Downtown Adrian buildings being demolished for Maiden Lane extension project

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·3 min read

ADRIAN — Demolition of three blighted buildings in downtown Adrian is expected to cause the closure of part of a street Monday, May 13.

South Main Street between Maumee and Church streets will be closed as demolition of the buildings at 116, 118 and 120 S. Main St. continues. The closure begins at 7 a.m. Monday and will continue for the remainder of the day or until the demolition is completed, a news release from the city of Adrian said.

Downtown businesses will remain open during the street closure, the city said.

Demolition of the South Main Street buildings is being conducted by Pitsch Companies of Grand Rapids. The work includes the removal of the blighted buildings, including restoration of a common masonry wall, installation of a window in an opening within that common wall, and installation of a coping along the remaining roof line. The work was approved by the city commission in April.

Demolition of three buildings in downtown Adrian was underway Friday and was scheduled to continue at least through Monday, May 13. The structures at 116, 118 and 120 S. Main St. were deemed blighted by the city.
Demolition of three buildings in downtown Adrian was underway Friday and was scheduled to continue at least through Monday, May 13. The structures at 116, 118 and 120 S. Main St. were deemed blighted by the city.

Why are the buildings being demolished?

The three buildings at 116, 118 and 120 S. Main St. — which have been vacant for at least 10 years, according to Jay Marks, Downtown Adrian Main Street executive director — are examples of buildings that meet the city’s criteria for blight.

The buildings also are being razed as one of the initial steps in Adrian’s Maiden Lane extension project.

“These buildings, which the city owns, sit immediately south of the former Maiden Lane,” Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott said.

Machinery is pictured Friday within a fenced area in the South Winter Street parking lot in Adrian. The machinery is being used to demolish three South Main Street buildings that the city has deemed blighted.
Machinery is pictured Friday within a fenced area in the South Winter Street parking lot in Adrian. The machinery is being used to demolish three South Main Street buildings that the city has deemed blighted.

With guidance from Adrian’s Downtown Development Authority/Main Street committee, the three buildings are being removed to create new open spaces as part of the city’s placemaking efforts to “improve the downtown experience for all users,” Adrian DDA/Main Street said.

The Maiden Lane extension project is part of a series of planned projects throughout downtown Adrian and along the River Raisin in the Downtown Adrian Riverfront vision plan.

In 2022, Adrian received an enhancement grant from the state of Michigan in the amount of $15 million, which is intended to support the costs of removing blight, incentivizing new residential development and creating new parks, open spaces, trails and other public amenities.

The Maiden Lane project seeks to address the following goals:

  • Capitalize on the unique, historic character of downtown Adrian’s physical environment.

  • Activation through placemaking for residents, local businesses and visitors as well as creating inviting, safe and flexible public spaces.

  • Support and encourage new small, local businesses.

  • Act as a catalyst for existing downtown businesses and events.

  • Flexibility to accommodate potential use during existing festivals and events happening downtown, such as the Artalicious Fine Arts Festival and First Fridays.

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Three concepts of the Maiden Lane project are being considered by the DDA/Main Street. The concepts include areas with microshops, which are permanent, lockable, small business structures; social spaces with flexible seating and a relaxed, friendly vibe; bioretention planting along parking edges to provide stormwater benefits; and overhead structures with lighting, planting and varied seating options to create a social hub.

The vision for this area, Marks previously said, is to look like an entrepreneurial ecosystem, consisting of small sheds where startup businesses can grow with the objective of them growing into standalone retail businesses downtown.

“There is more work to be done,” he said.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Downtown Adrian buildings being demolished for Maiden Lane project