Midwest’s first automated parking garage. It will be complete by mid-2021.
“You’ll come down an alley into the back of the building, drive your car into a vestibule, get out of your car, close the door to the vestibule and push a button on a kiosk. The system will then take your car down for you," Sam Rouse, Bedrock Detroit Development manager, told MLive. "The software has been fully developed to file your car away as tightly as possible. Residents will be able to push a button on their phone and have their vehicle waiting for them when they get downstairs.”
The fitness center inside The Press/321 building, located at 321 W. Lafayette Blvd. (Photo courtesy of Bedrock Detroit)
The Press/321′s 105 residential units consist of studios, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom. Studio apartments start at $995 a month. Each apartment offers a spacious floor plan, huge windows, stainless steel appliances, an accent wall and picturesque archways.
The kitchen area of a 1-bedroom apartment inside The Press/321 building, located at 321 W. Lafayette Blvd. (Photo courtesy of Bedrock Detroit)
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome residents into The Press/321 property and bring life back to one of Detroit’s architectural gems, which has sat vacant since 1998,” said Jonathan Mueller, Bedrock’s director of residential development. “Our priority was to uphold the aesthetic elements of the Albert-Kahn building while tailoring the living experience for our future residents.”
Inside a 1-bedroom apartment at The Press/321 building, located at 321 W. Lafayette Blvd. (Photo by Edward Pevos | MLive)
Originally built in 1925, the old Free Press building is 14-stories high and is a 250,000 square-foot limestone building. Designed by Bedrock’s in-house architecture team in partnership with Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group, many of the building’s traditional features have been maintained and many historic relics were restored while incorporating contemporary design.
A community work area inside The Press/321 building, located at 321 W. Lafayette Blvd. (Photo by Edward Pevos | MLive)
“The Detroit Free Press Building has been a part of the fabric of the city for almost a century, and we treasure the opportunities to preserve significant historic buildings and continue their legacy by transforming them into something new,” said Laura Mitchell, project architect for Kraemer Design Group. “The team was presented with a unique design challenge with this building by altering the use and adding basement parking and the rooftop pool while maintaining and restoring the historic elements.”
View from an apartment window overlooking Downtown Detroit inside The Press/321 building. (Photo by Edward Pevos)
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