Historic Sentinel building will become retail, office space
HOLLAND — Change is coming to the historic Holland Sentinel building at 54 W. Eighth St. in downtown Holland.
The newspaper has a long history on the western block of Eighth Street between River Avenue and Pine Avenue, but consolidated operations and a shift toward remote work have encouraged the paper to downsize. The office hasn't been open to visitors since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The building, owned by GDK Construction, will soon be open to the public again with a first-floor retail space (tenant undecided). It'll also host Boileau Communications on a renovated second floor.
"It's not clear yet whether we'll remain in the building in some capacity or move to another space in the community," said Holland Sentinel local editor Cassandra Lybrink. "GDK has been an incredibly accommodating landlord. But whichever way the wind blows, it won't change our coverage at all."
According to Doug DeKock, co-owner of GDK, construction and renovation on the second floor will soon be underway, with plans for Boileau — a marketing agency — to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Then work will begin on the first floor, renovating the space for additional Eighth Street retail. The change will streamline shopping on the block, enhanced in 2019 with new storefronts that now hold Canterbury Cottage Interiors, Sperry's Moviehouse, HopCat, Obstacle No. 1, Poquito, Seventy-Six Restaurant, OI Asian Bistro, Bondi Salon and Suites, Cakabakery on Eighth, Mezkla Taqueria and, later this year, Sprinkles Donut Shop.
“We plan on doing some renovations to the front of the building as well,” DeKock said. “We're taking out the ramp out front and bringing out the front wall. ... It’s going to be stone and have a much more contemporary look to it.”
Boileau, meanwhile, is looking forward to having room to grow. According to managing partner Vince Boileau, the business has outgrown its current location at 14 W. Eighth St.
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"Since moving downtown five years ago, the team has grown from five to 15, including a couple interns,” he said.
“We're really looking to establish a new space to accommodate additional growth and to try to create some unique rooms and spaces for our team to do the problem solving and creative work that we do.”
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Historic Sentinel building will become retail, office space
