Biggar Flower Shops

Biggar SK News

Mar 15, 2019

Flowers of Vietnam chef to anchor historic southwest Detroit building - Crain's Detroit Business

Architect John Biggar and former Crain's Twenty in their 20s honoree Brian Mooney co-own the companies leading the project: Detroit-based developer Warehouse Development, construction manager Integrity Building Group and architectural firm StudiozONE. The team's list of projects includes the Grand Army of the Republic Building and restaurant Wright & Co., both in Detroit. Lending for the endeavor comes from Invest Detroit and Liberty Bank. Last March, Warehouse Development, which specializes in historic renovations, was doing preliminary work on the buildings - particularly a back portion of the corner building that's substantially crumbled. Its distinctive corner turret is visible on a drive down Michigan Avenue. They said then the renovation would finish in around a year. But coming up on that mark, major construction hasn't started. They've spent around $150,000 so far working on the property, including starting to stabilize the collapsed back portion of the corner building, Mooney said. He and Biggar cited delays in a federal historic tax credit process. They missed a January state historic preservation board meeting and are now waiting until the next in May for review of their nominations for historic status of two buildings, the Grosfield and neighboring Reeber and Brothers Building, Biggar said. They're seeking a federal 20 percent income tax credit through the National Park Service. Major construction won't start until after that May meeting, but they expect more masonry and rear-wall stabilization work to kick off around the end of March. According to city property records, the 3365 Michigan Ave. parcel was most recently sold in 2010 to Khalil Khalil for $30,000. He's a partner in the development.